Grateful We're Not Dead

A Country Party Band with a wicked sense of humour and a social conscience

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Remembering Walter Cameron

June 18, 2021 By GWND Blogger

A number of years ago, the members of Grateful We’re Not Dead were fortunate to become acquainted with Walter Cameron through our lead vocalist, Don White.

Walter Cameron 1960s

Walter Cameron – Mid-1960s. White Hall, Highway 511.

Don originally met Walter in 1947 and then worked with Walter in Ed White’s country music dance band, Mississippi River Boys, for 17 years during the 60s and the 70s. They maintained a lifelong friendship. It was our pleasure to have Walter sit in with us for a number of shows and he always kept everyone in stitches with his fantastic sense of humour. Unfortunately, Walter passed away on May 16, 2021. Following is Don’s Eulogy for Walter which he delivered at the interment on June 5, 2021 at Crawford Cemetery, McDonalds Corners.

The Eulogy

and some extra memories

We are gathered here today to remember and pay tribute to Walter Cameron.

Walter was born on January 29, 1936 in Canonto, Frontenac County to Murvel and Melissa Cameron, the younger brother of Arthur and Jean. He spent his formative years in Canonto

Walter had many roles in life. He was a caring father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, a respected uncle, a loving partner, a loyal friend, a talented musician, a trusted employee.

Each of you have your own history with and memories of Walter, so I will tell you some of mine.

I first met Walter in 1947 when his sister, Jean, took my parents and myself to Canonto to meet her family. Apparently, we all went to a country dance on Saturday night and it was Walter’s task to look after me while the adults were up dancing. However, Walter showed a distinct lack of appreciation for my vocal skills at the time and expressed his displeasure with the comment that he “wasn’t going to look after that squalling little bugger anymore.”

Thus ended the first phase of our relationship.

Seeing as there was no school bus from Canonto to Sharbot Lake, Walter originally started High School in Napanee and lived with his sister and her husband, Jack Dafoe. Jean gave Walter his first guitar when he was 14 and Walter took to the guitar like a duck to water.

When his parents moved from Canonto to Snow Road Walter transferred to Sharbot Lake HS. Neville Wells also travelled on the same school bus from Snow Road to Sharbot Lake with Walter and Neville has told me that Walter was his inspiration to get involved in music.

Once Walter had the singing and playing down pat, there was no holding him back. He played with The Perry Orchestra which included Neil Perry (fiddle), Flora Perry (hawaiian guitar), Walter Cameron (lead singer, guitar), Gilbert Dunham (piano, bass, fiddle, accordion), and Hartsel White (caller). They played every Saturday night in Ompah and Friday nights in Plevna when they needed a band.

He worked with Bill Hannah and His Nightingales, as well as Jimmy Miller and his Ramblers.

In 1959 Walter and I re-established our relationship when he joined the Mississippi River Boys. During that period, we worked together in country dance halls throughout Lanark, Renfrew, and Carleton counties for 10 years and at the same time built a lasting friendship.

Mississippi River Boys: Mid-1960s, Maberly Community Hall. Doug White, Ed White (deceased), Don White, Walter Cameron (2018 Inductee, Land O’ Lakes Traditional Music Hall of Fame) (deceased) , Burns McDonnell (deceased), Eleanor White (deceased).

Walter then moved on to the Country Gentlemen which consisted of the late Johnny Foster, Frank Coleman, Earl Foster, Arnie Foster and, of course, Walter

In 1971 he saw the light and returned to the Mississippi River Boys and we worked together again until 1977.

Now Walter met and associated with many interesting people over his lifetime. I guess the most interesting ones he met during his years with the Mississippi River Boys were two of Canada’s governors-general. Between 1965 and 1967 we played at Rideau Hall for three Christmas parties. Walter had the pleasure of meeting and entertaining Governor-General Georges P. Vanier and Madame Vanier and Governor-General Roland Mitchener and Mrs. Mitchener.

In 1977, Walter joined The Ron McMunn Mississippi Country Road Show. Up until 1980 he toured from Corner Brook, Nfld to the Calgary Stampede playing in every country bar in between. He also did some recording work with Ron in Nashville on sessions produced by the late Josh Graves.

When he decided to get off the road in 1980, Walter played with my uncle, Jim White and the Country Pals, a mainstay at the Perth Legion. When Jim’s health deteriorated he asked Walter to form a new band and take over the contract with the Legion.

Country Pals: Clarence Bowes, Walter Cameron, Dave White, and John Taylor.
Missing: Terry Briggs, and Jim White.

