The measure of a man often far exceeds the words with which we recall his memory. Even in the tales we tell of his gambles and his deeds, it is the legacy of hope and compassion, lovingly nurtured through a life lived with dedication, that far outshines any paltry attempt made to reduce a life well lived, into a sentence or two.
Bob Gray was often humble to a fault and yet he shimmered with a kind of golden, unmistakable light, whether you met him on the street or heard him sing his plaintive “high and lonesome songs”. From the moment he learned to play guitar, later in life than most, he devoted a good portion of his free time to writing songs for his dearly beloved wife June, or his children, or in the tradition of his esteemed old country ballads from his youth. Indeed, hearing Bob sing often harkened back to earlier days when radio static scratched ever so softly over the American frequencies carrying those mysterious odes to everyday hardships and heartbreak. Country music of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s spoke straight to the heart of the matter, in a plain, simple, magical language. Gray cherished those messages and values. Moreover, he shaped his life steeped in the virtues that family matters most, and community even more so.
Having established his professional career in Hamilton, Gray decided to bring his young family back to Burk’s Falls, Ontario, seeking the small town of his youth, to raise his own sons and daughter. He found work in management at Algonquin Automotive in Huntsville and was soon building a network of like-minded guitar players and country folk lovers. This was one of Gray’s great gifts, drawing together friends and family in celebration of the music that he believed was meant to be played along with other people, no matter their ability or skill.
At first, Gray and his friends would play at campfire jams and backyard parties, buoyed by his summer travels to Bluegrass Festivals around the province. A living tradition in the Bluegrass world is the after parties, sitting around the campsite, sharing songs in tribute to the great masters and renowned artists from those long past halcyon days— Waylon, Johnny, and Merle. Always modest about his guitar style, Gray was a compelling rhythm guitarist and accompanist, but his enthusiasm and openness to play with others are what really attracted lifelong friendships that proved to be the foundation for his inspired communal work later in life.
Inviting friends or new acquaintances over for a few tunes sparked the inception of a partnership with Peter Hall. Hall was an aspiring guitarist and was experiencing an emotional lull in his life when his wife introduced him to Gray. Hall visited Gray at a band practice for Gray’s Mag River Band, a superb country band comprised of his two sons, Leonard and David on guitar and drums respectively, along with a great group of friends who loved not only the old country but early CCR, rockabilly, and more. During a break, Hall and Gray strummed a few tunes, probably some Merle Haggard, whom Gray adored. Their immediate friendship grew into the formation of an entrepreneurial enterprise, Gray Hall Productions, with a shared goal to inaugurate a Bluegrass festival in Burk’s Falls known as the Country Jamboree.
Inspired by the success of River Valley Bluegrass Park and Festival, located in River Valley, Ontario, about 40 minutes outside of Sturgeon Falls, and other festivals, Gray and Hall dreamed of bringing that same joy and camaraderie they loved to the Burk’s Falls area. Undeterred by their lack of background in festival organization, sound systems, ticket sales, or marketing, they forged ahead, hoping for the best.
Over a rainy August weekend in 2010, Gray Hall Productions staged their first festival to underwhelming ticket sales and low local interest. Undaunted, they decided to prevail, discovering that many young unknown, and local talented acts were more than interested in the opportunity to play. During a show that Gray and Hall played at the 3rd Friday Coffee House, in Leamington, they got permission to use the same name and got a new idea of how to raise additional funds for the next summer’s County Jamboree.
The 3rd Friday Coffee House became a monthly event in the Burk’s Falls area, which in retrospect became a proving ground for many young and older artists alike to emerge into the burgeoning Huntsville music scene from 2011 to 2019. In the early years, the Coffee House was held in a cozy, small Burk’s Falls Pub. An energetic crowd greeted intimate showcases for music from country to bluegrass and singer-songwriter, to rock and roll. Soft-spoken with a slight drawl, and warmly generous with his praise, Gray would introduce eight acts a month to local patrons, periodically gracing the stage himself with his prized Mag River Band. With Hall at his side, Gray and his sons, Len on sound and David on stage management, brought some of the most riveting music events to the small Village of Burk’s Falls.
Gray was instrumental in finding acts, often encouraging shy singer-songwriter types, out onto the stage. The Coffee House acted much like a talent scout for the County Jamboree and stunning bluegrass bands like Honey Grass and the Ducharme Family found their way to the bigger summer stage.
The 3rd Friday Coffee House, which had moved to the Burk’s Falls Legion, continued to succeed and firmly became recognized as a viable local entertainment venue. Despite the annual challenges to mount the summer jamboree, Gray Hall Productions, incorporated as Riverrun Productions, saw incremental improvements each year. In the few years prior to the pandemic, the crowd sizes had steadily increased and the jamboree had become a draw for more popular, successful acts such as the Good Brothers.
True to his passion, Gray, with his background in woodworking and other crafts, undertook a mission to join his friend and fellow country guitarist, Claude St. Denis, in constructing a fully handmade, acoustic dreadnaught guitar. St. Denis had built a quiet reputation in Emsdale as a master luthier after his retirement from the OPP. The learning curve, even with St. Denis’ assistance, had to have been arduous, but Gray persisted to the point where he became something of an apprentice’s helper in the construction and multiple tasks required in building hand-crafted instruments.
Over the time spent working on his first project, Gray and St. Denis solidified a deep friendship, that St. Denis describes as akin to having, “a kind, gentle, older brother”. Often, they would laugh uncontrollably, at Gray’s wry witty jokes, before turning up the “Waylon”, so they could get on to some work.
Gray had begun building a guitar completely on his own for his son Leonard, a gifted guitarist, when his illness was discovered. Though he continued to make efforts to complete the beautiful piece, he was unable to due to the debilitation in his physical condition. Of Gay, St. Denis says, “he made me successful by being a good, open man”.
St. Denis and Gray disbanded Riverrun Productions, in 2021, donating $10,000 to the local food bank, a cause they both eagerly supported and fundraised for over their ten-year partnership.
Bob Gray left this world on January 24, 2023. He was 75. Gray gave such love and service of himself throughout his life that in a remarkable tribute to his legacy, so many responded with much admiration and love at his passing.
To quote the great Merle Haggard, “We need to have music that contributes to the well-being of the spirit. Music that cradles people’s lives and makes things a little easier. That’s what I try to do, and what I want to do. You don’t want to close the door on hope.” Mighty words to live by. Bob Gray proved that deeds speak louder than words and a good country song will fill the heart with everlasting hope, faith, and love.
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