Linda Ronstadt was the owner of one of purest, crystal clear voices of her generation. From country, to country rock, to folk, the American songbook classics, to high octane rock and roll, Linda owned it all. She even did an album of children’s lullabies and a beautiful Mexican album, sung entirely in Spanish.

Last week Ronstadt broke the news publicly that due to her contracting Parkinson’s disease, she will never sing again.  Wow, even just typing those words seems surreal.  The buzz in the industry has been about Ronstadt’s new book, 'Simple Dreams' due out in September 2013. A tell all memoir of her career spanning the 1960’s through 2000’s and everything in between, the highs the lows, the good the bad and the hits and misses. There is, of course, no mention of the fate she just learned about. How ironic is it that a beautiful voice like hers is quieted and all the auto-tuned, edited, non singers of today are still able to sing? There is no meritocracy in the world of music.

Every year in May we get to honour the strongest people on the planet….mothers.  You will note that it’s Mother Earth, Mother Nature, the Motherlode,the Mothership and so on. Not to take anything away from fathers but most of us who had good fathers was because they had good wives, who happened to be our mothers.  This little story pretty well sums it up. A kid comes home and sees his mom and says, “Mom where’s my jacket?  Mom where’s the thing I left in the whaddayacallit  by the front door?  Mom do we have any milk left?”  Same kid comes home and sees just his dad;one question, “ Dad, where’s mom?” ‘Nuff said.

And the effect of mothers in the entertainment field is huge as well. When Elvis Presley, the future King of  Rock ‘n’ Roll walked into Sam Phillip’s Sun Records in Memphis,Tennessee it was to make a record for his mom. The kid recorded ‘My Happiness’ and caught the attention of Phillip’s secretary. The rest, of course, is history.

The calm, quiet voice of Paul Sanderson doesn’t sound like he is even close to 30 years old, let alone having been in the law business for that long. But it has been 30 years on April 07, 2013, that this multi-faceted man has been practising arts and entertainment law. The name Paul Sanderson is a familiar one with most of us in the music world who would have required an entertainment lawyer at one point in our careers. Quite a celebration and a test of time, in a business that is known for its lack of tenacity and longevity.

What a year we have had in the music world – we have lost so many of our legacy artists; new ones have arrived on the horizon to carry the torch. Cashbox Canada has kept the doors open and the stories flowing – all with the great devotion of our Cashbox staff and our wonderful supporters and artists who have made it all possible. We are looking forward to 2013 and to providing the best coverage of Canadian talent as well as industry stories that make up the music industry. Happy Hogmanay to you all and “Lang May Your Lum Reek !” - Sandy Graham

As we close off 2012 in true Canadian fashion with a blizzard.…I want to thank everyone who read my articles in Cashbox Canada.  A special thanks to those I interviewed for their time and contributions to the industry, to Jill Ash for last minute editing, and to Sandy Graham for always being there with kind words and a real good heart.  In 2013, as I continue to write about the music, I will interview more musicians, producers, songwriters and historic music industry figures. It’s all about the music – the people who play it, the people who make it, the people behind it. – Michael Williams

God bless the child that finds it’s calling early in life, for it may grow up to be Eliades Ochoa. In the esteemed Cuban guitarist’s case, he was all of six when he plucked at the instrument for the first time in his rural home close by the old city of Santiago de Cuba. In that instant, the boy who would grow up to be called Cuba’s Johnny Cash, heard the siren call of music, calling him to his future.

Around the age of eight the family moved to Santiago de Cuba, in financially tight circumstances. With money scarce and all hands on the wheel, in addition to odd jobs such as selling lottery tickets and shoe-shining, young Eliades started playing his guitar in the streets, graduating to the cafes and brothels of Santiago’s inner city.

The first thing that strikes you when speaking with Linda Dawe is her enthusiasm about music and life. The next thing is how humble this music icon is about all the accomplishments in both her personal and professional life. She is truly in awe of her career and the experiences she has garnered to date.

Dawe is what we consider one of ‘the old school’, an music business maven who has survived over three decades and still enjoys making a living in this very unpredictable industry. At a time when females were mostly secretaries or receptionists, this trailblazer set out to change that in the music business.

