The family of Newfoundland music icon Harry Hibbs carries on with a long-standing campaign to see ‘Uncle’ Harry inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame

 

There are few Newfoundland music icons quite like Harry Hibbs. The Bell Island native, who became a household name through his massive record sales and sold out engagements up-along at the Caribou Club and venues across Ontario, is seen as one of the pillars of our island sound. He’s loved and admired in our hearts and minds here at home, but hasn’t quite gotten his just due on a national or international stage. Well, the family of Harry Hibbs hopes to remedy that. 

Spearheaded by his nephew Jay Tucker as far back as 2008 and revived by brother William Tucker and Harry’s brother and longtime manager Marty Hibbs, the Facebook group ‘Harry Hibbs Needs A Star on Canada’s Walk of Fame’ was designed to see their late, great family-member posthumously recognized with one of the nation’s greatest distinctions. 

‘ALWAYS IN OUR LIFE’

“If I think about my childhood, Uncle Harry and that kind of lifestyle was always in our life,” Jay Tucker tells The Herald. “I remember many times as a child sitting on the edge of the stage and watching him and just being in awe. It was incredible just seeing that. I remember stories of riots because when he’d finished his set and walk off stage, they’d want an encore and they’d start throwing beer bottles at the stage going mad, because they wanted him back up on stage. It was quite a time for being a young child.”

In the relative fledgling stages of social media, Tucker launched a similar page to gain traction with the idea of having Uncle Harry recognized on Canada’s Walk of Fame. Through grassroots means, the group attracted over 14,000 followers, but sadly lost everything when Facebook migrated the members. How or why? Who knows. 

It would take nearly a decade to get things back on track, but now the group has gained traction once again, attracting over 7,000 members in a number of months. 

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While the group is a hotbed to share thoughts, insights and memories about Harry Hibbs’ music and memories, members are also encouraged to vote early and often and submit Hibbs for a place on Canada’s Walk of Fame’s Legend category, a relatively new initiative that sees deserving candidates posthumously honoured.

“What they need to nominate for is called the Legend Award and it’s for deceased artists in Canada,” Tucker shared. “And I think that was another reason they were saying to my Uncle Marty why they never really looked at him before because he didn’t fall into a category. The legend category is new in the Walk of Fame.”

A SOMBRE ANNIVERSARY

2020 of all years would certainly be prophetic to have Hibbs receive his rightful call to the Walk of Fame. The dawn of the decade marks the 30th anniversary of his untimely death, as well as the opening of a new Harry Hibbs exhibit in Bell Island this summer. 

“It seems like everything is coming to fruition and it’s coming full circle,” Tucker says proudly. It looks very promising. Uncle Marty has called the Walk of Fame and they say we actually know who he is now because there is a bit of noise he’s being created by. Everyone still needs to get on top of this and push to try and get it for him.”

For the family of Hibbs, the induction would serve as redemption for years of their famed Uncle’s relative obscurity on a national stage. 

But the limelight for the family, much like for the man himself, hasn’t been easily embraced.

“It’s weird saying it because Uncle Harry was always just our uncle. And this is why we never really pushed because we weren’t brought up that way, and neither was he,” Tucker admits. “He was such a quiet man. And I mean, he didn’t like the limelight at all. He was treasured to us. We looked at Uncle Harry as the guy who played the accordion, get the family together and sing and we’d have a little party, stuff like that. We never looked at him as a big TV star who did all these accomplishments in the music industry. As much as we knew we really didn’t care because he was just our Uncle. We never really boasted or we’re not that way.”

Reflecting on the accomplishments of a man who is today regarded as a trailblazer in his genre, it’s hard to ignore the pedigree and merit for Hibbs for any and all potential inductions, regardless of how late they may be. 

“Back then a 500,000 album seller was unheard of. Of course, that’s like four times platinum in today’s standards. Back then in the late 60s, early 70s, he sold more albums himself, a little guy from Bell Island in Newfoundland, sold more albums himself than the entire Canadian music industry combined. That’s unheard of.  And for him to not be noticed…”

VINDICATION FOR HARRY

And while an induction would be vindicating for the family in Harry’s memory, just the thought that so many have taken it upon themselves to see the good name and memory of the man remember, whose music has impacted generations, is a win in and of itself.

“Just hearing people talk about Uncle Harry, it’s been humbling, and it’s beautiful to hear all the stories on this group,” Tucker says. “People are saying they’re taking an interest back in the accordion again, or playing the accordion after joining this group. People are talking about old times and how it used to be, people are sharing pictures of Uncle Harry and his tours. It’s a feel-good group. 

“It would mean the world,” he adds reflectively. “He went through so much in the short career that he had. He literally hardly made any money because the music industry was so lethal back then. There was no money to be made back then. He just loved doing it. Out of all the work that he did and all the touring and just doing it for the people and playing the music and love and loving each other, that’s just the way he was. He was such a lovable person that he loved to do it for the fact of doing it. It would be nice to give him that recognition and get an east coaster on the Walk of Fame.”

 

For more information visit Harry Hibbs Needs A Star on Canada’s Walk of Fame on Facebook or to nominate Hibbs directly visit canadaswalkoffame.com 

2 thoughts on “Honouring Harry Hibbs

  1. March 24, 2020
    Reply

    I can’t believe a top notch artist like Harry hasn’t been inducted into Canada’s walk of fame.A TERRIBLE fate for such a pioneer in accordion music.I still go on my computer & watch/listen to his program from Toronto.Quite often with tears in my eyes!

  2. October 10, 2021
    Reply

    I knew Harry Hibbs in the late 60s when the show “Caribou Club” was being recorded at CHCH TV in Hamilton Ontario. My husband was a cameraman and we lived across the street. Ours was a good sized apartment, so after recording the show, Harry and the band would often come to our apartment for dinner. Once we ran out of bread and at 2 in the morning, we drove around Hamilton looking for a convenience store. Nothing was open. We finally found an open restaurant and asked them to sell us a loaf of bread. They refused. Harry climbed onto one of the tables and threatened to sing if they didn’t sell us a loaf….so they did. I guess they didn’t know who he was! Harry was a sweetheart. He was kind and funny and modest and so talented. I play the button accordion – because of Harry. He bought me my first accordion and encouraged me to play. I learned by listening to his records and eventually could play many of his pieces – badly! He is one of the few people who could sing and play the button accordion at the same time. Because you unconsciously breathe with the in and out of the bellows, singing is almost impossible! I cried when he died – far too soon. What a wonderful man he was. I wish I had been able to see him one last time. Thanks for making this site. I have recently started to play again and was happy to be able to read more about him. Some day, I’ll go to Cape Breton and say goodbye in my own way.

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