Stanley Allison Rogers (November 29, 1949 – June 2, 1983) was a Canadian

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

ian and songwriter who sang traditional-sounding songs frequently inspired by

Canadian history The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians to North America thousands of years ago to the present day. The lands encompassing present-day Canada have been inhabited for millennia by Indigenous peoples, with di ...

and the working people's daily lives, especially from the fishing villages of the

Maritime provinces The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...

and, later, the farms of the

Canadian prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

and

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

. He died in a fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797, grounded at the Greater Cincinnati Airport, at the age of 33.

Early life and musical development

Rogers was born in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, the eldest son of Nathan Allison Rogers and Valerie (née Bushell) Rogers, two Maritimers who had relocated to

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

in search of work shortly after their marriage in July 1948. Although Rogers was raised in Binbrook, Ontario, he often spent summers visiting family in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. It was there that he became familiar with the way of life in the

Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...

, an influence which was to have a profound impact on his subsequent musical development. He was interested in music from an early age, reportedly beginning to sing shortly after learning to speak. He received his first guitar, a miniature hand-built by his uncle Lee Bushell, when he was five years of age. He was exposed to a variety of music influences, but among the most lasting were the country and western tunes his uncles would sing during family get-togethers. Throughout his childhood, he would practice his singing and playing along with his brother

Garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. Garnet minerals, while sharing similar physical and crystallographic properties, exhibit a wide range of chemical compositions, de ...

, six years his junior. While Rogers was attending Saltfleet High School, Stoney Creek, Ontario, he started to meet other young people interested in

, although at this time he was dabbling in

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

, singing and playing bass guitar in garage bands such as "Stanley and the Living Stones" and "The Hobbits". After high school, Rogers briefly attended both

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

and

Trent University Trent University is a public liberal arts university in Peterborough, Ontario, with a satellite campus in Oshawa, which serves the Regional Municipality of Durham. Founded in 1964, the university is known for its Oxbridge college system, sma ...

, where he performed in small venues with other student musicians, including Ian Tamblyn, Christopher Ward and fellow Hobbit Nigel Russell. Russell wrote the song "White Collar Holler", which Rogers sang frequently on stage. Rogers signed with

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

in 1970 and recorded two singles: "Here's to You Santa Claus" in 1970, and "The Fat Girl Rag" in 1971. In 1973, Rogers recorded three singles for Polygram: "Three Pennies", "Guysborough Train", and "Past Fifty." In 1976, Rogers recorded his debut album, ''Fogarty's Cove'', released in 1977 on Barnswallow Records. The album's subject matter dealt almost entirely with life in

maritime Canada The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...

, and was an immediate success. Rogers then formed Fogarty's Cove Music, and bought Barnswallow during the production of ''Turnaround'', allowing him to release his own albums.

Posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

, additional albums were released. Sung in his rich baritone, Rogers' songs are often said to have a "

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

" feel which is due, in part, to his frequent use of DADGAD guitar tuning. He regularly used his William 'Grit' Laskin-built

12-string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in ...

in his performances. His best-known songs include "

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...

", "

Barrett's Privateers "Barrett's Privateers" is a modern folk song in the style of a sea shanty, written and performed by Canadian musician Stan Rogers, having been inspired after a song session with the Friends of Fiddler's Green at the Northern Lights Festival B ...

", "

The Mary Ellen Carter "The Mary Ellen Carter" is a song written and first recorded by Stan Rogers in 1979. It tells the story of a heroic effort to salvage a sunken ship, the eponymous ''Mary Ellen Carter'', by members of her crew. Original version The song chronicl ...

", " Make and Break Harbour", "

The Idiot ''The Idiot'' (Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform ) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–1869. The titl ...

", " Fogarty's Cove", and " White Squall".

