DONNY GERRARD 1947 - 2022WAGRadio Vinyl Librarian Bill "Fats Is Back" Reiter shares this story from his very first meeting with a sixteen or fifteen year old Donny Gerrard.
We'd heard a rumour there was this kid who lived in Burnaby, B.C. (the municipality bordering the city of Vancouver) who had, as it was put to us, a 'really fabulous voice'. Our music-loving informant said that a small church with a very small hall and a really small stage on Albert Street in Burnaby was where this lad was performing next. That was enough for us. If I remember correctly, the 'us' was my music-reverent comrade Alan "The Boss" Foreman, maybe Jeffrey John Tucker and "Stank Drawers" Muir.
On this early evening in 1962 we trudged up the hill from our East Van abodes (no cars owned, as of yet) to the unknown place of worship. We stood together. Not in front of the really small stage - 'cuz we didn't want to look too conspiratorial. Yes, we were there on a melodious hunt, but all of us were five years older than the quarry and had to maintain our by-then-gained 'coolness'. Hey . . . we'd already been goin' down to The Eagles Auditorium in Seattle, WA by way of the Dog (Greyhound for younger readers) and this kid was no Hank Ballard, James Brown, Jackie Wilson or Little Junior Parker. I mean who was?
The original soothsayer, the guy who told us 'bout the small church, smaller hall and petite stage and the really fabulous-voiced kid proved to be correct. Even before the first number - a Marvin Gaye choon - ended, we were all staring at this young singing wonder . . . He was obviously everything we had been told he was. He was more. In our eyes, this unbelievably good-looking young man was a star who had a voice waiting to shine out to the world.
I took it upon myself (in my egotistical mind) to be the first to tell him how good someone of my star-judging calibre knew he was. But, I had to do it in my own brusque East End Vancouver way. I broke off from the group of pals I was with when I realized the kid was making his way down the very small (what else) set of enclosed steps to the right of the stage. I met him as his left foot hit the floor.
"Do you know what you're doing?" I accosted him - almost chest to chest. This was my thinking - with true East Van lack of aplomb as a first-meeting choice - attack him, get him thinking one way and then unload on him! "Wha?" he leaked out. I had him. "DO YOU KNOW HOW GOOD YOU ARE?", I said with a smile only my mother could have taught me. "Uh, well, uh . . . " The Young Gerrard limped out. "You have got a fabulous voice. I hope you truly realize how great a singer you are," I quietly offered. He got it then. "Oh, thank you, very much." I was a fan. Alan "The Boss" Foreman was a fan. So were J.J.T. and Bro' Stank Drawers. Donny soon became one of the guys in our group. He hung with us at the Hastings Community Park Tennis Courts and could always be counted on to give one of us (mainly me) a ride home from East End Parties in his car with 'Pride 'N' Joy' written on the driver and passenger side doors. Needless to say his favourite singer was Brother Marvin.
Others will write about Donny lead-singing the group Skylark and his most wonderful career singing back-up for Creedence Clearwater Revival, Elton John, Cher, Bruce Springsteen etc, etc plus the myriad TV and radio commercials his singing voice was heard in. The last years with Mavis Staples and her touring group were a joy for Donny.
I thought you'd like to hear about his pals' first meeting with him in a small church with a smaller hall and an even smaller stage.
Oh, and years after (1976) when Donny's first album was released on Greedy Records [G-1002] he gave me a copy and wrote something on the collar of the Lp cover photo. He remembered that night in 1962 in Burnaby, B.C. when this big guy accosted him. Seems my East Vancouver lack-of-aplomb-tactic worked.
