2006

KERAY REGAN

The title of this story may not en­tirely fit the whole life and career of Canadian country singer. Keray Regan, hut it docs describe the down to earth qualities of the man himself-from his records collected by loyal fans and heard over radio. to guest spots on TV as far away as Cali­fornia, and many personal appearances in the "North Coun­try" and throughout Canada. Now living just outside Dawson Creek, BC. on land that is next to the original family homestead. Keray recently erected a sign at the entrance" The Golden Record Ranch" to honor his own achievement of two Gold Records. "My Home By The Fraser" and "Poor Poor' Farmer." Keray figured he would never live to receive his Gold Record awards. since the record companies for which he recorded these songs (Aragon and Rodeo Band) are no longer active in producing country mu­sic. But life does hold occa­sional pleasant surprises. Born Oscar Melvin Frederickson, on November 23. 1923. in Pouce Coupe. BC, the fifth child of Oscar and Luella Frederickson, when Keray got into the music business. he took -the name "Keray Regan." Keray's father was born in S weden with the last name of Grondquist His father was named Frederick. and since he was Frederick's son. he took the name Frederickson in place of Grondquist. At the age of 14. Keray's father got a job on a ship bound for New York. There. he jumped ship and stayed for awhile with his cousin, who was none other than Transatlantic Solo Flight hero. Charles Lindbergh. Keray had two sisters (Veta and Evelyn. and a brother. Fred. who were born in the U.S. before the family moved to the Peace River Country in northwestern Alberta. Canada in 1919. and to nearby Dawson Creek, BC, in 1920. Five additional children were born after the move to Canada­Emil. Keray. Janice, Fern, and Bob. Keray's mother had always sung. hut played no musical instrument. His father played accordion. fiddle. ukulele and guitar as well as singing and yodel­ing. Keray considered his father and brother. Fred. to he much better singers than himself, although they never sang professionally. When he was II. Keray was stricken with osteomyelitis in his .left leg and spent eleven months in the hospital. While recovering. he learned to play and sing with the ukulele. He would take up the guitar later. By 1939 the family had moved to Vancouver. BC, and Keray worked on the fishing boats. In his spare time he played the accor­dion, or sang with the guitar and wrote songs, but never did anything serious with it. Once. while visiting his brother Fred. Keray made a home recording of two songs he had written, "Cobwebs On Your Picture" and "My Home By The Fraser." The idea for the latter came to him in 1946 while he was living in a log cabin near Lillooet, alongside the Fraser River. Ahout this same time. Keray contracted pneumo­nia, and the following lung trouble was diagnosed as bronchitis. In 1947 while he was still in the hospital. his sister. Veta. took his home recording of "My Home By The Fraser" to Bill Ray at Radio CKNW in New Westminster. BC, who played it on the air after telling the people how the young man who wrote it was afflicted with a rare lung disease. Keray. from his hospital bed. heard the song being played. but thought little of it until Bill Ray showed up with two shopping hags full of letters and cards from listeners, prais­ing Keray' s song. Keray thought maybe they were just feeling sorry for him, hut Bill Ray said. "No. they really like it.  and (like it. and it is 'No. I' on the local hit parade. here." The little home re­cording stayed at the top of the local chart for 13 weeks. as frustrated buyers couldn't understand why no record stores in the Vancouver area were selling it! About this time. Aragon Records (owned by Al Reusch and associates Reo Thompson and Pete and Rea Peverly) was just getting started on the West Coast 'of Canada. Their first three releases. were highland dance record­ings by piper. William Barrie. Number Four was Keray Regan's "My Home By The Fraser (The studio session was paid for by Keray's sister. Veta.) The original recording sold well. but when AI Reusch had Keray rerecord the song, with professional musicians. in the early 50' s. sales became phenomenal. Mean­while, Keray had recorded songs like Earl Heywood's "Those Beautiful Big Brown Eyes," and "Picking Flowers" written by Elizabeth Clarke. the Vancouver nurse who wrote Wilf Carter's smash hit "There's A Bluebird On Your Windowsill.:' Yodeling Slim Clark would later record "My Home By The Fraser" on the Wheeling label. in the U.S. During this time. Keray met Lucille Starr (nee Savoie) who was 15 years old. and singing in a church in Mallardville. Be. He introduced her to his brother. Bob. and the rest is part of Canadian country music history. Besides being married later, Bob and Lucille formed a duo known as "The Canadian Sweethearts." and turned out hit songs one after another, including "The French Song." and "Freight Train." Another Aragon artist. Vic Siebert. teamed up with Keray for a vocal duet of "The Little White House On The Hill" (Vic's own song). and "My Dream And I" (written by Norm Pringle). Keray toured with Vic and his Sons of the Saddle for two years. While performing in Medicine Hat. AB. a young fiddler asked if he could come up on stage and playa tune. It was AI Cherny. who would later be known for his long association with the nation­ally televised "Tommy Hunter Show." (AI Cherny died in 1989.) Keray has fond memories of being a guest on the "Town Hall Party" show in Hollywood. CA. during the   1950's with host, Tex Ritter. Steady traveling would take its toll on Keray and he'd return to farming in an effort to build up his health again. In the Fall of 1960. while running the com­bine in an attempt to get his flax crop in, the cOfJ1bine started choking. Keray thought, "I'm a poor, poor farmer. What am I gonna do?" The combine kept going and Keray was able to finish his harvest just in time. The next morning the ground was covered with snow! Keray completed his song, "Poor Poor Farmer" in December 19'60 on a plane bound for Montreal. There in the RCA studios. with the Hachey Brothers and Paul Menard. the song was recorded. and released by Rodeo Records on their Banff label. It was not long until the song reached Number One on the Canadian charts. Stompin' Tom Connors (CMTLT7/8-93) recorded it and sang it on an oversea tour. where Ireland's Tim Pat heard it, liked it, and recorded it. It became the biggest seller they had ever had in Ireland at that time. At last report. 32 different artists had recorded the song in 32 different countries. "Poor Poor Farmer" has become the most suc­cessful song Keray Regan ever wrote, . . In the early 70's. Keray along with Evan Kemp and the Trail Riders, would record an album on the Sixth A venue label in Vancouver. It is titled. The Pop­lar That!; 'and contains both "Poor Poor Farmer" and" My Home By The Fraser." During the 1980's, failing health and personal ;personalities (he lost two broth­ers and a sister to) cancer) caused Keray Regan to curtail his musical career. The year 1992 marked the 50th Anniversary of the building of the Alaska Highway hwy the U.S. Army in 1942. Since the highway's "Mile Zero" begins near his home in Dawson Creek, Keray perse­vered and finished a cassette tape titled Alaska Highway. The title song begins with a truck horn blowing in honor of all the truckers who use the highway. Also included are AI Oster's song, "Irena Cheyenne," the old standard "Letter Edged In Black," his brother Bob's song, "Peace River Home," and four addi­tional songs by Keray: "The Old School­house Waltz,.... The Oil patch,..... The Doe River Rodeo," and "Pouce Coupe Polka." Many tourists, traveling the highway on its 50th Anniversary, have bought the tape to take home for family and friends to listen to. In spite of ill health. Keray gets out whenever possible to perform the songs from his new cassette at local venues.