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The Rumrunner Story

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RUMRUNNER (original Bucket List tune)

Dressed in a blue striped suit and brown fedora, the infamous “King of the Bootleggers” went for a walk.

Ever since, Hamilton’s been wondering what really happened to Rocco Perri?

Perri was last seen alive in Hamilton on April 23, 1944. His body has never been found. Speculation has it

He was murdered, possibly after being fitted with “cement shoes” and thrown into Hamilton Harbour.

This opinion was shared by the RCMP as far back as 1954 when they stated, “We won’t find his body

until the bay dries up”.

Rocco Perri was to Canada as Al Capone was to the States. Of notable significance, Capone was one of

Perri’s best customers. When asked if he knew Rocco Perri, Capone responded, “ I don’t even know

which street Canada is on”

 

BLACK WIDOW (original Bucket List tune)

Black Widow tells the story of one of the most grisly murders in Canadian History, also known as,

“The Torso Murders”.

Evelyn Dick was arrested for murder after local children in Hamilton found the torso of her missing husband,

John Dick. His head and limbs had been sawn from his body and—as later evidence revealed—were disposed

of in the furnace of her home at 32 Carrick Avenue.

In her first murder trial in 1946, Dick was convicted and sentenced to hang. Her lawyer however, appealed

her case and won an eventual acquittal. In the meantime, a partly mummified body of a male infant was

found in her attic, encased in cement in an old suitcase. The infant was identified as her son Peter David

White. She was tried again for murder in 1947 and sentenced to life in prison, but was paroled in 1958 after

serving eleven years in the Prison for Women in Kingston, and eventually disappeared from public view.

 

BRANT INN BOOGIE (original Bucket List tune)

(1917- 1969)

The Brant Inn was an iconic gathering place for, not only Hamiltonians, but folks from all over Southern Ontario. Located at the corner of Lakeshore Road & the “Beach strip”, the Brant Inn played host to the greatest musicians of the day. Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Glen Miller, Guy Lombardo just to name a few. Local musicians also, ”made their bones” there, names like Harry Waller, Harold Namero, Jimmy Begg, Gav Morton and many, many more. Interesting fact…. Although staff went around after the band performances and picked up scores of empty “mickeys”, the Brant Inn was a dry club!

 

JOHNNY B. GOODE  (In the Hammer)

What happens when you cross Chuck Berry with Peter Tosh then throw in a little Hamilton’s Bucket List?

You produce a Hamilton reggae version of a classic rock n’ roll song with a distinct Bucket List vibe. Fun to play, fun to listen to.

SHOE THE OTHER FOOT – Vocal by John Godek

Written and originally played by Albert Collins, Shoe on the other Foot has a solid funk style wrapped in an unmistakable rhythm and blues feel.

 

6345789

In spite of being a rhythm and blues tune, 6345789 has an incredibly “light” feel. It’s a happy song telling the listener that no matter how bad things may get, that there’s always a sympathetic ear or a shoulder that you can cry on or just someone that you can talk to. Originally recorded by both Eddie Floyd and later by Wilson Pickett, please don’t call this number because it has since been disconnected J

 

THE THRILL IS GONE

“The Thrill is Gone” written by Roy Hawkins and Rick Darnell in 1951, Hawkins’ version reached number six on the Billboard charts. The Thrill is Gone became a major hit for B.B. King when he recorded the song in 1970. So popular is this song, many blues artists have recorded and added their own interpretations to this classic blues standard.

 

HIGHER GROUND

 "Higher Ground" is a funk song written by Stevie Wonder which first appeared on his 1973 album Innervisions. The song reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the US Hot R&B Singles chart. Wonder wrote and recorded the song during a three-hour burst of creativity.

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