WHERE ARE THEY NOW? #19 ~ BEN CRANE

 

If you have been in pretty much any truck stop in North America and many greeting card stores you will have seen the work of this man! Up next in my series, "Where Are They Now" is artist, sculptor, songwriter, musician and singer Ben Crane.

I have known Ben since we were kids and the talent coming out of every pore in this guy is just incredible! Ben faced a serious challenge right out of the womb as he was born what we now term, "a thalidomide baby". Thalidomide was a drug given to expectant mothers to combat morning sickness but was soon found to have devastating results on their offspring. Ben's challenge was his left hand.

If you ever see Ben play; bass, guitar, keyboards, mandolin, accordion and pretty much anything he sets his mind to you will see and hear how Ben has overcome many of the obstacles that were set in front of him.

Ben told me some years ago that he and I had worked on about 40 projects together in some form or another. It was an honour to work with Ben and I don't think in 20 plus years we even had a cross word or argument! Not that we never disagreed, but it was done in a civil fashion.

After graduating from PHS, Ben served on staff at Prairie College as an illustrator and graphic designer. When my Dad retired Ben presented him with a beautiful drawing of the head of a horse which now hangs in Dad's house in Memphis and is one of Dad's prized possessions.

For the last many years Ben has been one of the lead cartoonists for Leanin' Tree greeting cards and more recently has been the illustrator for the Jeff Foxworthy line of, "You Might Be A Redneck" cards.

Ben's diverse talents are too many to enumerate here but I encourage you to check out his website and make sure you take in his upcoming concert in Three Hills. I guarantee you will be entertained!

I should mention one other thing and that is if you are ever in Sylvan Lake, please check out Ben's bronze sculpture of a mermaid, her baby and rainbow trout. It is wonderful!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? #18 ~ RAYLENE SCARROTT

The next artist in my, "Where Are They Now" series is PHS alum, singer, Raylene Scarrott.

A number of years ago (20 plus!) Catherine Kirk Rendall and I sang in a small choir that was assembled by Steve and Jo Carter. We had a great time and Raylene soloed several times with our choir and she is a wonderful singer.

Raylene lives in Calgary with her husband, Kevin (also a PHS alum) and her family.

I will post two songs in the comments below. The first one is a duet she did with Jody McBrayer of Avalon and the second one is the first single that was released to radio. Enjoy! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuxO4hahIIw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmrwY77jKno

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? #17 ~ MATT BROUWER

Show of hands if you have ever been to Truro, Nova Scotia! Several years ago, Catherine Kirk Rendall and I had the pleasure of travelling to Truro and meeting the lady who gave birth to this next talented artist in my, "Where Are They Now" series.

Matt Brouwer came to school at Prairie College from his hometown in NS and it wasn't long until this singer, songwriter and guitar player had formed a band (MNW) and was playing weekly in the school chapel and auditorium. One thing led to another and after recording 2 albums with MNW, Matt signed to Reunion Records in Nashville, TN and his first solo project, Immagerical was released.

With more than 19 years of hit songs, including “Water,” “I Shall Believe,” “Tonight,” and the Top 20 "Sometimes”; two GMA Canada Covenant Awards; two Canadian people’s choice Vibe Awards, he currently lives in The Woodlands, TX with his wife and family. Matt also won a 2010 Juno Award (Canada’s Grammy equivalent) for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the year, Matt has a lot to celebrate in all that has been accomplished so far over the course of his career.

Brouwer's music has been hailed for its relentless vulnerability as he shares his life's story of tragedy (the tragic death of his father) and hope (his Spiritual pilgrimage) with his listeners.

With the passage of time inevitably comes change and it is in looking back that Matt is starting to see a new and exciting road ahead.

I will post a link below to a song that we recorded in my little studio in Three Hills with the uber talent, Eldon Winter. Listen for Jill Paquette DeZwaan performing the female vocal parts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnIje-dEsy0

Matt's website:

https://www.mattbrouwer.com

GROWING UP A PRAIRIE STAFF KID . . . SOME THOUGHTS . . .

Here is an excerpt from a letter I wrote to another staff kid some years ago: 

Among other topics I had mentioned a couple of things to him:

One was that 4 or 5 common reasons that I felt the majority of people arrived at Prairie.

 1. People who genuinely came with servant hearts and were at PBI for very pure reasons. 

These folks were willing to do whatever they were called on to do to the best of their ability.

 2. People that were there that were completely incompetent and couldn't get a job in the real world and found a place at Prairie.

 3. People that were very qualified and came with a purpose and a mission and brought a lot of skills, education, etc, to the table.

 4. People who were hiding, running or had escaped from some situation - work, church, home, etc. As you know, in those days HR didn't do a lot of due diligence on most people. PBI ended up with a percentage of abusers, crooks, etc. because of this. (Doug Kirk had many stories of how people just used to show up ~ worldly belongings and kids in tow ~ many times not haven given any notice in advance of their arrival.)

 5. People that used PBI as a stepping stone to a career. PBI paid for their education upgrades, etc., fed their kids, housed them, and then they moved on to greener pastures.

 On another topic, I think we as PBI staff kids had some distinct advantages or gained some skills growing up at PBI. 

( I am sure we can make a negative list as well! )

 1. Being exposed to and able to interact in a large community, we learned a lot about communication skills. Both verbal and written with a cross section of adults and students.

 2. We were exposed to a vast array of people and skills, trades, etc. Being able as kids to hang out at the machine shop, farm, carpenter shop, electric shop, etc. etc., gave us a broad view of how a lot of those things functioned.

