Canada

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

These boots were made for Stompin': Famed footwear worn by Connors was homegrown

By: Lauren La Rose, The Canadian Press

Posted: 03/7/2013 12:52 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 03/7/2013 4:55 PM

Stompin' Tom Connors performs in a 1974 handout photo. The toe-tapping footwear that helped earn Stompin' Tom Connors his notable nickname were as authentically Canadian as his heartfelt homegrown tunes. The famed boots were from Boulet, the first company to produce cowboy boots in Canada.THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-CBC

TORONTO - The toe-tapping footwear that helped earn Stompin' Tom Connors his notable nickname was as authentically Canadian as his heartfelt homegrown tunes.

The late music icon would famously stomp his heeled leather boot on a piece of wood while performing. The footwear was from Boulet, which bills itself as the first company to produce cowboy boots in Canada.

"They were called square dance boots, actually, because they come up to your heel," recalled Brian Edwards, president of Rocklands Entertainment and Connors' promoter for the last 25 years.

Edwards said they would pick up a couple of pairs of Boulet boots anytime they paid a visit to Winnipeg.

"They were about 11 1/2, double-wide or something," he said of Connors' shoe size. "He had big feet."

Georges-Alidor Boulet established G.A Boulet Inc.in 1933 in St-Tite, Que., often called "The Leather Town." The company bills itself as the largest cowboy boot factory in Canada.

Terrie Murchison worked at the now-defunct Boulet factory outlet store in Winnipeg, and said Connors favoured the ankle-high, slip-on heeled Boulet Western boot which sold for about $100 a pair.

"I think that's the only boot he ever wore," recalled Murchison, who now manages a Canadian Footwear store in Winnipeg.

"He would come into Winnipeg and we would turn around and we would give him two pairs of these boots and then he would do his performance," he added. "And then, we would open up after hours for him and his crew to come down to do his shopping."

While he can't recall meeting Connors, Murchison was nostalgic when hearing "The Hockey Song" blaring through the speakers while heading into town on Thursday.

"We lost a legend," he said.

Also signature to Connors' style was his ever-present black cowboy hat. But Edwards was uncertain of the origins of the famed topper, which he said Connors stored in a old paper shopping bag with two handles.

"He only had one hat ever and he had it back in the early 60s and I have no idea (where it's from)," said Edwards.

"But there's no other hat but the one."

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Canada

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.