Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Donna Ramsay Anderson: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1702

Episode Date: May 29, 2025

In this 1702nd episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Canadian country music legend Donna Ramsay about her career, playing with her husband LeRoy Anderson as Donna and LeRoy on The Tommy Hunter Show, and playing live with FOTM Banjo Dunc. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball, Yes We Are Open, Nick Ainis and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail]

Welcome to episode 1702 of Toronto Miked. Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, a fiercely independent craft brewery who believes in supporting communities, good times and brewing amazing beer. Order online for free local home delivery in the GTA. Palma Pasta. Enjoy the taste of fresh homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. Yes, we are open!

An award-winning podcast from Monaris, hosted by FOTM Al Greggo, Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball. I'm throwing out the first pitch at Christie Pitts this Sunday at 2 p.m. RecycleMyElectronics.ca Committing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. Building Toronto Skyline, a podcast and book from Nick Ainiis, sponsored by Fusion Corp Construction Management Inc. and Ridley Funeral Home, Construction Management Inc. and Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921. Joining me today, making her Toronto mic debut, is Donna Ramsey Anderson. Welcome Donna. Welcome. Hello, good morning. Oh, Donna. Do people sing that to you?

Sometimes. Okay, I hear Leroy. So we need to introduce everybody else in the room, Donna, and then buckle up because we're gonna get to know you. We're gonna hear some of your music. I'm very excited about this. We are too. We are too. The gentleman that you're with,

not the gentleman to your left, I'm gonna get to him in a minute. What's his name again? Who is this gentleman who's off mic? So if we hear noises in the background it's him. Maybe we should get him a mic. But what's his name? His name is Carl Leroy Anderson. Is he the Leroy of Donna and Leroy fame? Absolutely. It's not a different Leroy. Could you imagine? He's maybe the third or fourth incarnation, yes. I've had a few, yeah. It's sort of like witheroy. Could you imagine you just maybe the third or fourth?

Incarnation yes, I've had a few yeah, it's sort of like what Lassie right like they keep making lassies with different dogs Like Lassie come home. Yeah Leroy come home And am I right this is the Donna like I just want to make sure I'm correct because I have a slight Well, the other gentleman in this room will explain to you. I have a slight country music blind spot, but this is the Donna and Leroy from the Tommy Hunter show. Yes, if anybody remembers that CBC television show, not Donnie and Marie, but Donna and Leroy. So I would argue anyone over the age of 45 is well aware of the Tommy Hunter show, which maybe 40. I guess. Well, I'm lowering it. Oh, did Andy Wilson at Zoomer remember the Tommy Hunter show? And he's yeah. Andy

and Jane said she used to watch it from Jane Redmond. I got to, you know, if there's a gentleman in the room, I got to introduce him right now because I feel like he won't talk until I introduce him. He is well known to the FOTM's listening because he's a valued and beloved FOTM himself. Welcome back to the show, Banjo Duncan Fremlin. Oh, thanks my God. Oh, you can talk now. It was building up.

I was gonna do 90 minutes of Donna and then say, oh yeah, and Banjo was here too. Yeah, back off, eh Duncan? At least you got a mic, poor Leroy didn't get a mic. Is he going to beat me up afterwards? That's maybe a good thing. That's maybe a very good thing. Okay. Before we check in with Banjo Dunk and then we learn more about the legend that is Donna Ramsey. Now Donna Ramsey Anderson, of course, but let's crack open a Great Lakes for Leroy on the mic. It's good. He's back there because he can't drink a beer and talk at the same time.

So Leroy is drinking a it's the light lager from Great Lakes Brewery. It's a great beer. Let us know what you think of it, Leroy. It's 10 o'clock in the morning, but it's time for a beer. The only way to go somewhere. You could get it. You got a good voice, Donna. Hey, it's super. He said, OK, so Okay so because we have the because he's off mic Leroy says that his Great Lakes beer

is superb. So Leroy good news for you is I have a couple of four packs of Great Lakes beer on the table that you guys can divvy up and fresh craft beer going home with you. I want the shirt you're wearing. Okay so your back Mike. I would give it to you Donna. This is a hoodie that is from Great Lakes Brewery. I got to get me one of those. So now that I... so because Banjo Dunks here, I got to look him in the eyes when I ask this question. Will you be at TMLX 19 on June 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Great Lakes Brewery at 30 Queen Elizabeth Boulevard in South Etobicoke? I'll have to check my schedule. It's possible. I think we're in Petawawa. What day of the week is that? It's a Thursday. Yeah, so it's possible. I'll take

possible because if you did come to TMLX 19 on June 26 and you're invited Leroy, you're invited Donna, it's gonna be catered by Palma pasta so you'll get delicious Italian food. Oh, our fave, our fave, yeah. Okay. I wish we could be. Now you tell us, where will you be in the world? Why don't you book this tour a little later, Duncan? Geez.

Duncan, come on. I've been clamoring to get to one of these things. Well, this would be a good one. We're gonna hang out. I have a song. I wrote a song, a hockey song that I've never played publicly, but I wanted to debut it at one of your big events.

Well, that would be June 26th. You could be there. I'll try. Okay, try to make it. Try to make it here. Have you, Donna, had any contact of Tommy Hunter lately? Oh, yes. How's he doing? Because I think some Canadians are happy to learn he's still alive and well. Yes, 88 years young. In March, he turned 88 and lives in London, Ontario. He and his wife and we were there, oh, in April, we did a show over at a place called Purple Hill along with Duncan and Douglas.

Douglas Cameron, FOTM Douglas Cameron. Mona and the children. So we went and visited with him and he's not of course entertaining or anything like that anymore, you know, kind of taking it easy. Well, he's 88. And but had a good visit with him. We can't all be like Brian McFarlane, right, Dunk? No, nobody's like Brian McFarlane. Long may he run, shouted to Neil Young.

120 books or something. I thought you could say 120 years old. No, no, well that too. I'm not gonna tell you how old I am. So Donna, may I check in briefly with Dunk and Dunk, you can, you're co-hosting the show, so you can chime in whenever you want, but I have a couple of quick questions.

Can you, I've been waiting for you to return so I could ask you about the Elbows Up initiative that you seem very involved in. Like, can you speak to that for a moment then I have a question about a recent Toronto Mic'd episode. Well, first of all, I'm so blessed that you're on board with this. You were one of the first to, you and Charlie Angus, I still think that's one of the most important podcasts of the year so far.

Well, I just got pissed off and I literally wrote FOTM Charlie and I said, we need to talk. And then he said, he was in town for the agenda. He said, and just like, we'll talk about how you couple up your visits here. But yeah, I said, I need to talk about this because I'm pissed off. He's become our Winston Churchill in a way. He's really leading the way and inspires all.

Who's the other, there's Angie Dickinson? Is that her first name? No, no, no, you're confusing people. You're talking about the the Dragons Den woman. Yeah, I'm sorry. I don't remember her name, but she also... If she was an FOTM, I would have that name at the tip of my tongue. Well, she will be. We'll make arrangements for that, but I think she'd make a great guest. I would love it.

I just think it's more important today for people to speak out, even though it's awkward and it's not necessarily the Canadian way. And you know, we get complacent, as Charlie said on that podcast, that's our biggest enemy. But this threat is not going away anytime soon. It's just as- No, he made a silly comment on his, whatever it's called, Truth Social just this week. He made a comment about how we're considering some offer

as if Canada's for sale. Like as if we'd consider any dollar amount to join the United States of America. And full disclosure, am I right that the lovely people that are Leroy and Donna, or should I say Donna and Leroy, you guys live in the United States, right? No, we live in Calgary, Alberta. We've been there for eight years.

Eight years, okay. My data is a little. Leroy's home province, but we were in Nashville for 26 years, and we were in Nashville for 26 years. And we left in 2018 to come back home and all Leroy's family is out there. So it seemed to be the place that we wanted to go to be sort of semi-retired. Arlene Dickinson, not Angie. Arlene, right.

