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- BY PATRICK UNGSTON
Take in a big-time country music show these days, and it's scripted more tightly than a bale of hay. That approach never suited Ron McMunn, one of the Ottawa Valley's best-loved country performers and a veteran of the once-booming local country scene. "He went on stage and it was off the cuff," says Howard Hayes, a longtime friend of McMunn's and himself a country musician. "Ron was an expert at feeling the crowd. He could look out and tell exactly what the people wanted to hear." Known as the Silver Fox for his mane of silver hair, McMunn sussed out the mood of countless audiences as he worked the local hotel, club and county fair circuit for five decades, starting in the 1950s.
Ron McMunn and the Country Cousins also performed in western Ontario and the northern United States, played as the house band at the legendary Gavan's Hotel in Quyon, and enjoyed radio and jukebox attention with singles like My Old Truck, (Play Me) One More Country Song and their signature tune, Reserve Me A Table. All this, of course, was before the 1990s, when New Country and fickle commercial radio sidelined the homegrown scene. McMunn, who died Tuesday of cancer at the age of 74, learned to play fiddle, guitar and harmonica as a child. Born in 1932 and raised on a farm in AlmonteBlakeney, he built up his repertoire by listening to an old family radio whose homemade antenna atop a pole pulled in country music from far and wide. After a stint as a farmhand and part-time musician in Saskatchewan, he returned home in the 1950s.
"When I got back to the Valley," he told the Citizen several years ago, "I looked for fellows who could sing and play. Pretty soon we were playing every weekend." McMunn's blend of professionalism and easygoing ways attracted topflight musicians says Hayes, adding that his old friend went out of his way to help young musicians get their start. Larry Delaney, publisher of Ottawa-based Country Musk News, has noted that well-known Valley musicians like
the late Ralph Carlson and Ward Allen were alumni of the Country Cousins. During those early days, McMunn also hosted a Saturday afternoon radio show on CJET in Smiths Falls that ran for 13 consecutive years. In 1967, McMunn and his band were invited to join the Ontario leg of the legendary Wilf Carter's Centennial year tour. A few years later, McMunn opened a three-night stint by Nashville's Earl Scruggs Revue at the National Arts Centre. That gig netted McMunn a recording session in Nashville with Josh Graves, the Revue's much-admired dobro player, in the producer's chair.
Over the course of his career, McMunn released albums on various labels including his own Foxland Records and he was in the recording studio as recently as a year and a half ago. He was often joined on stage by his sons Jamie and Jeffrey, who had collaborated on his hit Reserve Me A Table. Inducted into the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame in 1986, McMunn worked day jobs as a transport truck driver and a heavy equipment operator. He was also part owner for several years of the Mississippi Hotel in Carleton Place, a favoured spot among fans of live country music. McMunn's death, says Hayes heavily, "is certainly going to leave a big hole (in country music)." McMunn himself relished the memories.
"I've been very fortunate," he said several years ago. "I had the heyday of country music here." McMunn is survived by his wife, Joan (nee O'Brien), and sons Jamie and Jeffrey. A memorial for Ron McMunn will be held at the Clayton Hall Saturday at 4:30 p.m..
The ottawa Citizen, 19 Jul 2007, Page 50
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?b?Carleton Place?/b? ? When country and western star Ron McMunn first stepped onto the stage in Pakenham at age 11 to give his debut concert, he knew immediately that music would become the soul of his life.
However, the expectations of becoming famous, or ever having his name in lights had not yet penetrated his mind. That would be a choice for his public to make and make it they certainly did.
In October of 1986, at the Ottawa Civic Centre, Ron McMunn was awarded one of the highest honours that a musician in Canada can receive; a plaque and position in the Music Hall of Fame.
Although Mr. McMunn sprouted from a musical background ? mom was a piano teacher and dad played keyboard and guitar ? his formal training in music was scant. There were no outlined lessons on piano or guitar and to this day Mr. McMunn cannot read a note of music.
You may have heard the phrase, having an ear for music, and that is exactly what Mr. McMunn has. Everything he plays by ear.
"All of the credit goes to dad's old Stuart and Warner radio," he said smiling.
"Dad had rigged up a high pole in the yard and we pulled in station from all over, even the U.S. Don Messier Show was a favourite, but learning the songs was no easy task.
There were no tape recorders so the only way to learn the song was to listen to it over and over on the radio. Many frosty evenings were spent in front of the radio at home or in the back seat of the old Ford singing along."
The first big break came about for Mr. McMunn when he ran into Papa Joe Brown and Ken Reynolds. They introduced him to Jack Polly who hired Ron for a spot on CJET Radio.
The first radio show he did was live from the town hall in Carleton Place with the Happy Wanderers. It was during his long stint with CJET he recorded his first single, For You, For You Alone.
Many other singles and albums were to follow, with Reserve Me A Table being his most popular release.
Mr. McMunn said he owed his inspiration to continue on in the music field during the rough times to his old friend Wilf Carter.
I played background for Wilf while touring in Western Canada in 1967," he said, "and it was his realized way of performing that inspired me."
"During this time I had my first taste of country and western music. We were in a bar out west and a tourist from the states requested a country and western song."
"I only knew one song by Carl Smith so I gave it a try."
The audience loved that song and since that day Mr. McMunn has considered country and western music his first love.
Since then Mr. McMunn, more commonly know to his fans as the Silver Fox, has delighted patrons from P.E.I. to western Canada and has even held audiences captive on the stage of the Grand Old Opry.
For young people staring out in the music business today Mr. McMunn has some sound advice. As a performer you must have a feel for your talent, always have future goals, good management and study the field to see what audiences are looking for and seek advice from successful performers in the business.
"Watch other performers carefully and pick out the traits that make them a good entertainer," he explained.
"And most important of all remember that your audience is the boss at the show, not you."
For Mr. McMunn, performing never became a jog, it was something he liked to do and this was a big advantage. However, the strain on his family and social life, always working weekends, was a disadvantage.
"The hardest thing was to keep from becoming an alcoholic." he said. "You are always playing bars and nightclubs and people are always sending free drinks to the band. The type of work I do makes your throat dry and you must learn to control you alcohol intake."
Mr. McMunn said young people today have a much harder time. There are so many good bands and the drug scene has added another dimension to the already existing alcohol problem.
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1932 - 2007 (74 years)
