Hank Fisher, (born 1954) more commonly known as Washboard Hank is a Canadian musician,[1] songwriter[2][3][4] and stage performer. He was born in Peterborough, Ontario in 1954. He plays a number of instruments, including banjo,[5] guitar[6] and percussion. He is known for his unusual performances with self-created instruments.[7] In 2016 he performed with his band, the Wringers.
| Washboard Hank | |
|---|---|
 Washboard Hank on stage at the Peterborough Folk Festival, August 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Hank Fisher |
| Born | 1954 (age 69–70) Peterborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Folk, Country |
| Instrument(s) | Washboard, Guitar, Vocals |
Fisher is a regular performer at children's events, including the Peterborough Folk Festival. He creates and plays improvised instruments,[8][9] including his "signature" washboard.[10] and kitchen sink tuba. He sings humorous traditional tunes such as "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More"[11] as well as his own compositions.
Career
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In the 1980s, Fisher performed with Reverend Ken (Ramsden) and the Lost Followers; after Ramsden left, the group became Washboard Hank and the Honkers. In 1989 Fisher began co-hosting a show, "The Country Cousins" on Peterborough's Trent Radio. The show was aired for more than 20 years.[12]
In the 1990s, he performed for four years as a percussionist with Fred Eaglesmith and the Flying Squirrels,[13][10][7] recording on his album 50-Odd Dollars.[14]
In 2001, Fisher provided the music for an agitprop play, Where's the Care?, created by the group Ground Zero to protest cutbacks in healthcare services in Ontario.[15] He also performed a lead role in the independent short film, Rigoletto... in Bluegrass in 2006.
He has toured with the Country Squires,[16] and he also fronted his own band, the Gravestone Lickers.[10]
Fisher performed on an Adventure Canada cruise ship to Greenland.[17] He also played locally with Catfish Willie and the Buckle Busters.[18]
In 2012, Fisher performed at the Alianait Arts Festival in Iqaluit, Nunavut.[19]
Discography
editReferences
edit- ^ Myrna Margulies Breitbart (13 May 2016). Creative Economies in Post-Industrial Cities: Manufacturing a (Different) Scene. Routledge. pp. 114–. ISBN 978-1-317-15832-5.
- ^ Bulletin de Musique Folklorique Canadienne. Canadian Folk Music Society = Société canadienne de musique folklorique. 1999. p. 21.
- ^ "Washboard Hank gets warm welcome". Belleville News, Oct 23, 2014. By Richard Turtle
- ^ "Local musicians in HNIC Song Quest top 100". Petrborough Examiner, December 7, 2013
- ^ "Family's New Year's Day Levee tradition kept alive". Jessica Nyznik, The Peterborough Examiner. January 1, 2016
- ^ "Tunes from the porch as Artsweek continues with Porchapalooza". By Clifford Skarstedt, Peterborough Examiner, September 24, 2015
- ^ a b "Fred Eaglesmith Continental Club, October 9". Austin Chronicle, reviewed by Jerry Renshaw, Oct. 22, 1999
- ^ "Washboard Hank: good messages inside goofy songs". Nunatsiaq, July 02, 2012. DAVID MURPHY.
- ^ " Washboard Hank visits local school". Peterborough This Week. Dec 21, 2007
- ^ a b c "Sheldon Jaaskelainen gives worst performance of his life". Soo Today, Jul 17, 2009. Donna Hopper
- ^ "Playlist: Keri Latimer's Mother's Day song picks offer a soundtrack for family fun". CBC Manitoba, by Keri Latimer May 10, 2013
- ^ "Trent Radio Historian Knows More Than Just History". The Arthur, Anthony P. Gulston, January 21, 2013
- ^ No Depression. No Depression. 2001. p. 121.
- ^ CMJ Network, Inc. (July 1999). CMJ New Music Monthly. CMJ Network, Inc. pp. 47–. ISSN 1074-6978.
- ^ Susan C. Haedicke; Tobin Nellhaus (2001). Performing Democracy: International Perspectives on Urban Community-based Performance. University of Michigan Press. pp. 98–. ISBN 0-472-06760-5.
- ^ "Washboard Hank cleans up at Towne House". Northern Life Sudbury, Jun 21, 2012
- ^ "Travel: Greenland cruise like no other". The Sunday Herald,
- ^ "Catfish Willie entertained at Legion Valentine party". Lakefield Herald, by Anita Locke
- ^ "Canada Day hits a high note for area musicians". Nanton News, Sheena Read. July 18, 2012
- ^ "Fred Eaglesmith - 50-Odd Dollars". No Depression, June 30, 1999
- ^ "!earshot charts -top 200". !earshot, April 2003
- ^ "Latest batch of Rob’s root albums review for Nightlife". Guelph Mercury, Dec 04, 2014 | By Robert Reid
- ^ "Canadian Spaces". CKCU Radio, August 6th, 2016 with Chris White