Death

Rogers died alongside 22 other passengers most likely of

smoke inhalation Smoke inhalation is the breathing in of harmful fumes (produced as by-products of combusting substances) through the respiratory tract. This can cause smoke inhalation injury (a kind of acute inhalation injury) which is damage to the respirator ...

on June 2, 1983, while travelling on Air Canada Flight 797 (a

McDonnell Douglas DC-9 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast, single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced as the Douglas DC-9 prior to August 1967, after which point the company had merged with McDonnell ...

) after performing at the Kerrville Folk Festival. The airliner was flying from

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

when a fire from an unknown ignition source within the vanity or toilet shroud of the aft washroom forced it to make an

emergency landing An emergency landing is a premature landing made by an aircraft in response to an emergency involving an imminent or ongoing threat to the safety and operation of the aircraft, or involving a sudden need for a passenger or crew on board to term ...

at the Greater Cincinnati Airport in northern Kentucky. There were initially no visible flames, and after attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful, smoke filled the cabin. Upon landing, the plane's doors were opened, allowing the five crew and 18 of the 41 passengers to escape, but approximately 90 seconds into the evacuation the oxygen rushing in from outside caused a flash fire. Soon after his death, stories began to circulate about Rogers' final moments. Amber Frost claimed: These accounts cannot be verified, as the

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inci ...

ran a full investigation of the incident and interviewed every single survivor, and there is no firsthand account, official or unofficial, of such an occurrence. Stan Rogers most likely died before the doors were even opened, due to smoke inhalation from the fire. Regardless, the circumstances of Rogers' death still circulate as folklore. As his official biographer Christopher Gudgeon writes: His ashes were scattered off the north-eastern shore of

Nova Scotia, Canada Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Legacy

Rogers' legacy includes his recordings, songbook, and plays for which he was commissioned to write music. His songs are still frequently covered by other musicians, including children's performer

Raffi Raffi Cavoukian (, born July 8, 1948), known professionally by the mononym Raffi, is an Armenian-Canadian singer-lyricist and author born in Egypt best known for his children's music. In 1992, ''The Washington Post'' called him "the most p ...

on his 1977 out-of-print album

Adult Entertainment The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related se ...

, and are perennial favourites at Canadian campfires and song circles. Members of Rogers' band, including his brother

Garnet Rogers Garnet Rogers (born May 1955) is a Canadian folk musician, singer, songwriter and composer. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario with Maritime roots. Early life Rogers was born in Hamilton, Ontario to Nathan Allison Rogers and Valerie (née Bushell) ...

, continue to be active performers and form a significant part of the fabric of contemporary Canadian folk music. Following his death, he was nominated for the 1984 Juno Awards in the category for Best Male Vocalist. That same year, he was posthumously awarded the Diplôme d’Honneur of the Canadian Conference of the Arts. In 1994, his posthumous live album ''

Home in Halifax ''Home in Halifax'' is a 1993 in music, 1993 live album by Stan Rogers. It was recorded by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC during a concert Rogers performed at the Dalhousie Arts Centre, Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in City of Halifax, Halif ...

'' was likewise nominated for Best Roots and Traditional Album. His widow, Ariel, continues to oversee his estate and legacy. His music and lyrics have been featured in numerous written publications and films. For instance, his lyrics have appeared in school poetry books, taking their place alongside acknowledged classics. His song "

" was featured in the last episode of the TV show '' Due South'', his songs "

" and " Watching the Apples Grow" having been previously featured. "Barrett's Privateers" has also been used extensively in promotion ads for Alexander Keith's ale. In the 2005 CTV made-for-TV movie on the life of

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for can ...

, Rogers' " Turnaround" is the music over the closing shot. As the movie ends, Fox is depicted, alone, striding up a hill, while the lyric "And yours was the open road. The bitter song / The heavy load that I'll never share, tho' the offer's still there / Every time you turn around," forges a link between these Canadian icons. Many of his songs on the albums ''

'' and ''

From Fresh Water ''From Fresh Water'' is a 1984 posthumous album by Stan Rogers. It was one of a series of concept albums Rogers intended to do about the regions of Canada. ''From Fresh Water'' is about the Great Lakes area of Canada, while '' Fogarty's Cove'' w ...