Okay, sorry. Sorry, Donna. But if I didn't get that out, I was never going to get that out. And we'd get angry emails about how could I not know the name Arlene Dickinson. But so you're you're back in Canada because you're from the Sioux born and raised in Sioux St. Marie. Yes. Okay. Well, welcome back.

We're glad you're back. And it doesn't make for that awkward moment now. And we talk about elbows up here, but last question for Banjo Dunk before we talk about your life and times, Donna, I did an episode earlier this year with a member of kids in the hall. Did you hear this episode? I think I'm, Donna. I did an episode earlier this year with a member of Kids in the Hall. Did you hear this episode? I think I did. Scott Thompson?

Oh yeah, oh Scott, yes, yes. See, you commented on my public Facebook page, so I feel like this is a fair game for me now. Because I know you listen to many an episode of Toronto Miked. Would you consider yourself a fan? Yeah, oh, of course. That's you're my you're my main guy. I love it. Love hearing that. You still play hockey? I do. But I've just mentioned that Scott is one of the worst hockey players I've ever seen. He got Tompkins. Yeah, he got his brother plays on our team, the jokers with Tyler Stewart and Sean

Colin, etc. And, and so Scott, one day in Sudbury at a fundraiser that we had I think it was Sudbury or London anyway We do these fundraising games and Scott volunteered to to play with us and and he was you know He was a superstar so we raised some money and but he was an awful hockey player and he pissed me off that day I mean he was he was I thought The reason I sent the message to you was that I thought he wasn't taking this threat seriously enough and I I'm just calling people out Mike I I call the guy out at hockey a couple of days ago so he had an American flag on the arm of his sweater and I said take you know take that sweater off you don't have to wear that sweater it's just it's the the it's wrong it's just

this is not the time to wear an American flag in in my hockey game. Thank you very much So were you able to get through Scott Thompson or did you have to bail? What do you mean? Oh, I think we able to get through the the episode or did you know I know I bailed again I got because you felt like he wasn't taking the the threat of annexation by the United States seriously in a correct Okay, that's fair. I I think you missed a great episode, but I we don't have to agree I heard a lot of it Mike. Okay. Okay I wanted to get you on the record finally that the the great banjo dunk not a fan of the Scott Thompson episode Even though I've gone on the record is saying it's one of my top five episodes of all time

Well, they got you the it got you on to No, exactly. So come on, man. A little self-serving. But before I got on CNN with the app, it was a, it was an old timer, but I value your opinion, your beloved FOTM. So tell me your playing with Donna and Leroy. Okay. First of all, Because then I want to dive into Donna's life and times.

Well, Donna and I go back to when we were six or seven years old, because she started singing on local TV in Sault Ste. Marie and I was this little hillbilly 20 miles outside the Sioux in our little 14-inch black and white TV. And I'd watch Donna sing at that time. And I was a bit of a singer myself at the Quantum Music Festival. So I was riveted. I can't say that I was in love with her at six years old, but I wanted to do what we were always putting his he's gonna choke you out. I see him Mike Mike

Leroy's an old man. I can take him Anyway, so for me, I mean Donna's always and then I find myself, you know 20 years later 20 years later now I'm on the Tommy Hunter show with this with this superstar from the suit so this small world is whole man it could have been Donna and Duncan that I'm not that good I'm not nearly as late right you know he's got better than me he's got hair I can I because I don't know I will take a photo with Leroy by the tree here but I you You can't grow grass on a playground. You can't grow grass on a playground. This guy... Why don't we have this guy? He should be on the mic. I will say Leroy, when I met him, I said, this man's got good hair. You've got good hair yourself. See, we... This is like, you know how when

handsome men meet each other and they have this like, oh, we're in the handsome men club or whatever. When Leroy and I meet each other, it's like the good hair club. Duncan, what kind of show is hair. He's delusional. I didn't tell you so Before we get back to Donna because nobody was they've heard enough dunk. They've heard a lot of Mike They wouldn't have done it. But where were you guys earlier today? What media outlet where we went to zoomer? We talked to Andy and Jane at Zoomer am 740 96.7, which you know, I'm kind of part of the family there much like this I come west of Dufferin and I'm very much at home out you got a pair of them up because last time you were on and I believe you were on with the great Douglas Cameron yes you guys had just come from yes the same show correct we

saying oh and then I had Andy on and we talked about how we like share you I listen to that episode as well okay Okay Andy and I have mentioned Small World Stories but when I was starting to produce Humble and Fred shows in 2006 Andy was kind of in that group because Andy was working as an intern on the Humble and Fred show and then he would go on to produce Humble not Fred on Easy Rock and what did that become Boom and all this stuff. So I love the broadcasting legacy of this place and, and having Donna on board, you know, from CJIC and Sault Ste. Marie all those years ago, this, this is a great fit. Okay.

You dropped these call letters and I want to go back there. So Donna Sault Ste. Marie. Yes. Can you tell us about your father? Yeah. My dad started on the radio in the late forties. Actually, he, he was a country DJ in the Sioux for, oh my gosh, over 40 years, 45 years, I would think. This is Don Ramsey. My dad, Don Ramsey, yep. And he always used to laugh and say, I've been on the radio so long, I got my first tablets from Moses to play on the radio. Moses Neimer that is.

Different Moses. I think he was referring to a different one. It all comes back to Zoomer. Moses had some comments. He was supporting Pierre Poly evan this recent election. Is he still on your good board? We could do an episode on that. They were called him polyester. But I'm surprised Dunk would even grace Zoomer radio with his vocal chords, considering owned by the Moses who seems to want the Conservative Party to be in power. Yeah, I sent him a long letter after he used CARP, the Association for Retired People,

to promote a guest. Paul Yev. Yeah, Paul Yev. And I took exception. Paul Yevsky. I took exception not because he invited him to speak. I mean, that's why not. But under the guise of this is supposed to be a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

Right. Because that's not very nonpartisan. No, it wasn't nonpartisan. But you still go on Zoomer. Well, of course. I mean, you know, I love Moses. He's fun. I really feel like I'm part of that family.

So living in Alberta, too, Leroy and I are kind of like rebels. We have to be careful how we talk out there because we all know Alberta is famously for the other party. So, and he irks me a little bit. And again, I have to disclose I'm talking to you from Toronto Ontario Canada so even though I do have a beautiful woman upstairs who was born and raised in Edmonton maybe that gives me a little like credence here but there's some complaints from Alberta

about the the the lack of representation in cabinet but they didn't elect any liberal like they don't elect very many liberal MPs. So how do you expect to have representation in cabinet if you don't vote a liberal MP? Because you know, Mark Carney can only draw from his own party. I know. Well, I don't think Albertans, and I love Albertans. I married one. I love them dearly and we're very happy to be there and be back in Canada, but I don't think anyone in Alberta would vote for a liberal even if, even if it was, you know, Jesus himself, you know, they would still

turn against it. Did I say that? I might not get back across the border when we fly home. I don't know. LeRoy, I know you can't hear me, but maybe the question is for Jonna, but did you marry LeRoy for his hair? Yes or no? Well, he was a pretty good looking feller and you know. I noticed that was a past tense. Katie Lang, another great Albertan. We should just shout out all these. You for Katie Lang style. Katie Lang, another great Albertan. We should just shout out all, you saw Katie Lang.

