Musicians play memories of pianist Fotheringham

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/01/2012 (5341 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FAREWELL TO PIANO MAN — About 400 Winnipeg musicians came and went during a five-hour musical tribute to piano man/producer Craig Fotheringham Sunday night at the Pembina Hotel. Many in the audience had played with or been produced by the gifted Fotheringham, who battled cancer and died Jan 8.

The evening was organized by Fotheringham bandmate Curtis Newton. “He was like a father to me,” said Newton, who played with Fotheringham for 17 years, starting when he was only 19.

Big Dave McLean, who played in Bow Island, Alta., Saturday night said, “Today I drove through a snowstorm three hours to get to Calgary airport, where I caught a plane to Winnipeg and came straight here.” He squeezed in one blues song and ran back into the swirling snow to host his regular blues jam at Times Change(d).

Rhonda Hart sang Desperado, which she used to sing with Fotheringham. “Her voice is still absolutely perfect,” said singer Danny Kramer, who did Elton John’s Rocket Man “because the words make me think of Craig’s personality.”

The night started off with jazz, which was Fotheringham’s passion, featuring Bill McMahon on drums, bass player Julian Bradford and pianist Dave Hildebrand. Sax player Walle Larsson and Larry Roy joined in for the final tunes.

Spotted lighting up the room: Gutsy singer Shandra Levreault, guitarist/singer Ray Martin of the Foster Martin band, Hawg Wilde’s Trevor Clearwater, singer Michelle Bahadori, Realtor/musicians Fred Dawes and Suzanne Mariani, Harlequin drummer AJ Chabidon, guitar guru James Creasey, singer Tom Dunlop, drummer Greg Black, singer Paul McNair, keyboardist Mark Arnould, Streetheart drummer Tim Sutton, keyboard player/producer Carlin Lemon, Tim Elias and Steve Bell, and Doc Walker drummer Steve Broadhurst and bass player Brent Pearen.

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TOM MILROY COUNTING DOWN — “Maybe I won’t like it!” says BOB-FM morning man Tom Milroy, who’s retiring in 10 days. We met at The Grove Bar to practise for his leisure time. (He’s still ordering coffee — much to learn.)

“I have no idea what I’m going to do with my time,” he says, shaking his head and grinning. He’s pulling the plug Jan. 27, after being “married” to on-air co-host Beau since 1989 and kibbitzing with different female sidekicks, notably Caroline, Frazier and Dez.

“There’s only two ways to leave a radio job, and I prefer this one.” Everybody gets fired in radio, and Milroy’s been fired twice.

“When I started out, I went out of town to this little station, and the boss said, ‘Will you promise to stay six months?’ and I said yes. The day the six months were up, he fired me!” Another time he got the boot after a couple of months. “To this day, I don’t know why.” But they’ve loved him at Q-94/BOB/FAB, where he’s been in the morning chair for decades. The man says age 60 is a good time to quit after 40 years in the biz. The Insider’s giving him six months to pop up on air again.

By the way, “Master of the Morning” Don Percy and Stan Kubicek, “The Friendly Czech,” are back on the air at 100.7 FM The Breeze. Percy gets ’em with his “GRRR-OWL” from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and Kubicek, best known as a weatherman from CKND-TV days, gets ’em on the drive home from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

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PAST LIFE REGRESSION: Radiance Gifts and Treasures is now teaching so many courses, the store at 7-875 Corydon Ave. was getting too small. The owners recently rented enough apartment space in the block that houses their storefront to create a classroom behind them. “It has long been our desire to offer workshops and treatments on site,” says co-owner Lisa Tjaden. The new classroom/treatment room opens Feb 1.

Got tips, events, sightings, unusual things going on? Call Maureen’s tip line at 474-1116, email Maureen.Scurfield@winnipegfreepress.com or send mail to The Insider, c/o Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, R2X 3B6.