Gordon Robert Tapp CM OOnt (June 4, 1922 – December 18, 2016)[1] was a Canadian entertainer, best known as a radio and television presenter, comedian and a CBS broadcaster. He was introduced to U.S. President Gerald Ford as the world's funniest storyteller.[2]
Gordie Tapp | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gordon Robert Tapp |
| Also known as | "Gordie" |
| Born | June 4, 1922 London, Ontario |
| Origin | London, Ontario; Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts |
| Died | December 18, 2016 (aged 94) Burlington, Ontario |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupations | Presenter, broadcaster |
Career
editTapp studied at the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts. He was the host for Main Street Jamboree, a radio program broadcast from Hamilton during the 1950s. Tapp later emceed the CBC television show Country Hoedown as well as The Performers, a series of shows featuring 'up and coming' young Canadian talent, which was recorded in major Canadian cities including Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver.
He became a performer and writer for the CBS comedy-variety television show Hee Haw. Here he became an American TV star, becoming familiar as half of the stone-faced singing duo (with Archie Campbell) performing dozens of variations on "Pfft! You Were Gone" ("Where, Oh Where Are You Tonight?"). Tapp also played various recurring characters: hayseed Cousin Clem, pompous senator Samuel B. Sternwheeler, storekeeper Mr. Gordon, and Lavern Nagger, the forever put-upon husband of Ida Lee Nagger (Roni Stoneman).
Gordie Tapp was the special guest star on episode #54 of the popular weekly variety program The Bobby Vinton Show in October 1977. The program was produced in Toronto and aired across the United States and Canada. Gordie performed a duet of "That's Amore" with Vinton.
Tapp was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990.[1] He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1998 for his work in helping raise funds for organizations such as the Canadian Muscular Dystrophy campaign and Easter Seals.[3]
In 1999, he was awarded the Order of Ontario — the highest honour in the province of Ontario.
In his later life, Tapp was the commercial spokesperson for the Ultramatic adjustable bed.[4]
Tapp died in Burlington, Ontario on December 18, 2016, at the age of 94; no cause was given.[5]
Discography
editSingles
edit| Year | Single | CAN Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | "Nobody's Singing Them Cowboy Songs No More" | 10 |
| 1972 | "Many Others" | 44 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Gordie Tapp". CCMA Hall of Fame. Canadian County Music Association. Archived from the original on 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
- ^ Jones, Loyal (8 October 2008). Country Music Humorists and Comedians. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252033698. Retrieved 5 March 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Order of Canada". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
- ^ "Biography for Gordie Tapp". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
- ^ "Canadian entertainer Gordie Tapp passes away at 94". CBC News. December 18, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
External links
edit- Gordie Tapp at IMDb
- Gordie Tapp discography at Discogs
- Entries at 45cat.com
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