'' refer to events in Canadian history. Adrienne Clarkson, who, prior to serving as the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

from 1999 to 2005, had worked for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

, highlighted Rogers' career in a 1989 television documentary called '' One Warm Line'' on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

; she also quoted Rogers in her investitural address. When CBC's

Peter Gzowski Peter John Gzowski (July 13, 1934 – January 24, 2002), known colloquially as "Mr. Canada", or "Captain Canada",Mary Gazze Canadian Press via The ''Toronto Star'', August 23, 2010. Retrieved 2016-06-27. was a Canadian broadcaster, write ...

asked Canadians to pick an alternate national anthem, "Northwest Passage" was the overwhelming choice. The Stan Rogers Folk Festival is held every year in Canso, Nova Scotia. In 1995, several artists performed two nights of concerts at Halifax's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, which were released on album that year as ''Remembering Stan Rogers'', which peaked at number 36 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Country Albums chart. Rogers is also a lasting fixture of the Canadian folk festival Summerfolk, held annually in

Owen Sound, Ontario Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The seat of government of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay. The primary tourist ...

, where the main stage and amphitheater are dedicated as the "Stan Rogers Memorial Canopy". The festival is firmly fixed in tradition, with Rogers' song "

" being sung by all involved, including the audience and a medley of acts at the festival. At The Canmore Folk Festival, Alberta's longest running folk music festival, performers take to the Stan Rogers Memorial Stage, which is the festival's main stage. Stan's son,

Nathan Rogers Nathan Rogers (born July 16, 1979 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian folk musician/songwriter. Early life Rogers is the son of Stan and Ariel Rogers. His father, a folk musician and songwriter, died in a fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797 on ...

, is also an established Canadian folk artist with a voice and lyrical acumen similar to his father's. He has released two critically acclaimed solo albums and tours internationally as a solo act and in the trio Dry Bones. In 1995, with permission from Estelle Rogers, Vancouver Celtic Rock band Three Row Barley released a live version of Barrett's Privateers on their album Overserved. On his 2006 album ''Writing In The Margins'', American folk musician John Gorka covered Rogers' song "The Lockkeeper". "That's How Legends Are Made," a song from Gorka's 1990 album ''Land of The Bottom Line'', is also a tribute to Rogers. In 2007, Rogers was recognized posthumously with a National Achievement Award at the annual SOCAN Awards held in Toronto. Canadian Celtic rock band Enter the Haggis regularly performs a cover of “White Squall” to end their shows, and included it on their 2011 album ''Whitelake''. In 2011, the pirate metal band Alestorm released a cover of Rogers' song "Barrett's Privateers" (Label Napalm Records). In 2013, Groundwood Books turned Rogers' song "Northwest Passage" into a children's book illustrated by award-winning artist Matt James. In 2017, Canadian Celtic punk band

The Real McKenzies The Real McKenzies is a Canadian Celtic punk band founded in 1992 and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are considered the founders of the Canadian Celtic punk movement, and were one of the first Celtic punk bands, albeit 10 years af ...

released a cover of Rogers' "Northwest Passage" on their album ''Two Devils Will Talk.'' In 2019, Canadian metal band Unleash the Archers released a cover of Rogers' "Northwest Passage" on Napalm Records. In 2019, Canadian folk punk band The Dreadnoughts released a cover of Rogers' "Northwest Passage", as well as a commemorative song named "Dear Old Stan", on Stomp Records. In 2020,

Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; ) is a professional Association football, soccer league in Canada and the highest level of the Canadian soccer league system. The league comprises eight teams, from five of provinces and territories of ...

soccer club

HFX Wanderers FC Halifax Wanderers FC, also written as HFX Wanderers FC, is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) at the top of the Canadian soccer league syste ...

