Stanley Allison Rogers

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Stanley Allison "Stan" Rogers (November 29, 1949 - June 2, 1983) was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.

Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his finely-crafted, traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing villages of the Maritime provinces and, later, the farms of the Canadian prairies and Great Lakes. Rogers died in a fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797 on the ground at the Greater Cincinnati Airport at the age of 33. His influence on Canadian folk music has been deep and lasting.
Rogers was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the eldest son of Nathan Allison "Al" Rogers and Valerie Rogers (née Bushell), two Maritimers who had relocated to Ontario in search of work shortly after their marriage in July 1948. Although Rogers was raised in Dundas near Hamilton, he often spent summers visiting family in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. It was there that he became familiar with the way of life in the Maritimes, an influence which was to have a profound impact on his subsequent musical development. He was interested in music from an early age, reportedly beginning to sing shortly after learning to speak. He received his first guitar, hand-built by his uncle Lee Bushell, when he was only five years of age. He was exposed to a variety of music influences, but among the most lasting were the country and western tunes his uncles would sing during family get-togethers. Throughout his childhood, he would practice his singing and playing along with his younger brother Garnet Rogers, six years his junior.
By the time that Rogers was attending Saltfleet High School in Stoney Creek, he started to meet other young people interested in folk music, although at this time he was also dabbling in rock and roll, singing and playing Bass guitar in garage bands such as "Stanley and the Living Stones" and "The Hobbits".

As a young man, Rogers briefly attended both McMaster University and Trent University.
Rogers' songs often had a Celtic feel which was due, in part, to his frequent use of DADGAD guitar tuning. His best known pieces include "Northwest Passage" , "Barrett's Privateers", "The Mary Ellen Carter", "Make and Break Harbour", "The Idiot", "The Field Behind the Plow", "Lies", "Fogarty's Cove", "White Squall", and "Forty-Five Years."
Some of his songs were in the style of sea shanties, though his brother Garnet once remarked that he would "get seasick crossing a wet lawn".

Death
Rogers died of smoke inhalation on June 2, 1983, while travelling on Air Canada Flight 797. The airliner was flying from Dallas, Texas to Toronto and Montreal when an in-flight fire forced it to make an emergency landing at the Greater Cincinnati Airport. It was rumoured, though not confirmed, that Rogers survived and escaped the crash, only to perish after returning to save those still trapped inside. Stan Rogers was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nova Scotia.
[from Wikipedia.com 2008-12-22]
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Garnet Rogers (born May 1955) is a Canadian folk musician, singer, songwriter and composer. He began his professional career working with his brother, folk musician Stan Rogers, and arranging Stan's music.
[from Wikipedia.com 2008-12-22]
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