Winnipeg's Sean Burns salutes Canuck country great Roy Payne

Sean Burns just shared his cover of "Jesus Didn't Like It Down On Yonge St." by Newfoundland country legend Roy Payne. 

Here's the scoop from Sean Burns...

"In 2021, I launched The Northern Report Podcast. In truth, it was born from a desire to track down Roy Payne and politely interrogate him about his songwriting and performing career in the honky-tonks of a bygone era.

"For those who have tuned in to the podcast, you’ll note that in just about every interview I’ve conducted with an artist who was active in the 1960’s-70’s, two names consistently brought up by your host are Roy Payne & Mickey McGivern. The two men are forever linked together in my mind. Both, heroes and mentors to my late father, Michael Burns. In the late 1970’s, in the midst of his hardcore honky-tonkin’ country music apprenticeship, my dad got the gig playing lead guitar for Roy. By the time he began regaling me with the romantic tales of this 6-nighter life, he’d fondly recall (the bits and pieces that he could) his nights in Parkdale and on stage at the old Elm Grove Tavern backing up the man who wouldn’t take a million dollars for a single maple leaf - the Goofy Newfie, the great, Roy Payne.

Roy Payne

"Fast-forward to the late 90’s when a close family friend and musical ally, Wade Mosher discovered he had a copy of the 1970 piece of “lost” Canadian country music gold, Roy Payne No. 2. Wade put it to cassette for us from the old chunk of vinyl that he has since suggested was secured via his father who likely “bought it right from the stage at a gig after a night of hard drinking.” It was then, while in the midst of first falling in love with country music, in the early stages of my initiation into this great art form, did I first hear Roy Payne and the master Telecaster pickin’ of Mickey McGivern. A handful of the numbers were penned by Roy (each of them fantastic) while the remainder of the record is padded with hits of the day. What cannot be overstated is the brilliance in the combo of Roy and Mickey. It stands up to famous, fiercely complimentary duos such as Buck & Don, Merle & Roy, or Porter & Buck. To keep it regional, I’ll note more modern day and Canadian musical companions like Corb & Grant or Ridley & Chris. You get the picture. 

Sean Burns

"Today is a hard day for me. It marks 5 years since my father’s passing. Though I’m not doing this for him, he’d surely be proud of the steps I have taken with my career and its dedication to preserving, performing and respecting country music. I didn’t know  him when he was wild and free but I’ll never forget the look in his eyes when he’d tell me how his mind was blown by the taverns, bars and honky-tonks. Like a kid at Christmas, his eyes would light up when recalling his very first week as a professional musician earning $180 for a 6 nighter (+ a matinee!) at The Palomino in Etobicoke, ON back in I think, 1976. It’s when Mike established his exciting, untamed approach to the guitar and would begin working on what became a well-developed propensity for drinking (mostly white rum). Cleaned up but never without a strong sense of shame and guilt, in later life, his guitar playing remained thrilling and never, ever over-the-top. And let’s talk about tone! In lieu of a pedal board, he insisted on a “Guitar-Cord-Amp” configuration. Always a Fender guitar & amp, by the way. 

"Spinning and discussing that old Roy Payne No. 2 album excited him every time it was brought up. I never did get too many stories about his time with Roy, but I could tell, and I would bet there’s plenty of ‘em to go around. What I didn’t know, was how many of Roy’s tunes he took along with him to the jams and the late night parties. Beginning late last year, I set out on my own quest to find, record and preserve the finest I could from that old, “lost” Canadian Country music. I spun a ton of it in the final year of my run as host of Boots & Saddle on CKUW and I too would put some in my back pocket for later. There’s a full record in-the-can recorded in Toronto last Winter, but in an odd turn of events, my intention is to slowly release some music we cut just a couple months ago at home in Winnipeg.

"During those Toronto sessions, my dad’s old friend & road roommate, pedal steel wizard, Mike Weber told tale of after hours hotel room shindigs with my dad singing Roy’s 1980 cut, 'Jesus Didn’t Like It Down On Yonge St.' “Burnsy just loved that song”. The same sentiment was echoed by a few of the other wily veterans I’ve hired on a number of these recordings. It seems fitting that today, this song by this particular artist is the one I’ve chosen to release. It’s the right move. I guess you can call it a tribute to Mike Burns and Roy Payne; two men who have greatly impacted and influenced my path in the field of beautiful Country Music.  I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the recording of this song. I didn’t say it at the time, but it sure meant a lot and I trust it will continue to. I’m proud to present my take of 'Jesus Didn’t Like It Down On Yonge St.'  Find it now over on my Bandcamp page and lookout for it on the streaming sites very soon. Thanks for listening. Maybe you’ll dig it. Maybe not. 

"I do. Mike would have.  And I sure hope Roy would. Or will…."

Stay tuned,

Sean Burns

November 14, 2022 

Check out Sean Burns' version of "Jesus Didn't Like It Down On Yonge St." right here. Listen to Roy Payne's original recording of the song below.