Cape Breton's Magazine

could play a few tunes, too! Not enough to go out playing, though, believe me. but just enough for his own entertainment. Ac? tually. I taught him to read the notes and that, after we were married. (Did you think of Johnny as a Scottish player?) Oh no. Definitely Irish. Defi? nitely Irish, yeah. (And how was that ac? cepted in your home?) Lovely. My parents thought the world of Johnny Wilmot. (I guess what I'm asking is. was the Irish music different from the Scottish music?) Oh yes. The Irish music is livelier. There's more life to Irish music. There seems to be more fun behind Irish music. Scottish music are like the Scots them? selves- -rather dour at times, you know. Of course, it has improved over the years, but.... The Irish are still--more fun in them than the Scottish people! I shouldn't say that--I'm a hundred per cent Scottish! (There are some people, now. who--they're very strict. They only want to hear, strict? ly Scottish music. That certainly wasn't the case in your house. And when Johnny would come....) No. no. It was just differ? ent. But it was lively, it was pleasant to listen to. pleasant to dance to. Irish music is more difficult to chord to than Scottish music. And I think I learned to accompany Johnny so that--he appreciated what I could do. Because there's so many minor chords in Irish music, and dominant chords. He'd say to me. "Well. now. you managed to get that one in. How did you do that?" I said. "Well, play it over again. We'll do it over again." I know when we made the record at CJCB, there was one tune and I can't remember the MILDRED CONTINUES ON PAGE 29 Tommy Basker Remembers Johnny Tommy Basker: I made a trip to Boston with him in 1952. The Irish people, they never knew about him or heard tell of him. They went nuts, when he got up there. He did a show one night over a radio station in Brookline Village--! forget their call--WVON, I believe it was. He did a half an hour show with a beautiful Irish piano player--dead now-- his name was Johnny Connors. And Bill Jessome was the M.C. He did the show. He was working for that radio station at the time; he was just a young fellow. Anyway, after the program was over. Bill Jessome said, "Watch the tele? phone." The telephone started ringing-- "Who is he?" "Where is he from?" This woman got on, she says, "I'm crying." She said, "The man made me so lonesome, I'm going back to Ireland tomorrow!" Tommy laughs. Oh, yeah, it was unreal! They kept calling and calling. And while the program was on, there were two fellows from Reserve landed at the radio station. They were in their tractor trailer, and they had their ra? dio on. And they knew Johnny. One of them was Babe Aucoin. And I don't know . f w* jS*.i' • **"'!i#, • *#??rj??-=2r- who the other fellow was. But they were -a-'-y-" • ?-a " • • • "- • ?"-" . ' , for compact disc as well as cassette tape. tor trailer! "' Tommy Basker with Paul M. MacDonald. Tommy plays harmonica on Johnny Wiilmot's "An? other Side of Cape Breton." Paul, along with Chuck O'Hara, handled the studio work- digitally remastering the music from the original masters, creating the state-of-the art sound up there in their tracto Anyway, there were so many people called in that Bill said, "If you want to hear some more of Johnny tonight, he's going to be at the Greenville Caf6 down in Roxbury," he said, "close to the Dudley Street terminal." So anyway, when we got down there the place was packed. It was full of Irishmen and full of Scotchmen! Yeah. There was a great big guy there; his name was White. He said to me, "You know that fiddler, don't you?" I said, "Yeah, I LeBlanc Siding Ltd. Island Vinyl Siding Ltd. Authorized Dealer for Afi4 YCAN Aluminum & Vinyl Siding Aluminum Windows & Doors Shutters / Softfit / Fascia / Awnings Heavy Duty Vinyl Replacement Windows 109 Reservoir Road SYDNEY Professional Installation of Aluminum & Vinyl Siding in Cape Breton for over 18 years. FREE ESTIMATES, and any siding inquiries, Call Collect: BRUCE or SONNY MacPHERSON 539-3665 & 539-4626