That gave birth to Wally and Wildwood. Walter kept that band going from 1982 to the early 2000s. Members of his band were Walter (lead vocals, guitar) Mac Knowles (lead guitar), Tom Gardiner (bass, vocals), Wayne Monroe (drums), and the late Ray Donaldson (peddle steel).

The last band that Walter played with on a regular basis was Country 4 which consisted of Eric Labelle, Mark Hannah, Jim Dix and Walter.

Country 4

Country 4: Walter Cameron, Mark Hannah, Jim Dix, Eric Labelle.

Now one of Walter’s endearing traits was his sense of humour. I imagine all of you were exposed to that over the years.

For all the gigs we worked together, and any other place I saw him perform, Walter was never at a loss for a joke or a story. He usually kept the audience and the band in stitches.

In October 1964, Walter was my best man when Helen and I were married. After the wedding and the wedding dinner, the bridal party returned to the Ireton farm so the chores could be done before the wedding reception at Ferguson Falls. While we were there Walter wandered out to the barn to see what was happening. Seems innocent enough, but Walter had a wee trick up his sleeve.

October 9, 1964. Don White, Helen White, Betty Cameron, Walter Cameron
Photo/Bob Drader

About half way through the reception, Walter called Helen on stage and presented her with a large, nicely decorated box. He asked her to open it so everyone could see his gift to her to start her married life. She unwrapped and opened the box, reached in and pulled out… a set of kicking chains. For those that don’t know, kicking chains keep cows from kicking while being milked. I must admit I had a much more colourful description of the possible use for kicking chains but Helen insisted that I keep it simple and factual. Helen’s father Joe was quite willing to lend the kicking chains to Walter as long as they were back in the barn the next morning.

October 9, 1964. The Kicking Chains

Even after Walter gave up playing regular gigs, he stayed involved in music. On occasion I had the pleasure of having Walter sit in with my band, Grateful We’re Not Dead, and he was always the hit of the show.

Walter in a boob hat (Floppy), getting ready to perform J.D. Wilson’s “Boob Song” with Grateful We’re Not Dead.

It seems that every time I saw an article about some musical event up around McDonalds Corners, Snow Road, Plevna, Sharbot Lake, there was usually a reference to Walter performing and quite frequently there would be a picture of Walter in front of a microphone singing and playing. He was like the Energizer Bunny… he just kept on going, and going, and going.

The band (Mark Hannah, Eric Labelle, Walter Cameron, Marlyn Schlievert, Eddie Ashton and Kevin Topping) entertained a packed house as Snow Road Station celebrated the official opening of its former schoolhouse into a community centre
last Saturday (2017-06-17).
Photo/Craig Bakay – Frontenac News 2017-06-22

In 2015 Walter convinced me to go to Jack’s Jam in Plevna where I met a number of my cousins for the first time and ended up playing in the House Band whenever I could get to the Jam. One of the best things about this is that it gave me the chance to be on stage with Walter again and occasionally sing harmony with him on songs we did together back in the day. Those are cherished memories.

In 2018, Walter was inducted into the Land O’ Lakes Traditional Music Hall Of Fame at the Flinton Jamboree. I was quite overwhelmed when Walter asked me to write and deliver the speech regarding his musical career. You can check out a video of his Induction at Walter Cameron Induction 2018

1960s photo

Handing Walter a framed photo taken in mid-60s during my presentation of his musical biography at his induction into the Land O’Lakes Traditional Music Hall of Fame.
Photo/Dave Deacon 2018-08-04


Inductees Walter Cameron, Doreen Black and Albert St. Pierre reminisce backstage before their induction into the Land O’Lakes Traditional Music Hall of Fame
Saturday (2018-08-04) in Flinton.
Photo/Craig Bakay – Frontenac News 2018-08-08

Now this was just a brief remembrance of my friendship with Walter and his involvement in Country Music. I’ve purposely left out all the juicy bits from his years with the Mississippi River Boys because a lot of them would likely incriminate me as well.

It has been a great honour knowing and working with Walter for all these years… even if we did get off to a rocky start.

Walter and Don – Flinton 2018-08-04
Photo/Angela Ley

So Walter, no matter what stage you’re on out there in the universe and no matter whom you’re entertaining, you’re being remembered and truly missed by all your extended family and friends back here on Earth.

Rest In Peace, old friend.

