Whaddya mean you don't know Stu Davis

Check out Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer Stu Davis singing "Broken Love" recorded with the Adlibs in 1959.

Here's the scoop...

Although a mostly forgotten figure today, popular Canuck country & western performer Stu Davis – born David Stewart in Boggy Creek, Saskatchewan (near Regina) in 1921 – was ubiquitous on radio during the late 40s and on numerous CBC programs through the 50s and 60s. The man who came to be known as "Canada's Cowboy Troubadour" began his singing career with his brother Fred as the Harmony Boys on Regina's CKCK in 1939 before a stint in the Royal Canadian Air Force. 

After the war, Davis settled in Calgary and found a new broadcasting home at CFCN. A few of his recordings were released  Stateside by the Chicago-based Sonora label in September 1946 but none of the four 78s created much of a buzz for Stu Davis and the Northwesters. However, Davis suddenly became a much hotter commodity when an Eddy Arnold cover of his tune "What A Fool I Was" hit big and went on to become one of the biggest selling country songs of 1948. Unfortunately for Sonora, by then their contract with Davis had lapsed and Davis took up with RCA Victor. He subsequently played the National Barn Dance in Chicago and even made it to the hallowed stage of the Grand Ole Opry. 

Other country music hotshots including Ray Price, Hank Snow and Wilf Carter also cut versions of some of the 300 songs Davis wrote but by the late 50s, Davis was already an anachronism. The younger record-buying public were more interested in hearing uptempo rock 'n' roll than lovelorn ballads crooned by lonesome cowpokes. In an attempt to reach the new audience in 1959, he tried changing things up with a song called "Broken Love," backed by a vocal group called the Adlibs. Have a listen below.     

"Broken Love, a ballad written, arranged and vocalized by local talents, may hold new horizons for the group if its recording by a New York firm clicks. CBC stagehand Don Tomiuk penned the song in collaboration with Elmer Sexsmith and pianist George Reznik a year ago. Now put to the beat of rock n’ roll, the new version will be premiered by Stu Davis on next week’s Saddle Songs. Davis and a vocal group made the recording for London Records of Montreal a month ago and from there it went to New York. The boys, who are working on other songs, report this may be the door-opener for them." – Carole Kowalson – Winnipeg Tribune, January 16, 1959

Unfortunately, despite the positive publicity, "Broken Love" didn't click for Davis. On the upside, the CBC decided to commission Davis to compose and perform a song to welcome Queen Elizabeth II for her royal visit to the Calgary Stampede that year which he considered a career highlight. Watch The Queen Stampede's Canada right here. Davis continued on as the singing host of Red River Jamboree (which ran on CBC-TV from 1960 to 1965) followed by a 13-episode CBC-TV documentary series Trail-Riding Troubadour. Sadly, none of the footage of Davis shot by the CBC over the years has been made available for viewing since it originally aired. 

Davis continued recording and releasing albums on London (15 LPs in all), Dominion in 1971 and as his 70s alter-ego "Johnny Canuck" for Birchmount in 1975. In 1993, Davis was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame He passed away on March 25, 2007 at the age of 85, better known to country music fans in the UK and Europe than at home in Canada where his recordings remain out of print.