Yeah, we were at a Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. I have a fantasy where Katie Lang comes on Toronto Mic'd. Like this would be a huge desire of mine. She would love it. I would suggest. You would reach out. You should reach out. I would suggest, Mike, that you really, I'm not kidding,

that you reach out and ask her because I've heard through one through my friend Adrian Clarkson Get her on Toronto. Well, I don't know if she would but I'd certainly ask on your behalf, but she when we did a 2018 Stompin Tom birthday celebration and she was with us on the stage She came very close to getting Katie to join us and she had asked Katie if she would come and she said yes and then at the last minute she had to change her mind but I think my understanding is that KD is a very open and fun person and would very much consider something like this. Well there's hope for me there and you're going to score me not Angie Dickinson I think she's passed

away Angie Dickinson. I was talking about the away Angie Dickinson. I'm finally talking about the actress Angie Yeah, he was cuz you know, he had her pin up pictures on his wall of Angie Dickinson like oh many a man his age Yeah. Yeah. Look the hair standing even taller over there. He's thinking of Angie Dickinson Arlene Dickinson is our desired FOTM Shout out to Ridley Funeral Home on the Angie Dickinson front by the way Donna before I forget I know I'm looking at a beer a beer in one hand and the funeral home in the other is this some kind of really? You know we recorded a new episode of life's undertaking with Brad Jones from relief. You know we recorded it yesterday afternoon He took a trip with a Slovenian community and they went to visit like Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro

And it was a great to the Balkans there and we talked about it on life's undertaking and it's a great podcast And that is a measuring tape for you from Ridley funeral home. Well, thank you very much. So you were daughter Donna Daughter Donna, that's how I was known in the Sioux. Yep Well, and I'm just for some context because maybe the name Don Ramsey doesn't resonate with many Torontonian, but he was one of Canada's radio pioneers. Yes, he was. And back in the day on radio, a disc jockey wore several hats. They were, a lot of them had like my dad, a local band that played and my dad sang. Oddly enough he didn't play an instrument

really but and then in the early days in the 50s when television came in they had a local television show my dad was also a promoter and usually nine times out of ten the the radio guy was the one that artists who were big in the day, and I'm talking country music, would get a hold of, where could they play up in Canada? And there weren't that very many radio personalities at that time, so he would promote shows and bring artists into town, all of those things. Well, you got a Hank Williams story?

I feel like, don't be sure we shouldn't give him a mic. He wants a mic, I think, no mic. Leroy, would you pipe down back there? No, I like the Leroy back because I can hear it and then it tips me off because now I can prompt for a Hank Williams story. Can you tell we've been married for all these years because we... How long have you been married? One starts a sentence and the other one finishes it. You know what I'm saying? How many? 53. 53 years of marriage? I was... She's in her 50s. How young was she? I'm only 39. That's impossible Okay, let's hear the Hank Williams senior story and then I do want to shout out some of these TV shows like down yonder ranch 48 1948 or 1949. I was not I was not in the world yet

but A promoter in the world yet, but a promoter in the United States called my dad one day and said, would you be interested in having Hank Williams in the suit? Yes, St. Marie. And my dad said, Hank Williams. Oh, my God. Yes. You know, my dad worshipped Hank Williams, as so many did back in at that time.

And Hank Williams was a pretty big name. And my dad said, well, when can we, when would we be able to get him into the suit? And he said, how about tomorrow? Yeah. And my dad said, tomorrow? What about tomorrow? And my dad, so no time, of course, my dad didn't say no. He said, OK, sure, that'll be fine. So, they had had a date that had fallen through down in Minnesota

or somewhere, and so he said, we'll be able to make it to the Sioux by tomorrow. So, my dad just got on the radio later that day and said, Hank, Hank Williams is going to be in Sioux St. Marie at the gardens, and tickets will be at the door. They were 50 cents. Okay, I need an inflation calculator. There were so many people lined up to get in that he agreed to do a second show. Hank Williams. Hank Williams came to Sault Ste. Marie. Yes, 1949. So your dad, Don Ramsey, brought Hank Williams to Sault Ste. Marie in 1949. And then in 19, when Hank passed away in 1953 New Year's morning, my dad went down to the radio station and got the OK from the station owner, CJIC, and said, can I go on the air and play Hank Williams music because my dad was just you know

and every year I don't know forty years he went on the air since then at midnight and all night played Hank Williams music and one year he brought Audrey Williams and Hank Williams junior. who was seven years old to the Sioux to do a show and Tommy Hunter was just getting started and he invited

Tommy up to do the show and my dad said there's you know not much money in it you know he said because Tommy was on country hoedown at the time just very young just getting started and he he, my dad said, well, look at, I know you're into electronics and all that stuff. So he said, well, I've been eyeing up that, that Macintosh speakers and the amplifiers. He said, if, if you can arrange to just give me that, he said, I'll come up. So that's what my dad paid Tommy Hunter with a Macintosh amplifiers. Well, okay. 1953, that's 50. That's what my dad paid Tommy Hunter with a Macintosh amplifiers. Well, okay. 1953. That's 50.

That's early days for Tommy Hunter. Long may he run. Okay. I'm going to, you know, now that I know how proudly Canadian Neil Young is and how he's been going to those rallies with Bernie Sanders and how, what a risk that is to him because I got tickets to see him at the Budweiser stage and he's got to get back home. So you know, it's, you know, a lot of people won't even take the risk these days, but I'm just glad I've got a picture

of Neil hanging upstairs. And by the end of this episode, I'm gonna have a picture of Donna and Leroy hanging upstairs by the end of this episode. Maybe our tree photo here. So I'm getting some quick hits Donna, because I need to be educated, but CJIC TV

had a program called Down Yonder Ranch. Yes. Just so I have it, you know, archived for all eternity here. Tell me about Down Yonder Ranch. That was a local television show. All local musicians, Fred Kent and the Northern Ays was the band who was on the show. Yes, Freddie Kent. I had a fiddler over yesterday. And it was, I guess it started in, I was about, I would say seven or eight years old when the show went on the air. And it was on for many years and booked all local talent. The Sioux is full of musical talent and this Mr. Fremlin here. Present company accepted. Is that what you're gonna say? And yeah I used to guest on the show once in a while and it ran for many years and it was sponsored by O'Keefe Brewery, speaking of beer. Sure. For many years O'Keefe Brewery. Yep. Okay so then this you're still very, very, very young here in the Sault Ste. Marie, but you

get to go to Halifax when you're 10 years old to appear on Don Messer's Jubilee. Yes, when Don Messer would come through the Sault and do his shows and that, of course, my dad would always say, no matter who he brought into the Sault, be it Johnny Cash or Don Messer. Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt and Scruggs, and then he'd say, I have a little girl that likes to sing, do you mind if she could get up and sing a song or two with you maybe to open the show? And everybody back in those days were so approachable and everything they said, absolutely.

So it's kind of like that today, but only at Toronto Mike's basement. Well, you have to get an act of parliament, I guess, to get close to any artist nowadays. But in any event, John Messer said, I think we need to have this little girl down on our television show. So that was a pretty big deal. You know, I got to step dance with Charlie Chamberlain and sing with Mark Osborne. And Bill Langstroth was the producer of the show then who eventually went on to, a fine musician and singer in his own right, went on to marry Anne Murray.

But that was a pretty big deal as a little girl to be on national television like that and on that show that was very well revered. I was very humbled by that. Dunk, were you watching this episode of Dawn Masters Jubilee? I'm sure, I'm sure I did. You know, Donna can't even, we can't even emphasize how the influence this one, the right is it a half hour or one hour show? I can't remember, but

yet the entire country listened to it back in the you know, what? That's a very, very good, quite a national national television back then. Yes, it was, you know, we didn't have a, what did Bruce Springsteen say 57 channels ain't nothing on okay You had to watch the Don Mastro. You had to watch the Tommy Hunter show because you couldn't get any other channel Yeah, black and white You had to watch the pluff family. I don't even know this family really another national show

And I think it might be I don't know the history of it other than they had two episodes They had the French episode and then they the same staff would see member that would do the English episode It was the plug family. I forgot about that. Those stories are perfect for zoomer radio I feel like because everybody is listening to their radio in the old age home is like I used to watch that I know old people listening. I'll tell you a funny story about about that. I can probably tell this now because God rest their souls, they're no longer with us. But we were down there and of course Charlie, like to tip one a few times, you know, whatever. So a couple of back stories, we're at rehearsal and of course there's no Charlie Chamberlain, you know, whatever.

