Huron Expositor, 2017-03-22, Page 3Wednesday, March 22, 2017 • Huron Expositor 3
Contributed photo
Playwrite David Scott (right) poses with Tom Connors for his The Ballad of Stompin' Tom play that premiered at Blyth in 2006. David Scott
Submitted photo
Former Seaforth Mayor brings Guy Lombardo to Iife on the Blyth stage
Lynda Hillman-Rapley circuit. disinterest, Guy's dedication
Postmedia Network But always a visionary, to his craft was all consum-
Lombardo saw radio as a ing, and no obstacle could
It's a story that needs to be means to reach a bigger block his path to his dreams.
told. audience. Live radio in the Friend and influential col -
Since 2008, David Scott 1920s was the key to the league of some of the biggest
has been developing a play Royal Canadians' success. names in show biz, includ-
that has been workshopped "It actually has a lot of par- ing Louis Armstrong, Sophie
three times with Equity allels with the rise of the Tucker, the Andrew Sisters,
actors at the Grand Theatre Internet and the ability to Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, and
on the legendary London reach thousands of people others, Guy Lombardo and
musical family the Lombar- he wouldn't have been able His Royal Canadian s
dos, more commonly known to by just touring and play- blazed a path from Huron
as Guy Lombardo and his ing concerts," says Scott. County to the Big Apple, the
Royal Canadians. Lombardo "Playing in Chicago in the likes of which has never
launched his career playing 1920s was dangerous stuff. been seen, before or since.
in the family band in places Al Capone and other gang- "I think people will be sur -
like Port Stanley, Grand ster ruled the streets and prised about the things they
Bend and other small towns also many venues and musi- learn about Guy Lombardo
in southern Ontario. cal acts. The Royal Canadi- in this play. In his last few
After his father, Gaetano a n s had more than one decades of performing, his
Lombardo, was upset with brush with mobsters during music lost popularity and he
the way his sons were treated their early days" was often mocked as being
by a promoter of a Grand Lombardo sold more than stale and square and past his
Bend concert (who wouldn't 300 million records interna- prime. But there is no doubt -
give them a full hour to eat tionally. To this day, they still ing the success the Royal
dinner), he locked up his play his recording of Auld Canadians obtained over
sons' instruments and told Lang Syne as the official ball five decades. It's an explora-
them they were finished drops on the annual festivi- tion into the drive behind
with the music business. ties in New York's Times this second generation
Guy upped the ante when Square. A son of Italian
he and his brothers Carmen immigrants, Guy was horn
and Lebert, and other band and raised in London, if you go
members, quit high school Ontario, but it was his sum- June 28 to August 19 -
to play music full time. mers playing the biggest WORLD PREMIERE
Always a risk -taker, the beach bandstand in Huron MR. NEW YEAR'S
eldest Lombardo son, Guy, County's Grand Bend, where EVE: A night with Guy
left London, Ontario to find this local musical titan cut Lombardo
success with the Royal Cana- his teeth and learned to play
dians in Cleveland, Chicago both his many instruments Written by David Scott
and finally New York City. It and the teeming crowds. Directed by Gil Garratt
wasn't without its rough Though his own father check out http://www.
patches going from job to adamantly opposed Guy's blythfestival.com/
job and trying his hand on love of Jazz, and Canadian boxoffice
the unforgiving vaudeville radio stations showed active
Italian immigrant and what Grand Bend Lakeshore Islands Playhouse in 2007,
made him a worldwide suc- Advance. He was editor of and Drayton Festival, King's
cess in both music and both the Huron Expositor Wharf Theatre and the Con -
speedboat racing." and Lakeshore Advance federation Centre's Mack
Scott is a London, Ontario (1995-1999). He has been a Theatre in 2008. The Ballad of
playwright whose first pro- freelance columnist in the Stompin' Tom played the
fessional play, "There's past with the London Free summer of 2014 after a six -
Nothing in the Paper," a Press and was the past Huron year hiatus for nine weeks
comedy about a small-town County correspondent with from June 26 to August 30 at
community newspaper, pre- the Free Press as well. The Harbourfront Theatre in
miered at the Blyth Festival Or perhaps his play, "The Summerside, PEI.
in 1997. Ballad of Stompin' Tom," on Scott currently works at
He will probably be Canada's legendary Stompin' Western University as a lec-
remembered as a reporter for Tom Connors, premiered at turer, teaching writing and
the Seaforth Huron Expositor, Blyth in 2006 with perfor- speech. He also teaches writ-
Goderich Signal Star and mances at Blyth and 1000 ing at Fanshawe College.
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