Appeared in the July 7, 2011 issue of the Interlake Spectator…
A dinner and concert was held at the Riverton Community Hall on Jul.2. to pay tribute to a local family band that had been making music together for generations.
The 500 tickets sold out in two days, leaving many disappointed. It was an event no one wanted to miss.
The original ‘Johnny and His Musical Mates’ orchestra was made up of six siblings from Riverton’s Johannesson family, and one friend, Harold Bjornson. Three of the original members, Kris and Laugi Johannesson and sister, Kristine Collins, now deceased, will never be forgotten by this close-knit community. The three remaining members, Harold Bjornson, and sisters, Dorothy Johnson and Sella Benedictson, now all in their 80s, were guests of honour. They performed later in the evening.
The Johannesson children learned their musical craft from their father and uncle beginning in the early 1930s in the family’s cabin in Riverton. The girls came on board in the 1940s, and the rest is history.
“They inspired musicality in the Interlake,” said Rod Palson, Master of Ceremonies for the evening. “They are a legend in these parts.”
The ‘Mates’ played all over the Interlake, starting in people’s homes in the first decade of their career. They became a staple at town halls and pavilions for several decades after. They played at community halls in Geysir, Vidir, Arborg, Hnausa, Riverton, Ledwyn, Gimli, Hecla, and at Crabby Steve’s near Malonton. They once made it as far as Bisset, where they had travelled by airplane.
“First came the ‘Mates’, then came the dance hall, and then came the Mounties,” said Palson. Back in the day, halls did not serve liquor, “yet somehow everyone got tipsy,” Palson said.
The band now has numerous albums to their credit, including a reunion album, recorded in the 1980s. Their musical style is still cherished today.
“They’re more than an orchestra, more than a name. It’s a brand,” said Palson.
‘Johnny and His Musical Mates’ made famous the tunes composed by Icelandic poets who settled near Riverton. Among them, “The Gimli Waltz” and “The Riverton Waltz”, which were readily recognized by the crowd, and elicited vigorous applause.
Many people played throughout the evening. Some of them were third and fourth generation family members. Some were friends.
Youngsters Trevor Sigvaldson, Brady Collins (grandson of Kristine), Erik Goodman (Grandson of Sella), and Caitlin Armstrong (granddaughter of Johnny), all played the violin. Armstrong opened the musical part of the show with the “Teardrop Waltz”, followed by “Whiskey Before Breakfast”.
A number of special guests took the stage as well. They played a line-up of typical ‘Mate’ tunes that included “Silver and Gold”, “South of the Border”, “Over the Waves” and “Kristine’s Reel”, bringing a flood of memories to the surface.
Sig Martin, originally from Hnausa played violin. He is a classically trained musician who now plays with Orchestra London. He put in an impressive performance of “The Hnausa Waltz”, his own composition; Dick Johnson, son of Dorothy, took over the keyboard for much of the night.
Other guests included Donald Benedictson, son of Sella; Wes Wilson, friend, originally from nearby Magnusville, who now works with the CBC; Gord Stefanson, friend, from Gimli, on electric guitar; Jene Bodykevich, friend, from Winnipeg, on drums; Roy Gudmundson, friend, from Riverton, on guitar and vocals; and Lorne Martin, friend, from Arnes, on guitar and mandolin. Denis Olson, recording star, and former television host, originally from Riverton, came all the way from Victoria to sing a tribute song which he had written, called “The Mate Song”.
After all the others finished performances, the three surviving members came up on stage for a career finale. As in the old days, Harold picked up his violin, and Dorothy played piano, while Sella took her place at the drums.
They started with a tune called, “Prairie Winter Blues”, which they opened with at every single concert and dance over the course of decades. Their second number was “God Save the Queen”. They played one stanza of the anthem, as they had done before at every show. That was a part of their signature style. Everyone in the audience would stand at attention, a scene repeated at the tribute concert. In the old days, after each tune, Johnny would say, “That’s all”, to mark the end of each song. Many in the crowd remember it well.
Lloyd Roche, a technology expert, put together a video of old pictures and video clips of the band, dance halls, and moments in their lives. It was played after all the performances were done. It was set to words and music written collaboratively by Palson and Johnson. There was not a dry eye in the house, as memories were brought to the surface.
The rest of the evening was spent on the dance floor. The music was, of course, the familiar old time dance tunes once performed by ‘Johnny and His Musical Mates,’ tunes which will never be forgotten in Riverton.
“THE MUSICAL MATES
PLAYED A SWEET SERENADE
THAT FILLED MANY A COUNTRY HALL
NOW THAT THEY’RE DONE
THEY LOOK BACK ON THAT RUN
KNOWING JOHNNY WOULD SIMPLY SAY
“THAT’S ALL”.
(words by Rod Palson, set to the music of Dick Johnson.)