 3. Not having much in the way of material possessions, and no TV,  a lot of us became avid readers and learned to be self driven when it came to creative skills.

 4. Being exposed to a wide range of cultures, both foreign as well as people from all over North America, we learned to relate and interact with a variety of people.

 5. For some of us having missionaries, preachers, etc. through our homes gave us a much broader world view than an equivalent kid say brought up in Acme.

 6. Many kids learned a trade, starting very young, sometimes as young as Junior High that have served them well.

Many staff kids have gone on to be over achievers driven by a variety of reasons I am sure, but I believe whether recognized or not, a lot of the skills that we have used in our lives were developed and fostered at PBI. There are others, but these are what come to mind immediately.


 Thoughts?


 SjR

APRIL FOOLS

 

Some may wonder why I post this year after year on this day? The short answer is that it serves to remind me, (and hopefully you) that stuff is just stuff. We get attached to our, "stuff" but at the end of the day it is just that. I know this pales in comparison to what a lot of people are going through at this time . . .

It is hard to believe that 32 years ago today ~ April 1st, 1990 at around 8:00 in the morning I received a call which would radically change the trajectory of us and our young family forever. Unfortunately it was not an April Fool's joke.

The recording studio space that we were renting had been broken into and almost all of our equipment had been stolen. Some good did come out of it and a lot of bad. Many of you know the story. Someday I hope to be able to write it up and truth be told, the story would make for a pretty interesting movie!

As I was reflecting on this whole saga again last night, I realized again how determined and resilient the human spirit can be. Never once did I consider quitting or giving up. (maybe I should have! ) Seriously, I felt that this career of music, recording and production was something I was meant to do and I would find a way to pick up the pieces and carry on.

In some ways it seems like a lifetime ago and in other ways it seems like yesterday. Thank you to our friends and family who stood by us at that very difficult time.

I want to give a specific shout out to my late Uncle Sam Norbo (RIP) who, while visiting later that month from Ontario, slipped some cash into my pocket which he said he wanted us to have due to what had just happened. On a pastors salary this was something I am sure he could not afford, but it helped us buy groceries that month and spoke to his generous heart. Shortly before he passed I was able to thank him again for his help at that time. ~ SjR

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? #16 ~ RON HOMENUKE

In the mid 1970's when my friends and I would venture into the big city of Calgary to watch the Calgary Centennials of the Western Hockey League play, little did I know that one of the players would later attend Prairie College.

One of our favourite lines was made up of; Danny Gare, Mike Rogers and Ron Homenuke. The games were always exciting and the whole atmosphere was intoxicating to us young hockey players with visions of grandeur dancing in our heads.

Drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, Ron only played one game where he sustained an injury that sent him back down to the Seattle Totems, Vancouver's farm team.

Ron Homenuke's story is much too long to relate here, but suffice it to say that for those who would like to learn more there is plenty to be found on the inter webs and there are at least 2 published books that I know of that relate Ron's story.

While participating in a field trip for Selkirk College's Wildland Recreation class, Ron suffered serious injuries when he fell 1500 to 2000 feet down the Kokanee Glacier. He spent several months recovering, including three weeks in a coma. He was temporarily paralyzed and wheelchair bound. He suffered brain injuries affecting his memory. But he survived, and thanks to the doctors at the G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Center in Vancouver, eventually would recover fully.

After attending Prairie College, in 1985 he found his life's calling as a missionary for AIM. He has spent considerable time in the Philippines working with street children, as well as working with churches across Canada.

Books:

On the Edge - The Autobiography of Ron Homenuke

From Rogue To Riches - The Amazing Life Of Ron Homenuke

CHRISTMAS MUSIC NIGHT

Every year, the college that my Dad was on staff at would put on a major production we called: Christmas Music Night. People would travel from near and far to pack out the auditorium which back in the day sat 4500. A 180 voice choir, 60 piece orchestra and various smaller groups, soloists and instrumentalists made up this large production. Every 4th year the entire entourage would travel to Calgary and Edmonton, first by train and later by busses to perform the exact same program in the beautiful Jubilee Auditoriums which sat 2500 people a piece and were often sold out as well.

While I may not have fully appreciated what I experienced at the time I have realized that these experiences played a role in my overall musical appreciation. While the music was very conservative, there was a high standard of quality when it came to the performances. Pitch, tempo, diction, blend and host of other factors which make for an enjoyable musical experience bacame important factors for me later in life.

I want to recommend 3 different videos for you to be able to experience your own, "Music Night" this Christmas season. Pour yourself a steaming cup of hot chocolate, (with marshmallows of course) and enjoy these artists and performances alone or with a group of family or friends. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed!

The first one is by Yo Yo Ma and his very musically diverse friends. Everything from classical, folk and celtic make this a fantastic holiday experience. This one you may need to do a search for each song as I couldn't find a play list for the entire thing. This should start you off . . .

Yo Yo Ma And Friends ~ Songs Of Joy and Peace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxDZjg_Igoc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxDZjg_Igoc

The second one is from Sting. Set in the stunning Durham Cathedral in England the performance are stellar and the lighting is spectacular.

Sting: A Winter's Night . . . Live from Durham Cathedral

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl1FnmSGj1Q

The third one is from Andrea Bocelli and David Foster along with a host of friends. Again, the sound and performances are A-1 and there is something there for every taste.

Andrea Bocelli ~ My Christmas ~ Live From The Kodak Theatre, USA / 2009

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz2HYs59m2g&list=PLW5iZBBR47Dj-0wjxVOCecE3uHU0sH2dQ

You may need to do some searching to find these but it is well worth the effort!