Posted by MarkDespault, written by Words by Ean Hay
[download]
- Play count: 114
Size: 2,052kb, uploaded 11/29/2011 12:42:46 PM
Genre: Traditional / Playing Style: Bluegrass (Scruggs)
Like the contemporary fate of many Canadian railroads, sections of what used to be the Kettle Valley Line are now wonderful hiking trails in the British Columbia interior. But between 1916 and 1961 of Canadian railroading, the line was an active and important link for bringing the riches of BC's lush valleys to the rest of the country. Ean Hay wrote "The Kettle Valley Line" for a 1952 CBC radio programme. He based it on stories told to him by his father who was a railroad cook in the early 1900's. The original tune was written in jig time (6/8) but Stan Triggs changed it to 4/4, as we've sung it here.
4 comments on “The Kettle Valley Line”
kevinwholmes Says:
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 @4:11:10 PM
Nice job, fun tune, eh.
MarkDespault Says:
Saturday, December 17, 2011 @4:46:04 PM
Why thank you Kevin! I'll try to end more of those rather obscure tunes from the Great White North. yeah!
robbennie Says:
Friday, January 10, 2014 @11:59:48 AM
My dad and Ean were very good friends. Ean and his family used to sail over to our place in their boat (an old converted whaler lifeboat, later a ketch called the Sanmarkay and finally a pinky schooner the Peregrine). As a kid I remember sitting on the beach on many occasions listening to Ean, Hilda and Phil Thomas as well as Lloyd Arntzen playing impromptu hootenannies for the assembled families and friends. Wisely my family, who had no musical talent, kept our voices low. Ean moved to Cortes Island with his family where he lived for some years before passing away - far too young.
thay Says:
Thursday, May 22, 2014 @7:44:14 PM
Hello Rob. It's been a few years. If I'm not mistaken, and I often am, my father wrote the song when he was a salad cook on the passenger trains which would have been sometime before 1950 by which time he was married and had a daughter. I was told he also wrote "Working with the Heathen on the CPR" which I never heard, and "My Opal from Constantinople" which I doubt was true. He was an enthusiastic musician, playing in jazz bands with Lloyd and a number of friends. I'm pretty sure he and Lloyd wrote at least one musical for amateur performance, and I know that wherever we lived he'd muster everyone who could play an instrument and form a band which would play at community events. A good time was had by all.
Toby Hay
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