So Don Messer came up to my dad and said does Donna know any songs of faith and inspiration because Charlie usually did one on the shows, you know and he says oh yeah, he says now Donna could probably do it because I don't know if Charlie's gonna show up he might be in the bag. Sure. So he said we'll maybe get Donna to sing a song. So I was getting ready to do that, but then Charlie marched in, you know, and he was okay. And then Charlie invited

my dad and my mom and I over to his place to meet his wife and have dinner. So we got ready and whatever went over to the house and his wife came to the door and said, well, I don't know if Charlie's going to make it. She said, he's been having a few. Well, he never did show up for dinner. He was asleep at the house, you know. So poor Charlie, but God love him. But yeah, that was pretty funny.

That's the real talk we're here for. Are you kidding me? Holy smokes. Hey, quick notes from the live stream. So we're live at live.torontomike.com. A couple of quick hits. One is Jeremy Hopkins is there and he tells us that 50 cent ticket that you referred to earlier would be $6.75 in 2025. So I mentioned out loud I needed an inflation calculator. Oh my gosh. And J-Ho did the work for me.

Yeah, 50 cents. 50 cents. Ali Oop is on the live stream and says, I saw the Plouf family in Montreal. We Girl Guides went to see it live. So there you go. See, I think today is the day I learned about the Plouf family, but I'll never forget now. Every time it's referenced, I'll be like, oh yeah, I heard about the Plouf family. You'll have to get on YouTube and check out an episode or two. It's really something. I'll have to do the same because I totally forgotten about that Duncan. You're absolutely right. La famille. Okay, that's French, right? Okay. I got grade nine French. I'm like a philosopher. I am, you are, you know. Le tableau noir. Absolutely.

Le stylo. Okay, this is going amazing and we, I know we're going to spend all this time in the 50s. I have a couple more quick hits here as we bring you up and I do want to play some music particularly maybe from cool green waters and talk to you about what a big deal you were and are and then we'll get you You know, well, there's a lot of places. I want to go here. Absolutely, but I just want to tell you That season eight of yes, we are open is dropping episodes now and Yes We Are Open is an award winning. They just won another award. I'll talk to this with about this with Al Grego

in a couple of weeks when he drops by to kick out the jams, but Al went to Regina, Saskatchewan. If you had to guess how many times do you think you, Donna and you Leroy, how many times do you think you've played Regina, Saskatchewan? Many, many, many times. Every year. Every year. We had a big, I guess your country, but there was a big folk festival I learned about yesterday from the Fiddler.

Yes, and also we played the exhibition there a few times, but also many communities in and around Regina. Because a lot of times our audiences, especially once we joined the Hunter show, were from the rural communities, you know, like the Melforts and the Prince Alberts and the Saskatoons and things like that. So I we've that's one thing I can very proudly say we're talking about Canada. Yes. We've been blessed to play in every corner, north, south, east and west in this country and traveled. So that's one thing that the wonderful

about the music business. Yep. I've even been to a new Vic. Okay, up close to the North Pole. Amazing. So I would just urge people to hear the inspiring stories from small business owners in Regina, Saskatchewan. This comprises the bulk of season eight of Yes, We Are Open. Again, more from Al Grego, the host of that show in a couple of weeks. I also want to shout out Building Toronto's Skyline and Building Success with Nick Ienis. Nick Ienis has stepped up to help fuel The Real Talk. Before the pandemic, Duncan did the same thing. So shout out to Banjo Dunk who stepped up to fuel the real talk.

And then the pandemic blew up our big plans for world domination. We had big plans, Mike. Big, you know, that pandemic was such a disruptor. But thank you, Nick Aienys. And the most recent episode of Building Toronto Skyline features Brad Bradford and Nick chatting about affordable housing in Toronto. It's a huge issue and they tossed around some ideas of how we could fix that problem and it's a great episode. And last but not least, I heard, Donnie, you

mentioned somebody was into electronics and I was thinking, well, if those electronics don't work anymore, I hope they don't get thrown in the garbage where those chemicals end up in our landfill I hope these people with the broken electronics go to recycle my electronics dot CA Put in their postal code and find out where they can drop it off to be properly recycled Banjo dunk, you know this right recycle my electronics dot CA you bet. That's where I go. That's where you go cables, too Yes, and we we all have we have piles of this stuff Leroy uses them as a belt He takes his old cables and uses them as a belt

It's amazing those things are like you just keep collecting them and you wonder what is this? Did you think you might need it one day work anymore? They've changed What is this? Did you think you might need it one day work anymore? They've changed So yeah, well, you know what I'm gonna play okay, you know what I will get you another beer Leroy's asking for in the Great Lakes beer But because I'm gonna play a song in a minute and then while that's playing I'm gonna run upstairs kidding Is he just kidding? I think he is Wink if you're joking No, wink

Where are you coming on to me Leroy? Come on be professional. Wait, are you coming on to me, Leroy? Come on, be professional. Okay. I, it's the hair. That's the secret. Alright, so quick hit here to Ernest Tubb, Midnight Jamboree. Yes. That's a Nashville show. Yes.

Like Donna, tell me how you end up there. Well, my dad being in radio, many many many years back in the day before there was the country music association in the United States they used to call them the DJ conventions and the disc jockey and of course present company accepted. I have a soft spot in my heart for every DJ there is and my dad used to attend them every year go down and broadcast back of course back in the day you did it from a phone booth you know talked on the radio and somebody held up a mic back then didn't have all this

fancy stuff but to get back to your question when we'd go down there of course after the grand old Opry yeah came Ernest Tubb's record shop. And a lot of the artists would go over there after they'd finish up at the Opry. So one year when we were down there, of course, my dad went up to Ernest Tubb. And of course, like I said earlier, these people were very approachable and said, you know, can I get my little girl on here to sing a song on the Midnight Jamboree? So he said, absolutely. Of course, people were lined up to get on that show, you know, so I was quite fortunate. And so anyway, this one particular year we went down and I was going to

sing on the show. So it gets to be about two o'clock in the morning, you know, and I'm backstage there. And this is just a small, I mean, it's a real record shop, you know long narrow building But so historical so finally Ernest comes up and says okay. We're just about ready for for Donna to get on and sing. What's she gonna sing? And so I said, oh I'm gonna do please help me. I'm falling because it was a Hank Loughlin's Number one hit record at the time. Okay. So Ernest says, well, Hank is going to be coming over a little bit later to sing and I'm sure he's going to be singing that song because right now it's

his number one record. So can you think of another song? So I got thinking, okay, I could think, I was a big Dottie West fan and that. So I thought, okay, I can, there's a couple other songs I could sing. Of course, the band could play anything. So it comes time for me just about to go on and in walks Hank Loughlin of course this is like God to me you know like oh

Hank Loughlin you know he came right over to me and said I hear that you were gonna sing please help me I'm fallen that's my number one record you know and I said oh I know but I can sing something else. And he said, absolutely not. He said, I would be honored if you would go on the stage and sing my record. That would be wonderful. I've got other songs to sing. He let me sing, please help me. I'm falling in love with you. He let me sing it. I got chills. So I was pretty honored by that. So that's what the people were like back in the day. And they're not like that now?

Well, I think I think really they are if you could get if you could get close enough to them to say hello. I think there's a difference between the Canadian star and the American star where I feel you can still get close to the Canadian stars. Yes, you can. Yes, I'm just I'm kind of really joking. OK, OK. But in a way, yes.

And they thought a lot of Canadians back in the day. And I think the majority of American people still do consider us friends. I just think it's the political thing that's happening today is that's exactly what it is. Well, I'm going to quote the hockey playing drummer for Sloan. Control your dogs. This is how he puts it. He's not going in the United States because you're right. There are still many a supportive, you know, American who loves Canadians and thinks this 50 for state nonsense is rubbish,

but control your dogs, America. This is how he put it. I have to insert that there are many that I know and that I've heard that think the opposite. They think it would be in our best interest if we were the 51st state. So I'll give them some credit but I'm not giving them... I'm with Andy on this. I play hockey with Andy three times a week. Oh Bec, he plays every day. Yeah pretty much. What about the 11th province? That's what I think would work better. See, I don't want him.

I don't want him. No, me neither. No, who needs him? Well, I don't want him. They can't afford it. It's the him. It's the him that I don't want. I don't even have the energy to talk about the Golden Dome.

