The 16 Cajun-Fiddle-Country
songs in this album are drawn from the decade-long recording career of
Bill and Sue-On Hillman -- most are Bill Hillman compositions and feature
the exciting fiddle of Barry Forman. Barry showcases the dynamite style
which has won the Manitoba Fiddle Championships so many times. The inspiration
for these songs comes from years of television, stage and radio work, tours
of American county and state fairs, Canadian grandstand shows, three tours
of Britain, and tours of Northern Canada, military bases, prairie dance
halls, arenas, clubs and high schools.
This album is truly
an international one, containing material recorded in studios in Newcastle,
Durham and London, England as well as Winnipeg, Canada. Over the years,
the group has become, in fact, Canadian ambassadors of sorts -- having
performed with top-name artists all over Britain, America and Canada.
The band's stage show
runs the gamut from ballads, folk and gospel, to country, pop and rock.
But now, in response to the many requests for an album featuring exclusively
Cajun, Fiddle and Country songs, we proudly present this outstanding collection.
Barry
Forman passed away in 2011.
The following is
taken from the Tribute Webpages
that we dedicated
to Barry's memory:
Music played a major role
in Barry's life. While still in Rivers High School he formed the popular
Country Gentlemen band that became well-known through its many CKX Television
shows, dances dates, Co-Op Neighbour Nights and a multitude of other live
appearances across Western Manitoba.
This band, with longtime
friends and bandmates Jake Kroeger and Bill and Sue-On Hillman, evolved
into the Western Union. Barry went on to play bassand fiddle with
the Hillmans on 10 record albums. Three of these albums were acclaimed
solo fiddle albums, one of which featured nine-year-old son Kent.
Along with the Western
Union, Barry spent many summers touring Western Canada as part of Russ
Gurr's Federal Grain Train Show. Following this they went on to play Exhibition
Grandstand Shows in State Fairs and Rodeos across Northwestern USA. Barry
and Kent were later chosen to represent Manitoba in a series of shows across
the US and he worked closely with daughter Shauna in promoting her
successful music career.
These Web pages have
been compiled as an online career photo album documenting Barry's love
of music and featuring many of the names and faces of musicians he played
with over the years.
THE BARRY FORMAN MEMORIAL PAGES:
www.hillmanweb.com/forman
