bamford

The stage of the Sanderson Centre was cluttered with instruments and band equipment as everyone got set up for tonight’s performance. Jason and Dean had a chance to go Behind the Scene and chat with Gord Bamford before his Brantford show.

Gord has made it through Ontario on many occasions, and has stopped in many places along the way. Gord remembered having been here years ago when he was first getting started, and commented that “it’s kinda cool to be here.” As a young kid growing up in Alberta, he was a huge Oilers fan, and he was excited to be back in the hometown of the Great One. Unfortunately, Gord and his team doesn’t get a lot of time to stay much of the many cities he visits; otherwise he might have gone to see the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre and the Sports Hall of Fame.

After chatting about our grand city, I mentioned that we had quite a few local musicians in the area. So I asked him to share some memories and inspirations about how he got involved with music. When he first started out it was just for fun. He told me about when he was a kid, singing in school and other music festivals. “To be honest with you, I never thought I would be sitting here chatting with you, never thought I would get this far.”

“When you get the opportunity to get out there, you have to make it happen. You only get one chance. Anyone who wants to pursue their goals and dreams, whether it be music or anything else in life, the most important thing is if you really think you can get there. You probably can. You just gotta work hard.”

Next, I asked him about his favourite songs. He likes the songs for and about his children: “Little Guy,” “My Father’s Daughter,” and a new one called “Apple.” Otherwise, he said he was a huge Merle Haggard fan and enjoys his song “That’s the Way Love Goes.”

Finally, I wanted to know a bit more about his Foundation and how he helps out communities across Canada. Having started the foundation nine years ago, they have been able to raise over 2.5 million dollars. “Giving back to the communities is a great thing. We’ve done lots of work with Ronald McDonald Houses and children’s hospitals. A lot of what we support is things I have a personal experience with such as, Big Brothers Big Sisters or children’s related charities.

It was great to get to know more about Gord and how community minded he his. Stay tuned as we post more photos from the concert tonight.

Submitted by: Jason Freeze
Photography by: Dean Ellis
To see more of his work, please visit:https://www.facebook.com/DellisartPhotographix/