We won't even go there, no. We're not even going there. You got me all riled up here, my goodness gracious. Okay, so we are going to talk about for a moment here, bittersweet, because you're only 16 years old. Let's hear you. The taste is bittersweet when your lips meet mine. Whoa! Oh my goodness. I'm going to cut that out and just use that as my like my intro. Okay. Yeah.

That was my first record. I was still in high school, 16 going on 17 capital capital records. Yeah. And Murray and I were signed, I think within the same year to capital record. Okay. Tell them the snowbird story, Donna. Oh, snowbird. Yeah.

Well, we were both signed to Capitol Records, and we were both listening to the same, you know, demo songs and things like that. And Gene McClellan was signed by Beechwood Music, a division of Capitol Records, or their publishing company as a writer. And I listened to back in the day, real to real real tapes going through songs to to learn and Biden my time Snowbird what's your hand in all these songs and I cut Biden my time and snowbird and so did Anne-Murray and we were both on the same label

Do you cut it first different record? I I don't think I did. I think within the same few months I did. Did you know she had cut it? Not until actually they were thinking of releasing my album. And then I knew that Anne had cut it. So Capital made the decision along with we had different record producers to release Snowbird by Anne Murray and I released a song called Bittersweet. to release Snowbird by Anne Murray and I released a song called Bittersweet and uh... This is her version? This is my version, yeah, but uh... The rest is history, as we know.

We'll get back to that. Let's listen to Donna. We need that snowy mantle cold and clean The unborn grass lies waiting for its coat to turn to green The snowbird sings the song he always sings And speaks to me of flowers that will bloom again in spring When I was young my heart was young then too And anything that it would tell me that's the thing that I would do But now I feel such emptiness within

For the thing that I want most in life The thing that I can't win Spread your tiny wings and fly away And take the snow back with you Where it came from on that day The one I love forever is untrue That story is unbelievable, Donna. So you cut this not knowing that the Capitol also had it produced for Anne Murray. Anne Murray, yeah.

We were both finishing albums. Of course, she recorded hers in Canada here, and I did record this in Nashville. So my version has a much more country feel than hers did. And I was a couple years younger than her as well. But that was the decision the producers made and like I said the rest is history we know what happened to Snowbird and Anne-Murray. The rest is history. Does it ever frustrate you? But does it ever frustrate you that you you came within a whisker of having Anne-Murray's career? Could have been, could have happened, yeah. My Cool Green Waters

which was the title of the album, and I released Cool Green Waters, got into the top 20 in the United States on Billboard. Yeah, top 50 pick hit in Billboard magazine. Is it Fox or Billboard? I can't remember. Billboard, I think, Billboard magazine. But I do think that it's worth mentioning that it went to number one here in Canada. Yes.

Cool Green Waters. Yeah, I was, yeah, pretty neat. So Anne lost out on a song herself. Something to talk about was offered to her and she turned it down and then Bonnie Raitt took it and so it comes around, you know? Shirley Eichart. That song is, yes, Shirley Eichart. Shirley Eichart.

Such a fine lake great I wrote a song with Shirley our cart for me called something in your face Yep, I had it on a second album You can find that there Mike What a place what a guy what a podcast fantastic, Can I take you home with me? Absolutely. Do we have to go to Calgary? You can talk over your song. Oh, your mic is live.

We thought it needed a break. This ain't Zoomer. You wrote the bridge, Donnie? No, LeRoy and Shirley didn't. Shirley Eckhart and LeRoy Anderson wrote the bridge to this song. Something in your face. Well, back in the day, songs could only be so long. Either had to be short enough so you could go to a commercial, have just much time, or not over three minutes.

Right. enough so you could go to a commercial, have just much time, or only be not over three minutes. Right. You know? So, um, but this, the song was too short, they thought, so it needed a bridge. I just like hearing your voice, Donna. I was so young then. I sing, I brought a tone lower now. You know how that goes.

When's mine gonna get lower? Don't tease me, I've been waiting. Wow. That was recorded in Toronto. That was the Lori Bauer Singers in the background. The Lori Bauer Singers. Yeah, I hear about them all the time. Now here's the bridge that Leroy wrote. Yeah, the Lori Power singers, will it take me?

And now they breathe together, like the story of the cherry blossoms. Okay, so they stop making smaller. Have you heard this? Yes I'm eyeing it up. That's why a darn good reason. Well, you're ready for this mind blow. Okay, I Am 50 years old. I have never had a cherry blossom in my life Like I don't know if it may be the picture I didn't maybe it doesn't look like my style with what is that a cherry? in there like anyway, I There's a is this a road. We don't want to go down there's a talent there's a talented musician named Rob Bruce who is the was the keyboardist for the spoons and also honeymoon suite for a spell and now he works on Broadway in New York but we

won't hold that against him but Rob Bruce bought one of the last cherry blossoms so I could have one while there was still time but I have it still in But we won't hold that against him, but Rob Pruse bought one of the last cherry blossoms So I could have one while there was still time But I have it still in the box like part of me thinks I should probably eat this cherry blossom and just keep the box In the studio, you know, don't do it. Don't do it Mike. So don't come any Okay, so sweet is gonna make my toothache No, it's gonna rot in your teeth is what it's gonna do. You gotta go sometime. Okay, so do you like cherry blossoms, Donna? Well, it's been a long time. They were in a bigger

time. Okay. Oh yeah. And meanwhile, I love having this chat with you, Donna. Well, I hear your voice in the background here, but I do have some more specific questions before we get you guys with Okay, okay got to get you hooked up to this guy Leroy Anderson. Okay, okay, but on our way there You represented Canada on the first international country music show held in Nashville, Tennessee Yes, that can't be true. Yes and Stompin Tom was on that Stompin Tom Connors was on that show. Was that his only visit to Nashville? I don't know, but all I know, Gordy Tapp was one of the emcees. Gordy Tapp and Stomp and Tom.

Beautiful orchestra and there was international artists on it. I'm having a hard time remembering. I was just a young teenager. But you're representing Canada. Yes, and Stomp and Tom. And one of the things about that was the audiences were just being introduced to Stomp and Tom, right? And, of course, he's out there doing what Stomp and Tom did.

He had his board and he got on there and he's singing his songs about Canada, God love him. And the audiences did not know whether to laugh or to take him seriously. I can see that. Because they didn't know how to take him at all, you know. So it was a very strange thing. Should we laugh? Is this a comedy thing or is he serious? And it was quite interesting. I think it was a turning point, Mike, for Tom. If this is the event that I was thinking of, Yuri Kraychuk, his manager, was there that day and I think Tom took it quite personally and that established to a great extent his attitude toward American music in the United States from that point on. Interesting, like because banjo dunk is like our stomping Tom uh... Well not really,

but you know, I do my... Really? Yeah. Okay. Oh well that was was no, that happened a lot back in the day. Well, I went to start singing on that show and the mic was dead. Oh, was like nothing coming out in the orchestras, you know, going along whatever. So I just put the mic down on the stage and started to step dance. Oh, really? I didn't know what else. What am I going to do now? Okay, you know, 15 years old and you're down there and that's a pro mic.

No, that is a pro, Mike. No, that is a pro. Now, speaking of pro, so we are going to get you hooked up with Leroy here on the Tommy Hunter Show in a moment here. I do want to ask you about the opening of Ontario Place in 1971. Yeah, that was a big deal. You performed at the forum, the great Ontario Place Forum. I still have the plaque at home.

