Sneezy Waters
Encyclopedia
Sneezy Waters is a Canadian singer-songwriter
and guitar player who is best known for his portrayal of Hank Williams Sr. in the play and film "Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave." The play portrays an 'imaginary concert' that the legendary US country singer might have given New Year's Eve 1952 in Canton, Ohio, had he not died en route. It was premiered in November 1977 at the Beacon Arms Hotel, Ottawa, and then presented on tour throughout Canada and in the USA until 1982. It was also staged at the O Kanada cultural exhibition in Berlin in 1983. Waters gave some 300 stage performances as Williams, and also appeared in the film adaptation of the show, a made-for-Canadian-TV-movie that first aired 31 December 1980.
He began performing in Ottawa coffeehouses in his late teens and was a member of several local rock bands, including The Children (which included Bruce Cockburn
) and A Rosewood Daydream, appearing with the latter at Expo '70
, in Osaka, Japan. Taking the stage name Sneezy Waters he performed during the 1970s as a street musician in Ottawa and appeared as a soloist and with his Excellent Band at folk festivals and nightclubs elsewhere in the country.
, Thailand
, India, Denmark
, Germany
, Holland, and the United States. He cites influences as far flung as Woody Guthrie
, Frank Zappa
, Philip Glass
, Tom Waits
, Bob Dylan
, Lester Young
, Charlie Parker
, John Lennon
, and Willie P. Bennett
.
From 1977 to 1990, he starred as Hank Williams in the runaway hit Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave. The show toured extensively in Canada and the United States, and was part of O Kanada, the Canadian cultural festival in Berlin
. The movie version of the play garnered rave reviews. In 1984 Waters won the Best Actor Award in the 3e Festival International du Film Musical in Grenoble
, France, for his role as Hank Williams. The film was also nominated for the best country motion picture in the 19th Annual Academy of Country Music
Awards.
He has been featured on many network radio and television shows including This Country in the Morning
, The Entertainers
, Variety Tonight
, Let’s Sing Out, The Family Brown Show, Café Hibou, Canada After Dark
, The Bob McLean Show, Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show, Ninety Minutes Live, The Alan Thicke Show
, The Tommy Hunter Show, and Super Country Superstars.
He has shared the stage with a number of musicians, including Joan Armatrading
, John Hammond Jr., Roy Orbison
, and Martin Mull
.
label.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and guitar player who is best known for his portrayal of Hank Williams Sr. in the play and film "Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave." The play portrays an 'imaginary concert' that the legendary US country singer might have given New Year's Eve 1952 in Canton, Ohio, had he not died en route. It was premiered in November 1977 at the Beacon Arms Hotel, Ottawa, and then presented on tour throughout Canada and in the USA until 1982. It was also staged at the O Kanada cultural exhibition in Berlin in 1983. Waters gave some 300 stage performances as Williams, and also appeared in the film adaptation of the show, a made-for-Canadian-TV-movie that first aired 31 December 1980.
He began performing in Ottawa coffeehouses in his late teens and was a member of several local rock bands, including The Children (which included Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
) and A Rosewood Daydream, appearing with the latter at Expo '70
Expo '70
was a World's Fair held in Suita, Osaka, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. The theme of the Expo was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese Expo '70 is often referred to as Ōsaka Banpaku...
, in Osaka, Japan. Taking the stage name Sneezy Waters he performed during the 1970s as a street musician in Ottawa and appeared as a soloist and with his Excellent Band at folk festivals and nightclubs elsewhere in the country.
Biography
Sneezy Waters began his professional career in the 1960s, and since that time has toured extensively in Canada (including several Arctic communities), Japan, Hong Kong, LaosLaos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, India, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Holland, and the United States. He cites influences as far flung as Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
, Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Lester Young
Lester Young
Lester Willis Young , nicknamed "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He also played trumpet, violin, and drums....
, Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, and Willie P. Bennett
Willie P. Bennett
Willie P. Bennett was a Canadian folk-music singer and song writer.-Life and career:Born William Patrick Bennett in Toronto, Ontario, Bennett was part of the 1970s folk music scene in Canada, alongside such figures as Bruce Cockburn, Stan Rogers and David Wiffen...
.
From 1977 to 1990, he starred as Hank Williams in the runaway hit Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave. The show toured extensively in Canada and the United States, and was part of O Kanada, the Canadian cultural festival in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. The movie version of the play garnered rave reviews. In 1984 Waters won the Best Actor Award in the 3e Festival International du Film Musical in Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, France, for his role as Hank Williams. The film was also nominated for the best country motion picture in the 19th Annual Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
Awards.
He has been featured on many network radio and television shows including This Country in the Morning
This Country in the Morning
This Country in the Morning was a nationally broadcast Canadian radio program, which aired on CBC Radio from 1971 to June 27, 1975. Peter Gzowski was the host from 1971 to 1974.-After the show:...
, The Entertainers
The Entertainers
The Entertainers was a one-hour American variety show that aired on CBS from September 25, 1964 through March 27, 1965 on the 1964–1965 United States network television schedule. The series, produced by Joe Hamilton, featured three stars, Hamilton's wife Carol Burnett, Caterina Valente, and Bob...
, Variety Tonight
Variety Tonight
Variety Tonight was a CBC Radio show which aired from 1980 until 1984 at 8-10 PM. Variety Tonight was a nightly series featuring jazz and pop music as well as trivia games, book and movie reviews and interviews. The show was hosted by David Coles followed by Vicki Gabereau.-External links:*...
, Let’s Sing Out, The Family Brown Show, Café Hibou, Canada After Dark
Canada After Dark
Canada After Dark was Canada's first late-night comedy/variety talk show. It was hosted by Paul Soles and aired on CBC Television from September 18, 1978 to January 26, 1979.The show was repackaged from the failed, more informational 90 Minutes Live...
, The Bob McLean Show, Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show, Ninety Minutes Live, The Alan Thicke Show
The Alan Thicke Show
The Alan Thicke Show was a Canadian talk show hosted by Alan Thicke. It aired on CTV between 1980 and 1983. The show aired in different versions also re-titled as Prime Cuts and as Fast Company....
, The Tommy Hunter Show, and Super Country Superstars.
He has shared the stage with a number of musicians, including Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, MBE is a British singer, songwriter and guitarist. Armatrading is a three-time Grammy Award-nominee and has been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist...
, John Hammond Jr., Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
, and Martin Mull
Martin Mull
Martin Mull is an American actor who has starred in his own television sitcom and acted in prominent films. He is also a comedian, painter, and recording artist...
.
Recordings
He has released two albums, (You’ve Got) Sawdust on the Floor of Your Heart (1978) and Sneezy Waters Sings Hank Williams (1981), both of which have been re-released on the Borealis RecordsBorealis Records
Borealis Records is a Canadian record label, founded in 1996 by four Canadian musicians. It is notable as being focused exclusively on the recording and development Canadian folk and roots music artists.- History :...
label.