While I was preparing this eulogy, I was wondering how to end it. Then I remembered the song he sang at his induction in 2018. Before we part, I think Walter should sing us One More Country Song
https://gratefulwerenotdead.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/PlayMeOneMoreCountrySong.wav

Wally And Wildwood

Walter’s daughter Wanda hosted a 75th Birthday Party for her dad and the main entertainment for the evening was Wally and Wildwood. Don was a guest and managed to grab the following two video clips on his cell phone.

Wild Side Of Life

A Bottle Filled With Wine

Filed Under: Musicians Tagged With: Don White, Mississippi River Boys, MRB, Walter Cameron

Finally Back

June 1, 2019 By GWND Blogger

For some reason I tend to leave this website as an afterthought. Nobody likely noticed but the site has been down for the last couple months. However, we’re back up and running and now I’ll have to make an effort to keep it as up-to-date as the Grateful We’re Not Dead Facebook Page. Maybe I should start a Twitter Grateful We’re Not Dead feed as well. Then I could get wayyyy behind in more social media.

Before I go I guess I should leave a video clip from a live performance captured on a ZOOM Q2n Video Recorder at Manotick Place Retirement Community on March 29, 2019.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Al Owler, Bruce Penniston, Don White, Gord Breedyk, Grateful We're Not Dead

Seasons Greetings 2017

December 23, 2017 By GWND Blogger

Wow! It seems like a year since I’ve been here. Well I’ll be damned… it’s almost 19 months since I written on this blog.

In my defence, it’s been a busy year for the band. Thirty-three bookings for the band, some medical issues, vacations, etc. But I’ll get onto that next week when I do a year-end wrap-up.

For the time being, on behalf of Grateful We’re Not Dead, I’d like to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and send you off with a little seasonal music.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Al Owler, Bruce Penniston, Don White, Gord Breedyk, Grateful We're Not Dead, GWND, Happy New Year, Merry Christmas

St. Patrick’s Day And A Bit

March 21, 2016 By GWND Blogger

GWND - Carleton Place Terrace

Al, Bruce, Martin, Gord, and Don at Carleton Place Terrace

Grateful We’re Not Dead had a chance to use the Irish setlist on two occasions this year, which was nice because we usually only get one shot per year.

On March 17 we had the pleasure of being back at Carleton Place Terrace for the first time in a year for a 90 minute show to a full house. On top of that, we had the services of a volunteer roadie. Martin, a student at Merivale High School in Ottawa, signed up for a one-day stint to help us old dogs load and unload the truck. He also pitched in and assisted in the setup and teardown as well. All-in-all, he gave up 5 hours of his time, of which 2 hours were dedicated to hard work. We’re looking forward to having Martin with us again on May 10 for a gig at Lanark Lodge in Perth. Thanks again, Martin.

By the way, take a close look at Gord in the above photo. Now who does that remind you of?

Orchard View on the Rideau - 2016-03-18

Orchard View on the Rideau

For March 18 Grateful We’re Not Dead moved on to Orchard View on the Rideau in beautiful downtown Manotick. Seeing as it was still so close to St. Patrick’s Day we decided that we’d stick with the Irish tunes, much to the audiences delight. So on went the green cowboy hats and shamrock ties again.

GWND

Bruce, Don, Gord, and Al performing at Orchard View on the Rideau

Before the event was over we had a surprise guest appearance by Irish Willie, but from the looks of him we kinda think “It’s all going to pot.” And we swear, “We’ll never smoke weed with Willie again.”

Irish Willie

Irish Willie

In the fetal position with drool on my chin
We broke down and smoked weed with Willie again

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Al Owler, Bruce Penniston, Carleton Place Terrace, Don White, Gord Breedyk, Grateful We're Not Dead, Irish Willie, Martin White Cordero, Orchard View on the Rideau, St. Patrick's Day

Together Again

September 7, 2014 By GWND Blogger

On July 12, Grateful We’re Not Dead played for a dance in the Middleville Agricultural Hall in Middleville, Ontario. The dance was a fundraiser for the Middleville Trinity United Church. Two things made this event special for GWND.

Boys in the Band

The Boys in the Band

The first was the other musicians appearing on stage with them.  From the late ’50s until the mid ’80s, Don played in a country dance band called the Mississippi River Boys.  MRB played for dances all round Eastern Ontario.  Needless to say, over that period of time, Don worked with quite a few different musicians.  On July 12, GWND had the unique pleasure of three of those musicians sitting in with the band. Walter Cameron (vocals, bass, rhythm) worked with Don during the ’60s and ’70s;  Jim Hildred (lead, rhythm, vocals) was with MRB in the early ’70s, and Rick Legree (fiddle, piano) was there in the ’70s and ’80s).