I still have it, yeah. That was a wonderful thing to be asked to do that. I still miss that venue. Yeah, I saw coming in, this is the last time we were in Toronto, I still saw a sign for Ontario Place. Have they made it bigger or moved it or have they done something? You don't want to see Ontario Place right now. It's been completely razed. What I mean, there's no trees, there's no, it's just flat dirt right now, Ontario Place. It's quite the controversial happening at Ontario Place right now. But there's a wonderful private spa coming in. If you want to go to the waterfront and get a spa treatment,

apparently. But yeah, so you don't want to suggest me. It's in your best interest. You not look, it's sad to see Ontario Place today because I bike by it every day And I try not to look it's just but the Cinesphere is intact for what it's worth the big ball There is still the sphere is still there. Yes. Yes. Yes Yes, but the forums long gone because it's been gone for a long time because of course I mentioned I'm gonna see Neil Young at the Budweiser stage Well, that was called the Molson amphitheater and that pretty much killed the the Ontario Place forum Oh long gone. Sorry to hear that.

But you were there for the opening. I was there. Amazing. Okay. So you hook up with some guy named Leroy. Yes. And who is, again succinctly, who is Leroy when you fall in love with him? Is he a going concern?

Well our record producer, we had the same record producer at the time, and his name was Gary Buck who was also from Sault Ste. Marie. And he was producing Leroy's album and finishing up my album. I was almost, I was 17 at the time. And he introduced us. You're like forever young. Like we've been talking for an hour and you're still 17. Don't ever change your glasses.

Whatever you do, don't ever take them off. You know these were $1.25 at Dollar Emma. I'm so impressed with this price of these readers. But I was doing a television show in Kitchener, Gary's television show, and I was still in high school and I heard Leroy's voice before I ever met him. I was listening to some of his demos and that for his album. Gary said, you should hear this guy. And his wife said, if you're ever in town at the same time, I really would like to introduce you. So, fast forward a few weeks and I was down doing his TV show,

Gary's TV show and Leroy happened to be there finishing up his album. So, they, him and his, Gary and his wife Jean introduced us and He didn't look anything like I thought he was gonna look like He had a very soft kind of high-pitched voice and said I thought he's gonna look more like a John Denver You know kind of guy and here was this guy, you know kind of taller and a little more heavier set and all this Beautiful dark hair almost down. He had almost like a Beatles cut hairdo, you know, whatever. And I just thought he was pretty exciting. I had a couple of boyfriends in Sault Ste. Marie

and boy when I got back home, I just said, well, you guys are toast. I've met the guy. I met the guy that I think I want to... Amanda Calgary has stolen your heart. So I don't know what Leroy thought about the whole damn thing, but I was pretty smitten. Leroy, did you like what you saw? Oh my God. You can borrow Duncan's mic for this one. Hold on, just slide it over just a bit.

Just tell us if we can find a Don or one of your... I was in the basement of Gary Buck and Gene Buck's home in Kitchener listening to material for my new RCA album because I was just signed to RCA and I was listening to songs like Ah Put Your Hand in the Hand in the Of Course and Snowbird and they were all in the same tape written by the same guy Jean McLennan. Oh anyway I heard this girl was coming from Sault Ste. Marie. And she's, I was down in the basement. She skipped down the stairs with her hair bouncing,

the light brown and the freckles. And I lost her. You were smitten. I've never been the same since. There she was. What a story. She just bounced right into my life. All right, amazing.

Okay, so here we go. It too started in a basement, Mike. It all started in the basement. All right. So now you two are coupled up. You're married in 1972. Now, please tell me the Tommy Hunter story here, because for 17 years you two, as Donna and Leroy are part of the Tommy Hunter show. Well, we we had a band and we're on the road for quite a while.

That's the other thing. We made the decision probably in about 1973, 74 to move to Toronto and kind of get off the road and we became a duo and we were playing in like little steak houses and little lounges in and around Toronto. We lived in Downsview then and before there was the Canadian Country Music Association, there was various other organizations, one of which was called Big Country, and we attended one that was at the Inn on the park on the Don Valley Parkway. Right. And Tommy was the MC.

Of course, Tommy had had his TV show for about 10, 10, 11 years at that time. And, uh, we had guessed it on the show off and on over the years, you know, so we decided to just go over and say hi to Tommy. Him and his wife Shirley were sitting there and, um, uh, we went over and said hello. And he said, well, how are you doing? I haven't seen you in a while. And I said, well, we're sitting there and we went over and said hello and he said well how are you

doing I haven't seen you in a while and I said well we're married now we've been married for about three years and I said we're living in Toronto and I said this is what we're doing and so he asked us all kinds of questions you know and this that and the other said well nice to see you you know that was that so a few months later the telephone rang, it was about nine in the morning, we'd been playing in a club the night before and Leroy answered the phone and the other voice on the other end said, hi, this is Tommy Hunter. And he says, I know it's early in the morning, but he said, get yourself a coffee, I got a few

questions I want to ask you. So he called us back about a half an hour later and said, I want to make some changes on my television show. And he said, I've been thinking, you know, since I was talking to you back a few months ago, he said, would you be interested in being known as a duo, like Don and Leroy Anderson or whatever yeah and he said if you are he said I'd be very interested in approaching the CBC about getting you on my television show he said I think it would be a nice fit you're married and he said I know what your background is and he said don't give me an answer now just just think about it, you know, whatever.

And he said, just call me back, you know, here's my number, blah, blah, blah. So we didn't take us very damn long to think about it. We called him later that night and I said, well, if the offer still stands, we would love to give it a try, you know, and 17 years later, we were still there. You were there till the end. Yes, we were. The program ends in 1992. 92.

Now the big picture. So the big picture here, Mike, is that they probably saved the show. We were talking about this earlier. I don't know about that. Well, no, I mean, he brought you on because readings were you know keep in mind though our taste in music was changing in the country at the time and all of a sudden he's got a bright young very talented couple on there they've got an L churny satisfying the maritime crowd and so all of a sudden he's got a much bigger audience because of them so well it's my contention they

saved his ass I don't know about that But Al of course Al was on the show He passed away very untimely and very quickly and that was a very sad time But when we started of course Al was there Morris Boly a Who the the keyboard player and the banjo extraordinary player present company accepted Duncan We're still on the show the Allen sisters and the rhythm pals. We were all like a big family and then a couple of years into it the Pals left and the Allen sisters left and Morris Bowie passed away very suddenly as well and so yeah we just kind of soldiered on and what a deal for us to work with so many of our musical heroes.

What's great exposure for you because this is a national audience of course being on the Tommy Hunter show and am I right the Tommy Hunter show was part of the Nashville network for a few years. Five, six years. Six years. Yes. And I mean that makes you known to those damn Americans. And all those those fellers down there. But a great run and got us on hee-haw and got us to work at some

of the big fair dates in the states. You were on Nashville now with Ralph Emory. Yes we were, yeah. A few times. I'm going to play a little bit of Donna and Leroy Anderson. Because I want to choose my show. Well, that takes me back. What a beautiful voice.

Right, Dunk? Beautiful voice. This is a Leroy Anderson song. Did you write this with Sarah Lark? He can't hear it though. You were always there when things went wrong. Through the years we've learned to give, and that's what makes us strong. I need you more than anything else. I can hear some Leroy in there. I changed keys a lot because a female voice and a male voice don't always sing in the same key.

Songs aren't always written that way either, so we had to learn to jump parts a lot. I don't know about you, Donk, but I like it when Donna sings along with herself. Like, I just like bring this down and let Donna sing on top of it. It's a good blend, isn't it? I like the idea of young, and we're in like 1980 or so for this, okay, but I like young Donna and more mature Donna duetting together. There's an idea. You do? Yeah. That's a thought.

So Donna and Leroy record a couple of albums together, release a bunch of singles. Let's shout out, Livin' on Love, and I Want You to Wanna Do, and You're So Easy to Love. And they all go to number one here in this beautiful sovereign nation of ours. They all go to number one. You guys get the CCMA Award for Top Country Duo in 1983.

