Al Oster

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Albert Adam "Al" Oster CM (born December 3 or December 23, 1924 in the province of Saskatchewan , Canada ; † October 28, 2017 in Salmon Arm , British Columbia ) was a Canadian folk and rockabilly musician. Oster's songs were always about the realities of the Yukon Territory.

Life

Childhood and youth

Al Oster was born in a small cabin about 12 miles from Vanguard and raised on a farm. Oster's parents, John Harold and Mary, had three other sons. As a child, he was mainly influenced by country music . As a teenager he learned to play guitar and worked in logging camps in Alberta in winter and ranches in summer. In 1939 the family moved to Langley to escape the economic depression. In 1946, Oster was released from the military service he had served in Calgary .

Career

After his release, Oster started his career as a musician. At that time he appeared under the name "Calgary Slim" and moved with the Dobro player Ray as "Slim 'n' Ray" through Calgary and Edmonton, where they performed in restaurants and dance halls. In 1957 Oster moved to Vancouver , where he met his wife Mary. During this time, Oster toured a lot with artists such as Mike Harris, Lynn Gibson and Hank Smith as a singer and guitarist . He was also able to appear in the Buckskin Opry on CJOR. In 1957, Oster and his wife Mary decided to move to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory . At this point they already had two daughters.

In Whitehorse, Oster initially had a regular job. He also played in a country and rockabilly band which, in addition to Oster, consisted of Johnny Hutsul, John Irwin (guitar), Andy Donais ( pedal steel guitar ) and Cal Waddington ( drums ). One evening the band was booked for a school hop (a dance event) at Whitehorse High School. Since the band did not have their own rockabilly numbers in their repertoire, Oster wrote Midnight Sun Rock for the youngsters. Together with Next Boat , Oster recorded the song for his own label Tundra Records. The first delivery of 1,000 records sold out almost immediately. 1959 Oster played the Midnight Sun Rock again for his first album Yukon Gold .

In 1958, Oster had also started working for the broadcaster WHTV and had his own television show there until 1960. From 1961 Oster was regularly heard with his show Northland Echoes on the CBS system . His first LP caught the attention of Jack Doell, with whom he then toured Canada. Oster's popularity increased enormously as a result.

Oster spent the 1960s with numerous appearances and as a member of the Northern Jamborees from Whitehorse. 1967 included one of Oster's career highlights. He played with Hank Karr at the 1967 Expo in Montreal , during which the joint album The Yukon Stars was recorded. A year later, Oster received the BMI Award for his ballad Irena Cheyenne . It was the first BMI award ever given in Canada. Oster's ballads, telling the legends and stories of the Yukon and Alaska, were more popular than ever. His most famous song, My Book of Yukon Memories , even reached number 30 on the Billboard charts . Oster was invited to Japan for the 1970 Expo , but had to cancel.

In 2000 Oster was awarded the " Order of Canada " for his services to the tradition of Yukon and in 2004 was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame for Midnight Sun Rock .

Discography

Al Oster played his singles and LPs primarily for his own independent labels. In 1960 he founded Klondike Records and in 1965 Alcon Records followed for releases in Alaska and the United States. Klondike was renamed Frontier Record Company in 1982.

Singles

year title Label #
1958 Midnight Sun Rock / Next Boat Tundra T101
1962 Kee Bird Song / Waltz of the Yukon Klondike KR45-2
1963 49 Days / Six Long Years Klondike KR45-3
1966 Irena Cheyenne / Way Up Alaska Way Alkon AK45-101
Unpublished titles
1958
  • Midnight Sun Rock (old version)
  • Next Boat (old version)

Albums

  • 1960: Yukon Gold
  • 1962: Northland Ballads
  • 1964: Alaska Star 49
  • 1967: The Yukon Stars (with Hank Karr)
  • 1986: Yukon Ballads
  • 1998: Country Gospel
  • 1998: Call of Alaska
  • 1999: Northland Echoes

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/al-oster-obit-died-1.4378193
  2. ^ Obituary , accessed December 7, 2017
personal data
SURNAME Oster, Al
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Oster, Albert Adam
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian folk and rockabilly musician
DATE OF BIRTH December 3, 1924 or December 23, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH near Vanguard , Saskatchewan Province
DATE OF DEATH October 28, 2017
Place of death Salmon Arm , British Columbia