Gordie Tapp
Birth nameGordon Robert Tapp
Also known as"Gordie"
Born(1922-06-04)June 4, 1922
London, Ontario
OriginLondon, Ontario; Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts
Died December 18, 2016(2016-12-18) (aged 94)
Burlington, Ontario
GenresCountry
OccupationsPresenter, broadcaster

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]

Career

Tapp 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

Singles

Year Single CAN Country
1971 "Nobody's Singing Them Cowboy Songs No More" 10
1972 "Many Others" 44

References

  1. 1 2 "Gordie Tapp". CCMA Hall of Fame. Canadian County Music Association. Archived from the original on 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
  2. ↑ Jones, Loyal (8 October 2008). Country Music Humorists and Comedians. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252033698. Retrieved 5 March 2023 – via Google Books.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "Biography for Gordie Tapp". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
  5. ↑ "Canadian entertainer Gordie Tapp passes away at 94". CBC News. December 18, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.