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Laughter good medicine
Practical jokes help Canyon, band survive life on road
Cam Fuller, The StarPhoenix
Friday, September 29, 2006
Life
is grand for George Canyon. The reigning king of Canadian country
music is celebrating his latest pair of CCMA awards with a well-timed
national tour.
And
what a nation it is, Canyon said from the endless highway. The
amount
of travel and the size of the show are imposing.
"I
never really grasped the concept, the meaning behind a headlining
tour.
Just getting the stuff off the truck takes three hours. It's
quite an
undertaking."
Canyon
is making sure he's having fun, trading practical jokes with
the
band. The other night, during the part of the show where he
pays tribute
to Johnny Cash, Canyon walked up to the microphone and said
his usual line
"Hello. My name is not Johnny Cash.'' Rather than playing
the right song,
the band launched into AC/DC's Back In Black.
"I
bet you didn't know Johnny Cash wrote that,'' he told the audience.
Maybe
it was payback for the time he taped the keyboardist's keys
together. When he went to hit a note, he hit four.
The
fun and fellowship are heart-felt for Canyon, a devoted Christian
surrounded by men of the same faith.
"We
pray together before every show.''
Now
more than ever they can feel the Lord's presence on stage, Canyon
says.
"It's
like He's right there with us all the time.''
Canyon
is also a devoted family man. He better be; his wife worked
three
jobs while he was struggling to pursue a music career. The sentiments
expressed in the hit song Somebody Wrote Love, a tune about
love notes and
carving hearts into tree trunks, aren't far from home. Canyon
says he
phones or e-mails his wife eight or 10 times a day and leaves
gooey sticky
notes around the house.
"I'm
a big soft-hearted goof,'' he admits.
-
- -
GEORGE
CANYON
with
Dave Gunning and Gord Bamford
Sunday,
7:30 p.m., TCU Place
Tickets
$35.50 and $27.50, plus service charges
Available
at Ticketmaster locations, www.tickemaster.ca
or
938-7800
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2006
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