Yeah, that was a pretty big deal. We didn't get out to the awards that year. They were in, actually, as you want to say, they were in Regina that year. Shout out to Yes We Are Open, an award winning podcast hosted by FOTML Grego from Inaris. Yeah, and Leroy got a Banjo Award that same year, a couple of years later, when it was the CCMA. It was back when it was the CCMA. It was back when it was big country. Wow. Okay, now here, so when you do end your run on the Tommy Hunter Show, which is like 1992,

we lose you for a spell, like a good spell. You're moving to Nashville. Yeah. You know, when you're 40 years old and all of a sudden you're, what you've been doing for the last, I don't know, 17, 18, 19 years on the show quits you kind of start thinking okay what'll I do now you know this is what I do and so we Leroy was quite into songwriting then so we decided you know what we we've got a lot of friends and we know some folks down there and why don't we just go down there and and see what kind of trouble we can get into and so we went down there and we were there for 26 years we

took a couple of left turns I became a booking agent I worked for a Canadian who had a talent agency down there Masioli Entertainment who was representing a lot of Canadian artists and also Ian Tyson at the time. Okay, Sylvia is an FOTM. I missed out on Ian, but Sylvia is an FOTM. She's a wonderful gal. And in fact, I do one of her songs on the show, River Road. It's one of my favorite songs. Do you know their son was a member of Look People? Do you know this? So Clayton, yeah, so Clayton, the son of Ian and Sylvia was a member of Look People, which was James B's band. Shout out to the which was James B's band.

Shout out to the very famous James B, right, Doug? Indeed. So I worked as a talent agent for a while for Paul and represented some artists, but I didn't like that end of the business. I just didn't like the whole scene and how you had to treat people and what you had to do I was more of the artist my heart was on my sleeve most of the time your pro talent so I I got out of that and Leroy became a courier driver for a while Yeah, you know you got to do what you got to do right Leroy courier driver

Then I became a travel agent a full-fledged travel agent You know with my eye out of card and all of that stuff. Did that while we still performed and sang off and on in the States and in Canada. And then I moved to another call center and for about, oh my gosh, I'd say about 10 years, I was a supervisor in a call center for a payment innovation company and And Leroy became, uh, worked in a cytology lab. What is cytology?

Yeah, that's what I asked. You got to get by a dunks Mike there. I was a courier for express courier. And then there was an opportunity to go with path group, which was a budding pathology lab in Nashville, and they became huge eventually. So the courier company I was with was wanting to get a lot of their business. So there was, everybody at Express Courier wanted to get over

to Path Group because it was gonna be huge. So I kept driving by about every two weeks, and I talked to the manager there, of the transportation. And he said, no, there's no openings right now. And so I'd let a couple weeks go and I'd go right back. One day I pulled up, he comes right over, he says, we just had to let a guy go and if you wanna.

So that's how I get in. You were persistent. Then an opening came to get in the lab. So Donnick would say it's too dangerous out there on the road you know going up these mountains in Tennessee and having to pick up the specimen so she said why don't you get in the lab if you can. So came along and the lady with transportation said yeah it's in cytology. I said, cytology? What's that?

Yeah, not to be confused with scientology. That's right. No. That's where Dunk was heading. You'll be learning how to prepare pap smears. Oh, pap smears! I was sure, knowing- Can we say that on the radio?

Well, it's not the radio. You can say anything you want. Now- Yes, yeah. They called him the pap daddy. Pap daddy. That's wild. What a wild turn that story took, Leroy. When they got older, I was grandpappy. You can say anything you want now. Yeah, they called him that they called him the pap daddy That's wild. What a wild turn that story took you right? Grandpappy, okay, cuz you know where I thought that was going. I thought Leroy was gonna tell us this cytology was hair restoration Oh, and that he was not only a work there, but he was a client see how that was gonna go full circle

okay, so anyway, here's the part of this Joe where I give you one more gift and pump my own tires, I guess, because it's something exciting I'm doing on Sunday. And then I want to hear from Banjo Dunk and what's going on with Banjo Dunk and Donna and Leroy. I need all that info. But first I have a book for each of you. It is the history of Toronto Maple Leafs baseball. They play at Christie Pitts here in Toronto.

It's just an amazing experience because you know what a ticket costs you to see the Toronto Maple Leafs at Christie Pitts? You have to mortgage your house? No, you don't have to mortgage your house, which is beautiful. You pay zero dollars and zero cents. So on Sunday, for example, when the Leafs are playing at 2 p.m. just make your way to Bloor and Christie. You can fill the hill.

Of course, this is the pits. They got those great hills way to Bloor and Christy you can fill the hill of course this is the pits they got those great hills grab yourself a beer thank you get a hot dog take in some awesome semi pro baseball and if you get there early enough I am throwing out the ceremonial first pitch yours truly throwing out the first good luck with that Mike I hope it makes the plate. That may be both. Dunk. Forever. You, you know what? You, you, I will just lean back and listen to Donna sing for the rest of this episode here.

Okay. So. Don't get me started. Don't get me started. Go Leafs Go. We kind of got us up to speed now. The ongoing history of Donna with some Leroy sprinkled in the mix. Banjo Dunk.

Yeah, man. How did you weasel your way into the Donna and Leroy sprinkled in the mix. Banjo Dunk. Yeah, man. How did you weasel your way into the Donna and Leroy experience? Like these guys have won, what's that award? I gotta get the right name in this award. These guys won the CCMA award for Top Country Duo in 1983. And now you get to play with them.

Tell me what's going on. They're in halls of fame on both sides of the border. So they are the real deal. And we just became friends on Facebook. We'd been on the Hunter Show together years ago. And lost touch. You grew up together. Yeah, in the Sioux. So Donna's been in my life since I was six or seven years old. So I saw her, we somehow connected on Facebook a few years ago. And I don't know, really,

I just had this inspiration that we should should do something musically together and all of our friends were dying There weren't many of us left and Ridley too busy Shout out to Ridley funeral home so last summer they were in town for they were in Ontario for a couple of shows and they dropped by my My cottage and spend a night and we played some music Douglas came over and I thought geez hey We can do something with this so this tour that we're doing starting next week, this weekend is a kind of an experiment.

And the idea is that if it's as good as the rehearsal seemed to indicate that it's going to be, then we'll take it on the road. It's a, here's the. Where can we see you? Well, I hear in the Toronto area, you can see us at the free times on, on June 6th, a Friday night. You have to call ahead to reserve a seat but we're also

in June 8th on the Sunday afternoon. We're in Peterborough and we're in Nobel Ontario on June 2nd I think. Is it the second? But the big one is no no no, Nobel is June the first. June the first but the big one is S no no Bell is June the first June the first but the big one is to St. Marie where we're at Donna I found out it's almost sold out I just found that out as I was sitting here I got the email from the guy saying that there's still a few but for the most part we're gonna sell this thing out so this is a big deal for Donna and I to go back home and sing together I'll try not to be nervous I can sing in front of 10,000 strangers, but if there's a friend or a relative sitting in the audience,

I'm like, oh, God, I better not screw up. So can I just give you a little mind blow here? So you two knew each other back in the Sioux, but then of course you lose touch a bit, but now you've been reunited. You're gonna play all these great dates together. Yesterday's guest, I wanna shout out, her name is Anne Lindsay.

Oh, you had Anne, oh my goodness, what a talent. Great, and again, I was so ignorant, I'm like, okay, what's the difference between the fiddle and the violin? Like she plays them both proficiently, and she's like, oh, it's the same instrument. Can I tell you, I don't think I knew that. How did I not know it was the exact same instrument?

Yeah, see, Donna, you're judging me over there I can feel the judgment coming from you. But what do I know? Did you know you know cuz you're a music guy Yeah, but why would the general public know that it's Maybe I'm Mike Boone Mike Boone general public. Yeah, I represent the the great unwashed the masses and we're stupid Okay, but but Anne Lindsay was going to primary school with a young boy. Of course, you're a boy in primary school. I don't know why you say man. Why is she going to primary school with a man?

But she's with a young Jim Cuddy and they're friends playing in the orchestra together and then they have a similar experience where they go off their separate ways and then they reunite and Anne Lindsey now plays with The Jim Cuddy band she's the official fiddler and part of the Jim Cuddy band It's very similar story that you're you know somebody in your youth You kind of go your separate ways and then you're reunited for like Artistic musical purposes right there's one lesson in life Mike one lesson that we talked about this morning before we were on AM 740 was do not burn bridges. Do not. I gotta write this down. You never know when it's all gonna come back. We've burned a few in our day. Some were good to burn and some weren't.

