Tommy Hunter, ‘Canada’s Country Gentleman,’ dead at 89

“Canada’s Country Gentleman” Tommy Hunter, the celebrated musician whose professional career spanned from the 1950s into the early 2010s, has died.

The singer and guitarist died Thursday of natural causes, entertainment promoter and manager Brian Edwards confirmed to CBC News.

Hunter was 89.

Born on March 20, 1937, in London, Ont., Hunter got an early start as an entertainer. He began taking guitar lessons at around nine years old, which soon led to him booking gigs, playing in churches and eventually landing on the radio.

He joined CBC’s Country Hoedown in 1956 as a rhythm guitarist before making his biggest mark: hosting The Tommy Hunter Show, which debuted as a radio show before transitioning to television. That series ran for 27 years, going off the airwaves in 1992.

A mainstay in the Canadian broadcast and music landscape, its near-three decade run was among the most successful in North America — and even extended to U.S. viewers via a Nashville Network syndication.

Throughout its history, it attracted the star-powered names of Gordon Lightfoot — who had earlier made his mark as a dancer on Country Hoedown — along with Loretta Lynn, Anne Murray and Johnny Cash.

Hunter’s early-career finds also helped build what would later become household names: including Garth Brooks, a 14-year-old Shania Twain (then known as Ellie Twain) and even CBC’s The World This Hour longtime anchor Tom Harrington as a child.

Larry Mercey credited much of his group’s success to appearances on The Tommy Hunter Show. He was a member of the Mercey Brothers, a Juno-winning Canadian country group active for 30 years until 1989.

“Tommy Hunter was a very great country show,” he told CBC News, “and he really helped a lot of careers, there’s no doubt about it.” 

He said he would miss Hunter.

“I think he was loved across the country, really,” he said. “He was very much loved in the country music scene.”

Hunter toured across Canada

Both before and after The Tommy Hunter Show concluded, Hunter toured across the country; most notably with his backup band, The Travellin’ Men — a name borrowed from his show’s theme song, Travellin’ Man.

But when CBC cancelled his TV show, he was devastated. In an interview with CBC News decades later, he recalled how television executives told him over dinner that they would be ending the show with a series of specials.

“I didn’t hear ‘specials,’ all I heard was [that] they’re going to cancel the show,” he said. “I felt like I had failed, the whole thing. What did I do wrong?”

But it wasn’t the end for Hunter. He continued to perform until his 75th birthday in 2012, ending his professional career with a long farewell tour. After stops across the country, he played the final concert in his hometown.

Aside from a broken string in his opening medley, it was a smooth — if emotional — send-off, including appearances from longtime friend Lightfoot, former Canadian teen idol Bobby Curtola and a nod to the local teacher who helped foster his interest in country music.

“If I wander off, as I often do … I start losing it, I start getting emotional because all these memories come back,” he said in that same CBC interview, shortly ahead of his final tour date.

“There’s going to be emotional moments. [But] at least I’m still breathing, and at least I can say thank you, and goodbye.”

‘He was a showman’

Kimberly Walters recalled performing with him across the country. Walters is a member of the Walters Family, a renowned Canadian music group whose members were close friends of Hunter. 

Hunter was also a frequent guest at the family’s theatre, the Walters Music Venue, in Bright, Ont.

Despite his tall stature and legendary reputation, he had a soft personality, she told CBC News.

“But he knew how to command the stage. He was a showman,” she said. “And he was always so kind to his fans. You know, he always had time for everybody.” 

She said his death is a huge loss for Canadian country music. 

“Tommy Hunter was an icon,” she said. “People should really know who he was and what he did for Canada … as well as what he did for Canadian country music.”

Hunter won three Juno awards over his career, as well as a Gemini award for best variety series for The Tommy Hunter Show. He was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1984 and made a member of the Order of Canada in 1986.

He is survived by three children, four grandchildren and one great grandchild.