's home kit featured a soundwave image taken from Rogers' "Barrett's Privateers", inspired in part by the song's adoption by Privateers 1882, a supporters group of the Wanderers. In 2022 , The Longest Johns released a cover of Rogers' "The Mary Ellen Carter" on their album ''Smoke and Oakum''. In 2023, The Longest Johns and El Pony Pisador released a cover of Rogers' "Northwest Passage" as part of their collaborative EP "The Longest Pony".

Band

While occasionally performing or recording solo, Rogers typically worked with other musicians. Early in his career, he was accompanied live by guitarist Nigel Russell. In 1973 his brother,

, joined as principal sideman and co-arranger. For the next 10 years, they performed live as a trio, joined by a succession of bassists, including Jim Ogilvie, David Woodhead, David Alan Eadie and Jim Morison. This live trio was occasionally augmented by other musicians, as at a string of shows recorded for the 1979 live album Between the Breaks ... Live!, and a 1983 CBC radio broadcast (later released as

). His studio albums typically featured the live trio augmented by a mix of studio musicians and special guests, with the exception of the 1983 album For the Family, which featured the unaccompanied trio, who also self-produced the album.See liner notes on any edition, for example: https://www.discogs.com/release/2697703-Stan-Rogers-For-The-Family

Discography

Singles

*"Hail To You Santa Claus" b/w " Coventry Carol" (1970; RCA) *"Fat Girl Rag" b/w "Seven Years Along" (1971, RCA) *"Three Pennies"/"Past Fifty" b/w "Guysborough Train" (1974, CBC Promo)

Albums

*'' Fogarty's Cove'' (1977) *'' Turnaround'' (1978) *'' Between the Breaks ... Live!'' (1979) *''

'' (1981) *'' For the Family'' (1983) *''

'' (1984) *'' In Concert'' (1991) *''

'' (1993) *''Poetic Justice'' (1996) – A collection of two radio plays (''Harris and the Mare'', based on Stan Rogers' song of the same name, adapted by John Gavin Douglas for the

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

series '' Nightfall'', and ''The Sisters'' by

Silver Donald Cameron Silver Donald Cameron (June 21, 1937 – June 1, 2020) was a Canadian journalist, author, playwright, and university teacher whose writing focused on social justice, nature, and the environment. His 15 books of non-fiction dealt with everything ...

, a play written for '' CBC Playhouse'', for which Rogers wrote and performed the music.) *''

From Coffee House to Concert Hall ''From Coffee House to Concert Hall'' is a 1999 folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the ...

'' (1999) *''The Very Best of Stan Rogers'' (2011) *''The Collection'' 6 CD + 1 DVD Anthology (2013) *''Stan Rogers Songbook: Songs of a Lifetime'' 3 Vinyl + Song Book Anthology (2024)

References

* * * Obituary, "Stan Rogers, Folk Musician; In Fire Aboard DC9; At 33". ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', June 5, 1983, page 1.

External links

Official website

The Stan Rogers Folk Festival

Stan Rogers
at ''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

''
''A Biography of Stan Rogers''
at ''

Geist ''Geist'' () is a German noun with a significant degree of importance in German philosophy. ''Geist'' can be roughly translated into three English meanings: ghost (as in the supernatural entity), spirit (as in the Holy Spirit), and mind or int ...

''.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Stan 1949 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Canadian male singers 20th-century Canadian singer-songwriters Accidental deaths in Kentucky Canadian baritones Canadian folk guitarists Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian folk singers Canadian male guitarists Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian people of English descent Deaths by smoke inhalation Maritime music Musicians from Hamilton, Ontario Musicians killed in aviation accidents or incidents People from Dundas, Ontario People from Guysborough County, Nova Scotia Singers from Nova Scotia Singers from Ontario Trent University alumni Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1983 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States