Rhythm Pals - Tennessee Birdwalk

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Tennessee Bird Walk	02:38
	2	Jean	03:05
	3	Gentle On My Mind	02:27
	4	Bitter Green	03:05
	5	Don't it Make You Wanna Go Home	02:32

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	But for Love	02:35
	2	The Mess I'm In	02:25
	3	New World in the Morning	02:25
	4	Over You	03:23
	5	Get Together	02:53

Photos

Videos

No Video

Information/Write-up

The Rhythm Pals stand as one of Canada’s longest-running and most beloved vocal groups, a trio whose blend of harmony, humor, and prairie showmanship carried them from postwar dancehalls to the bright lights of national television.

The group was formed in 1946 in New Westminster, British Columbia by three young musicians with already considerable road experience: Marc Wald (accordion, baritone vocals), born in Bismarck, North Dakota in 1922 and raised in Saskatchewan; Mike Ferbey (bass, tenor vocals), born in Saskatoon in 1926; and Jack Jensen (guitar, tenor vocals), born in Prince Rupert, B.C. in 1925. Wald and Ferbey had cut their teeth touring the prairies in the late 1930s with Leslie “Sleepy” Frost and Nels “Swede” Nelson as part of the Tumbleweeds, learning the craft of close-harmony western swing on the road. When Jensen joined in, the chemistry was instant. Patterning themselves after the Sons of the Pioneers, they emphasized tight three-part vocals, lilting acoustic rhythms, and Wald’s distinctive accordion lines—an unusual choice in country music that gave them a signature sound.

Their first major break came through Vancouver radio. A chance guest spot on CKNW’s “Bill Rae’s Roundup” drew such listener response that they were brought back as regulars. Before long they were also fixtures on CBC Vancouver’s “Burns Chuckwagon” and other regional broadcasts. By 1948, they had already stepped into the history books as one of the first Canadian singing groups to perform on U.S. television, a landmark achievement in the days when Canadian acts rarely crossed the border.

Through the early 1950s they toured widely across Western Canada, appearing with major stars like Wilf Carter and even spending a brief spell in Hollywood. In 1958 the trio relocated to Toronto, the country’s media hub, which launched them to true national fame. They starred in their own CBC radio program Swing Easy in 1959, then quickly became regular performers on The Tommy Hunter Show, remaining central to Hunter’s radio and television productions until the late 1970s. From 1963 to 1966 they hosted another CBC series, The Chuckwagon Show, while also touring abroad with Hunter’s concert parties in Europe and the Far East, carrying Canadian country music to audiences half a world away.

On record, The Rhythm Pals left a deep catalogue that charted the growth of Canadian country recording. Their first 78s were cut for Aragon in the early 1950s, including sessions with singer Juliette, followed by LPs on Arc, Decca, Banff, Arpeggio, CTL, Spindrift, and their own short-lived Pals label. Their recordings drew on a wide repertoire—cowboy standards, sentimental ballads, gospel hymns, and contemporary pop-country crossovers. Signature numbers included “Blue Shadows” (their radio and TV theme), the Canadian standard “Bluebird on Your Windowsill”, Bob Nolan classics like “Cool Water” and “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” and later favourites such as “Never Ending Song of Love” and “Lead Me Gently Home.” The 1976 double-album The Rhythm Pals 30th Anniversary (later reissued as The Best of the Rhythm Pals) compiled three decades of their repertoire for a new generation.

Recognition followed. The trio won Juno Awards for Best Country Group in 1965, 1967, and 1968, and in 1991 were inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. These honours reflected what audiences had long felt—that The Rhythm Pals were more than entertainers, they were cultural fixtures, a sound as familiar on Canadian airwaves as the voices of Tommy Hunter or Juliette.

Even as variety television faded, The Rhythm Pals endured. In the early 1980s they regrouped in British Columbia, performing concerts, fairs, and stampedes across the West. Marc Wald retired in 1987, but Mike Ferbey and Jack Jensen carried on into the 1990s, making the trio one of the longest continuously active vocal groups in Canadian popular music. Their final performances, captured on programs like CBC’s No. 1 West in 1991, revealed harmonies still as sweet and effortless as when they began.

The closing chapter was poignant. Mike Ferbey passed away in 2003, followed by Marc Wald (April 16, 2012) and Jack Jensen (August 31, 2012). Yet their music remains woven into the fabric of Canadian country culture. From barn dances to international tours, from the crackle of 78s to the glow of national television, The Rhythm Pals embodied the possibility that three voices and a few acoustic instruments could tell the story of a nation.
-Robert Williston

Hank Monis: 12-string acoustic guitar, lead guitar
Jim Pirie: 12-string acoustic guitar, lead guitar
Laurie Bower Singers: backing vocals
Marc Wald: baritone vocals
Gary Binsted: bass
Jack Jensen: lead vocals
Jimmy Coxson: piano
Ollie Strong: steel guitar
Mike Ferbey: tenor vocals

Arranged by Art Snider, Bert Niosi, and Jim Pirie
Produced by Johnny Burt
Executive Producer: Mal Thompson
Engineered by Peter Houston

Comments