Walter and Rick

Walter and Rick

Rick, Don and Jim

Rick, Don and Jim

Jim

Jim

The second thing that made the night special was the dedication of Bruce. Early on the morning of July 7, Bruce had a heart attack and ended up in Kemptville Hospital. On Wednesday he was transferred to the Heart Institute at the Civic Hospital in Ottawa. During the procedure to insert a stent, Bruce mentioned to the surgeon that he was in a band and had a gig on Saturday night. He asked if it would be OK to play. The surgeon said he couldn’t see why not. So on Saturday night he was on-stage as usual. Now how many bands have members that dedicated to performing? So here’s a big “Well played” to Bruce from the other members of Grateful We’re Not Dead

Bruce

Bruce going the extra distance

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Bruce Penniston, Don White, Grateful We're Not Dead, GWND, Jim Hildred, Middleville, Mississippi River Boys, MRB, Rick Legree, Trinity United Church, Walter Cameron

Feelin’ Good

May 16, 2014 By GWND Blogger

On April 26, Grateful We’re Not Dead entertained at the OVACC (Ottawa Valley Aid For Chernobyl Children) Annual Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser. This had to be at least the third year that we’ve been able to contribute our time and music to this worthwhile event. The dinner was held, as usual, in the Community Hall at Pierces Corners. To make the night even more special, after 11 years, Grateful We’re Not Dead finally managed to get its name up in lights.
GWND name in lights

We also enjoyed the local talent and would like to thank Gracie for her fiddle playing, Valerie for her singing, and the little girl who step danced without the benefit of music. You all were great.

As most of you are aware Grateful We’re Not Dead entertains for free for charities, fundraisers, peace events, etc. For private events we require that a significant donation be made to a charity. Sometimes, the organization or group prefers to give the money directly to the band and in those cases we simply bank the money until we have enough to make it worthwhile donating it. As a result of the funds contributed over the last year, Grateful We’re Not Dead had the pleasure of handing OVACC a cheque for $1,000. It will be used to help bring 5 children from Chernobyl to Canada for the Summer.
GWND OVACC Donation 2014

We’d like to give a big Thank You to those who provided the money to make up this donation.

  • the folks who attended the year end party at Indian Lake Marina
  • Cumberland Lions Club
  • District A-4 Lions Foundation of Canada
  • Lanark Lodge in Perth, Ontario
  • Marg Penniston

This is the type of activity that keeps Grateful We’re Not Dead feelin’ good and hopefully, we’ll keep doing it as long as we can still pick up our instruments.

Hope to see you at a gig in the future.

Grateful We’re Not Dead
Don, Gord, Bruce and Al

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Al Owler, Bruce Penniston, Don White, fundraiser, Gord Breedyk, Grateful We're Not Dead, Ottawa Valley Aid for Chernobyl Children, OVACC

Back In The Studio

September 18, 2013 By GWND Blogger

Holy crap, this recording stuff is time consuming mainly because of the problems with getting Grateful We’re Not Dead into the studio to lay down the tracks. With a bit of luck we’ll get the recordings finished, mixed and mastered before we croak.

Here’s a preview of some things we’re working on (Not the final mixes!):

Over Sixty Blues
Recorded at River Road Recording Studio, Ottawa, mixed by Don White (Grateful We’re Not Dead) and mastered by Joe Gilder (Home Studio Corner)

Grateful We're Not Dead · Over 60 Blues

I Don’t Like Mermaids
This is a preliminary version of the song. Vocal and rhythm guitar recorded at River Road Recording Studio, Ottawa. Piano added courtesy of EZKeys. (Lead guitar, lap steel, and who knows what else to be added)

Grateful We're Not Dead · I Don't Like Mermaids 2014-03-07

We accept no responsibility for damaged psyches or eardrums.

More songs will be made available as we progress. Patience is a virtue and you all know how virtuous Gord, Bruce, Al and Don are!!!

All the best from Grateful We’re Not Dead
Gord, Bruce, Al and Don

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Al Owler, Bruce Penniston, Don White, Gord Breedyk, Grateful We're Not Dead, music, recording, soundcloud

St. Patrick’s Day 2012

March 19, 2012 By GWND Blogger

St. Paddy’s Day saw Grateful We’re Not Dead back entertaining the troops at Carleton Place Manor. Actually, it was 3/4 Grateful We’re Not Dead because Gord is off to Tanzania for a much needed vacation. Needless to say, Al, Bruce and Don rose to the challenge and kept the joint rocking (or jigging) for a full hour of Irish songs.