But I can't imagine Donna Ramsey Anderson burning a bridge. I burned a couple. I can't imagine Donna, Donna Ramsey, Anderson burning a bridge. I burned a couple. I can see you burning. Did you burn any Mike? Come on. I am a polarizing figure. I got to burn a few bridges along the way. Well, Duncan and I could even be maybe kissing cousins. Like Duncan is from the outside.

Have you guys kissed family down McClennan way where my mother was born and raised down the geography is right and my mother's family extended family first second third cousins are just as huge my dad was an only child like I am but I think somewhere along the line there's an aunt and an uncle married to another aunt and uncle and I think we you know tell you it's okay it's still legal it's okay just saying I am going to give a quick update on in on the park is that It's reported in the live stream from J Ho the official Toronto historian of the Toronto Mike podcast that the In on the Park is also Now mostly raised. It's like a car car dealership and some condo buildings now

I remember the producer who used to produce Country Time. Cy True was his name. He was a famous country time. Cy True was his name. He was a famous producer, director, and he used to produce Country Time. And he was involved somehow in the infancy of creating from big country over to the Canadian Country Music Association. And very tragically, when there was a fire, a very bad fire at the end of the park, I can't remember what the year would be. He passed away in that fire. Oh my goodness. It was bad. Okay. Wow. Okay. So I'm going to bring you

down. You know what? It's called, it's called real talk. Uh, it's not always a puppies and the unicorns and rainbows here. We get serious on this show, but banjo dunk. Good to see you again. How much time did they give you on zoomer? That's what I want to know. How much time did Andy and Jane give you on Zoomer Radio? This time they didn't have, last time Douglas and I must've had 15 minutes, this time no, I don't know, maybe eight or nine minutes. So eight or nine minutes,

cause you know, I just want you to know, I cared so much about, I cared so much about Donna Ramsey, Anderson, Leroy Anderson, I cared so much about Duncan Banjo, get your name right,jo Duncan fremling that We're at an hour and 12 minutes. Is there anything else you want to get off your chest anything? You want to say about Donna? There's one thing I'm just looking at a festival

I'm just looking at her bio and I know she was hooked up with Hague with Hardy and she did some commercials I want her to sing the theme for put pork on your fork if Pork on your fork economical pork on your fork if she would. Leroy and I did pork, put pork on your fork, economical pork on your fork. I sang it looks like a sunny day, raisins love it that way. I did a raisin brand commercial. And what was the other one for Datsun? The Datsun spirits catching on. Did all those with Hey Good Hearty and Mickey Irby.

Can you do a Jordan Wines jingle? No, but I had a few wines last night, I have to say. I don't know what kind of wine it was, but it was going down too easy. Well now you got the Great Lakes beer. Duncan, I got to tell you, you and I think alike because I actually took a note on Put Pork on Your Fork. This was the campaign and I tried to find, I found some ads from that that campaign But there was a male voice on it and I was listening I was trying to find this ad of put pork on your fork Featuring Donna Ramsey, but this is for the Ontario pork association

But I also did read and this is my last note here and unless you have any final thoughts I love this very much by the way Donna Thank you for being here and thank you to the great Leroy Anderson who deserves his own episode what a legend and And thank you to the great Leroy Anderson, who deserves his own episode. What a legend. And, you know, I gave you this much time because I think the world needs to... I feel like this is a blind... If it's a blind spot for me, since I'm the general public... And again, I'm born and raised in Toronto, not exactly a hotbed of country music here in Toronto.

Like, the only country I ever heard growing up was Kenny Rogers, because my mom loved Kenny. And then you'd hear like a Willie Nelson and you'd hear like a Johnny Cash But that was it really honestly that was it and I have so much to learn and I learned so much today And I'm gaining such a respect for this community and what I missed but is it true Donna Ramsey? Anderson that you sang on some movie soundtracks Yes What Eric Robertson who was the music director on the tommy hunter show uh... not originally when we started but i came along a few years later

he uh... wonderful musician whatever and he did a lot of things and asked me to sing on uh... soundtrack and i can't i'm embarrassed you're going to have been the name of the movie but it was about uh... pearl uh... I can't I'm I'm embarrassed. You're blanking on it. I can't think of the name of the movie, but it was about Pearl and the and the actor and it was an American movie, but they filmed it in northern Alberta and in Alaska and It was called. Oh Geez, I should have done my homework. You know what? It's your life

They say this is your life if you don't remember it's because you... Linda Pearl was the actress. Linda Pearl was the actress. Okay. So here, why don't... on our way out, because I'm about... maybe I'll start it up here. Let me do this. Okay. Linda... I don't even know this actress actually. Oh there she is. P-U-R-L. I had no idea. And I'm just going... and would you remember what year this would have been? Oh Well, we were on the hunter show so it would be after 75 and before 90s. It would probably be in the 1980s Okay, so before we get it was called it was about he was he flew a plane her and her father And he had a an airplane and he used to do all these tours and things up in the in the bush and stuff.

I can't remember the name of the movie. That's OK. That's OK. I'm going to look it up, though. Well, I'm going to see if I can pull this out just before I do the extra here again. Leroy, it was awesome to meet you. We're going to get a photo by the tree. Thank you, by the way. Donna, you were amazing. Thank you. What a lovely guest.

And I got to give some props to the wonderful Banjo Dunk, who made this happen. I know. Thank you. Thank you. What a lovely guest. And I got to give some props to the wonderful banjo dunk who made this happen. I know. Thank you, Duncan. Great pleasure. Introducing us to this audience. I'm going to yell out a couple just names of things. Okay. And tell me if any of these resonate. Okay. Secrets before the storm undercover web of deceit, spies, lies, and naked thighs. That sounds like a banjo don't favorite. Holy smokes, Viper? We're not doing what, in self-defense. No, it had something to do with being in the north. Okay, that's a good clue here.

North country, I think it was called. The high country. The high country. 1981, the high country. high country 1981 that the high country So if I if I find this on the wonderful Plex servers known as Stella if I find the high country I'll hear your voice you might if they if they're able to Play it kind of back in the day with performance rights and things like that well, but my name is listed there as At the end of the movie. End of the movie.

Okay. So that's the high country, Linda Pearl. High country. That's it. I've learned a lot today. So thanks again, you guys. Really, really enjoyed this. Lovely.

Lovely. Can we come back? Of course. But don't bring Dunk next time. We've had enough. We've had enough. Come see us, folks, wherever we are. We'd love to meet you.

What website, Dunk? WhiskeyJackMusic.com WhiskeyJackmusic.com Whiskeyjackmusic.com Get your butts over there and see this. All three of you on the stage at the same time? Four of us, Douglas John too. Douglas John Cameron. What a lovely FOTM.

Tell him about TMLX 19 on June 26th. For sure. I know he's been to one before. I want to see him there again. And that brings us to the end of our 1,702nd show. Go to torontomic.com for all your Toronto Mike needs. Much love to all who made this possible. Again, that's Great Lakes Brewery. They're hosting us on June 26th. Oh, now you owe me a new headset, Dunk. I'm going to send you the invoice. Dunk's had too many beer. He's crashing

down the hall. Dunk cracked open all those beers and passed them to Leroy. I'm worried about Leroy. Thankfully, he is not driving. Can I have a beer now? Yeah, you're taking a bunch to go. Thank you, Great Lakes Brewery. Thank you, Palma Pasta. Thank you, Monaris. Thank you, Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball. See you Sunday. Thank you, RecycleMyElectronics.ca. Thank you, Building Toronto Skyline. And of course, Ridley Funeral Home. See you all Monday. This is exciting. It's an exit interview for a beloved FOTM. You know him as Steve Paikin. The agenda comes to an end in June.

Paikin's going to tell us why, give us the details, tell us what's next for him. Don't miss Steve Paikin's return to Toronto Mike live in the basement 2 30 p.m eastern on June 2nd. See you all then. You