Like most HMS singles, we can't quite pin down a date on this 7" from one-man-band Joe Mason. It seems to have been from the early 1960's- though Mason was a constant performer around town into the 1980s'. [center][img width=302]//7ca49eb9f67ba1319ef136f9d52cd8b8.cdn.bubble.io/f1748222776449x500064107810957300/richtext_content.jpeg[/img][/center] [i]As near as can be determined, Joe Mason is the only one-man band in Calgary.[/i] [i]During the daytime, he works as a mechanic in a garage.[/i] [i]In the evening and during weekends, he plays the harmonica, guitar, bass drum and cymbals - all at the same time.[/i] [i]Before he became a one-man band, he played the trumpet in the Salvation Army band. His three children still play for the same group.[/i] [i]Now 39, Mr. Mason recalls that he played the harmonica in Grade VII at Sunalta School. When he joined the army, they appointed him a bugler.[/i] [i]He built a trailer and went on the road with it last winter. Since then his one- man band has become increasingly well-known in the Calgary district.[/i] [i]Mr. Mason specializes in western music, polkas and waltzes and plays at banquets, weddings and general sing-songs. His trailer, equipped with a public address system, opens out into a stage, a device that's particularly useful in the country.[/i] [i]His program for this summer includes appearances at the Press Club's "Double B" barbecue and barn dance Saturday, July 7, and at the Lloydminster and Battleford fairs.[/i] [i]The one-man band uses no printed music. Mr. Mason picks up new songs by ear. He is particularly partial to western music.[/i] [i]Having lost a finger from his left hand, Mr. Mason has only three fingers for chording. It doesn't deter him in the least, and he suggests that other handicapped persons might benefit from his experience.[/i]
