CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — “Singalong Jubilee” was a hit show in the 1960s and '70s.
One of the first East Coast programs to hit the airwaves, during the early days of Canadian television, it played alongside “Don Messer’s Jubilee” and “Hockey Night in Canada”.
Canadians tuned in each week to see who host Bill Langstroth had lined up. They gathered around their television sets to hear performing artists sing and, in Maritime tradition, often sang along with them.
“People were really interested in Canadian music and they tuned in right after the hockey game,” says Garth Proude, who was the band leader/bass player for "Singalong Jubilee’s" house band, Musical Friends.
The CBC show not only brought the country together, it helped launch the musical careers of musicians like Shirley Eikhard, Catherine McKinnon, Gene MacLellan and Anne Murray, who became regulars.
At the time Proude didn’t understand the show’s star-making power.
“We didn’t realize what was going on, at all. We were just doing a job. But, looking back, it’s very exciting, especially now that people are becoming interested,” says the Summerside resident.
At a glance: Garth Proude's musical journey
- First band: The Tempos, comprised of friends Richard Hancox, Bill Lea and Gus Houston.
- Second band: The High Notes in the 1960s. The band also included George Hallowell, Doug McEwen, Niall MacKay and Knooker Richards.
- Discovered: In the 1960s, Brian Ahern offered him an audition for bass playing gig on the television show, “Frank’s Bandstand”. He got the job.
- Big career step: Hired as band leader/bass player with “Singalong Jubilee” in 1965. He played alongside Georges Hebert, Jack Lilly and Paul Mason.
- Career highlight: Auditioning Anne Murray for a role on “Singalong Jubilee” in 1966 and backing her up when she premiered “Snowbird”. “She was like one of the boys. We auditioned her so she looked up to us. We were just out doing gigs at the clubs together. And, after a while she got popular.”
- Next gig: Playing with Rodney Savident at Mike’s Bar & Grill on Friday Sept. 6.
Source: Interview with Garth Proude.
This summer and fall the show is being honoured in a special way on P.E.I.
The Guild is presenting “Singalong Jubilee: A Musical Tribute to the Canadian Phenomenon". Conceived and directed by Geordie Brown, it previews Saturday afternoon, Aug. 31, and opens that night. The show runs until Oct. 12.
“As an actor and an emerging director, I have a bucket list. And directing the Stan Rogers show and creating this new tribute was on that list,” Brown says.
In 2016, he successfully mounted “Stan Rogers: A Matter of Heart” at The Guild, which also enjoyed a run at Neptune Theatre in Halifax.
Buoyed by his success, he began researching “Singalong Jubilee”.
“I’ve always known about ‘Singalong Jubilee’ and I’m a huge fan of east coast music. I also like to put on shows that I think people are going to come to. And I think this one will resonate,” says Brown.
The show also resonates with Julien Kitson, who is starring in the show along with Charlotte Moore, Rebecca McCauley, Andrew Murray and Brown.
“It’s a really exciting idea. Even though I’m from a different generation I was definitely hooked right away. There’s so much great music in the show that every time Geordie sent me some of the songs, I knew I was going to love what I would be doing.”
Work on the show started back in 2017, when Brown spoke to Alanna Jankov, executive director at The Guild.
“We were sitting outside The Guild, at the little tiny table where all good things seem to happen, and Geordie asked, ‘What do you think of ‘Singalong Jubilee?’ And I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s what we grew up with.’ And Geordie said, ‘That’s what we need to do next.’ So, I asked, ‘how do we make this happen? And he said, ‘you need to produce it’…. So here we are. Working with Geordie and the team is a winning experience,” says Jankov.
The show is part revue, part documentary and part imagination.
“Not to give too much of it away, but I’ve watched eight entire episodes of 'Singalong Jubilee' in my research.”
What he will say is there are two elements in the show that will be used at various times.
“One will be us actually creating various episodes of the show. The other will be us, as ourselves, talking to the audience, giving them little bits of history. So, we are going to replicate it in such a way that we’re almost imagining Julien and I and the rest of the cast are ourselves in the show in 1960.”
The program will include songs like “I Saw the Light”, “Black Rum and Blueberry Pie”, “This Land is Your Land” and “Will the Circle be Unbroken?”.
“We will also pay tribute to Anne Murray, so we’ll be doing 'The Call' and ‘Snowbird’,” says Brown, adding there are 40 songs.
Proude was thrilled to hear that people are reviving the old songs in the new show and plans to attend opening night.
“I’m honoured that they remember and have respect for all the people (in Singalong Jubilee). I appreciate it very much.
“I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful considering it’s done by Geordie Brown, who did the Anne Murray musical, (‘Could I have this Dance’).”
