One more look at the Timmins roots of country music, marking the arrival of Country 93.1

We stay with country music for one more week of our regular Timmins history feature… as we celebrate the arrival of Country 93-1.

Museum director-curator Karen Bachmann has mentioned the Maple Leaf Hotel as the place that Stompin’ Tom got his big start.  She says a lot of Canadian acts did the same, and local acts got to play at “The Leaf”.

“Of course, we all know the Shania Twain story, because she played there as a young girl and sang in the bar almost every night whenever she could, and that sort of got her going and launched her career,” says Bachmann, adding that “The Leaf” wasn’t the only hotspot.

“The Windsor was very popular for country bands. JJ’s Ranch in Schumacher is an iconic place and still has a hand in with ‘In Sessions’, allowing people to do their own recording there. So country music was in the community (and) is here to stay, I guess, and I guess we’ve got the new station to keep us propelled on that journey.”

Our weekly history feature would not be possible without the work and cooperation of Karen Bachmann.