Grateful We're Not Dead

Bruce, Don and Al

St. Patrick's Day - Carleton Place Manor

Residents enjoying St. Paddy’s Day

Following the gig, Grateful We’re Not Dead and friends adjourned to Ballygiblins Restaurant and Pub in Carleton Place for some liquid refreshments and food. The band has adopted Ballygiblins as their official watering hole anytime they are entertaining in the area.

Before we leave we’ll give you a wee taste of the music from Saturday.

Hope you enjoy the videos and we’re looking forward to seeing you in our travels.

Grateful We’re Not Dead
Don, Gord, Bruce and Al

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Al Owler, Bruce Penniston, Carleton Place Manor, Don White, Grateful We're Not Dead, St. Patrick's Day

Abusing The Fans

February 29, 2012 By GWND Blogger

Last night, February 28, Grateful We’re Not Dead got together for their weekly practice/jam session even though we’re not sure it does any good – but at our ages we have to pick up the guitars frequently in order to remember which way to point the strings.

Zoom H2n

Zoom H2n Recorder

Don had purchased a Zoom H2n digital recorder earlier in the day and it was mounted on a tripod in the middle of the living room. After the recorder was turned on and the jam started, no one paid much attention to the device. After listening to the material we felt it was only appropriate to subject our tens and tens of fans to more aural abuse so we posted a few numbers on the Audio Files page. If you feel brave or are tone deaf then we suggest you hop over to the page and have a listen.

Hope your ears survive.
Grateful We’re Not Dead

P.S. from Don: The Zoom H2n digital recorder is an amazing little device and well worth consideration if you do any impromptu or field recording.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Al Owler, Bruce Penniston, digital recorder, Don White, Gord Breedyk, Grateful We're Not Dead, jam session, practice, recording, zoom h2n

Valentine’s Day 2012

February 26, 2012 By GWND Blogger

Grateful We're Not Dead

Grateful We're Not Dead

On February 14, Valentine’s Day, Grateful We’re Not Dead had the great pleasure of entertaining at Carleton Place Manor, a seniors’ residence in Carleton Place, Ontario. The occasion was a two hour Valentine’s Dance for the residents. Now it’s not very often that Grateful We’re Not Dead gets to play for a dance. Usually, we are booked to do a one-hour shows in seniors’ residences so it was an enjoyable experience for the band to see people up dancing to the music. As far as we can gather, the oldest lady dancing was 93 years old and the oldest one in attendance was 100 years old.

Mary Perkins welcoming the crowd

Mary Perkins welcoming the crowd

Mary Perkins, the Entertainment Co-ordinator at the Manor, greeted and welcomed everyone in attendance. Then the band, whose members had exchanged their normal black shirts and silver ties for red shirts and red ties covered with white hearts, swung into an evening of mixed material – slow tunes, waltzes, rock and roll, material from the 1930s and 40s – and mixed genres – country, rock, blues, MOR. The floor was immediately filled with dancers, walkers and canes were forgotten and the dance was on.

Filling the floor

Filling the floor


Love those slow songs

Love those slow songs

It being Valentines, the band felt that the ladies in attendance that evening were entitled to a special treat. As a result, they set up and artist’s easel with a framed picture hidden by a pink towel covered with red and white hearts. At the one hour break the band announced that Grateful We’re Not Dead had gone to great lengths to have an unique gift for the ladies of Carleton Place Manor and hoped that it would bring joy to their hearts. With that, the following photo was unveiled and passed around the room amidst uproarious laughter. (Sorry about the laughter Gord). With the interest being shown in it, we were almost afraid that we wouldn’t get it back.

Happy Valentine

Happy Valentine

As a little aside, it was Gord’s wife, Evelyn, who bought the tie and took the picture a year ago. Gord pointed out to the ladies that Evelyn wanted Gord to wear tie when she gave it to him so he had felt that the appropriate attire was tie only and he was sure this would lead to an entertaining evening. To his disappointment, the only response from Evelyn was to take the picture and the response from the ladies of the Manor was laughter instead of sympathy.

And we’ll leave you now with one more picture showing the action as the band rocked.

Moving to The Beat

Moving to the beat.

See you again soon.
Grateful We’re Not Dead

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Al Owler, Bruce Penniston, Carleton Place Manor, Don White, Gord Breedyk, Grateful We're Not Dead, Valentine's Day

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