Linda Dawe's career began in 1970 as a journalist for Canada's first music magazine, Beetle Publications. “I was always interesting in writing; in school I did very well and English was one of my stronger subjects. It was certainly an eye opener for a kid from Northern Ontario to suddenly be thrown into the world sex, drugs & rock ‘n’ roll; all the things that went along with the reputations of  the ‘bad boys’ of the British Invasion which was at its height of popularity at the time. ”

Montreal has given birth to some unique talent in the music industry. This brief story is of one such individual who went through the school of hard knocks and not only survived, but thrived, in the early days of the music business in Canada and the U.S.

Cashbox Canada kicked of March Music Madness on Wednesday, March 21st with a great night of live performances at Toronto’s Orbit Room. The event was produced by Irene Carroll of ISEE and Kit Watson of RockitGirl Media, and a fine job these two whirlwinds of promotion did to make the live music showcase a huge success. The room was filled with industry icons including Moses Znaimer, Richard Flohil, Jane Harbury, Dale Peters, Thomas Wade,Peter Linseman, Lauren Tutty, Anya Wilson, Tom Jackson, Ralph Murphy and Much Music veteran VeeJay Michael Williams as host for the evening. The acts reflected the diversity of Canadian music with Country crooner, Punk girl, and Folk/Rock cuties, and somehow it all made sense.

The showcase was kicked off by Burlington’s Billy J. White, whose boyish smile set the stage for the night, working his Nashville style vocals in promoting current EP ‘Country Drag Strip’. White is a name that the country market, both in Canada and the U.S., will be hearing more of this country rocker in the months to come.

Umi Tom Lodge passed away Sunday, March 25, 2012 in Santa Cruz, California. we were grateful we had the opportunity to talk before he passed, and so happy he got to see the Cashbox covers in both Canada and the U.S. with his story. There will be a celebration of his life on April 1 at Stillpoint Zen Community at 11 am. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers you may make a donation to Umi`s work at Stillpoint. Sail On Tom and thank you for the lessons.

Tom Lodge was one of the very first offshore disc jockeys in the UK, joining Radio Caroline in 1964. He took part in the epic round-Britain broadcast made from the original Caroline ship, the mv. Fredericia; he was on board the mv.Mi Amigo when she lost her anchor and was washed up on the beach; and he was one of the station's most popular broadcasters, presenting the Breakfast Show on both ships.

Springtime in Canada and Toronto means spring training for the Blue Jays, the Maple Leafs are out of the hunt for hockey’s holy grail, the Stanley Cup, and Canada’s music elite meet for Canadian Music Week.

Thirty years ago, what started as a small radio conference called The Record Conference, has evolved into one of Canada’s largest and most influential media and music conferences. It draws top industry professionals from around the world to participate in a four-day program of activities.

Designed to stimulate the exchange of market intelligence, increase dialogue and provide networking opportunities, Canadian Music Week continues to present the ideal platform for thousands of national and international delegates.

Part One with Stuart Johnston - CIMA

Cashbox Canada had the pleasure of doing a cover story a few months back on Stuart Johnston, and once again we are back chatting with this personable, enthusiastic business person, who is the driving force behind 'the little engine that could' of the music business, CIMA.

Johnston, just recently back from Cannes, France, where CIMA played host once again to the Canada Stand at MIDEM, and also presented the hugely successful Canadian Blast, showcasing a record breaking 14 bands this year, the largest delegation of Canadian artists to ever showcase at MIDEM, is now set to travel with his extended 'family' of Canadian associates to Texas for the SXSW event.

On March 20th, 2012, Canada’s Country Gentleman, Tommy Hunter will prop his guitar against his stool, wave so long and say ‘The good Lord willin’, we’ll see you soon!’ one last time.  This will be the final live show in a long and fruitful career that has spanned 6 decades. How fitting that this final show will take place in Hunter’s hometown of London, Ontario on the occasion of his 75th birthday. You couldn’t write a better script.  Hearing him speak on the phone from his home you would find it hard to believe he is 75 years young. He sounds like a much younger man, still full of energy, knowledge and memories. And oh, the memories the name Tommy Hunter stirs in minds of all Canadians.

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Quand je pense à Pagliaro, j’ai des tonnes de flash!!

Flash 1:Tout jeune, j’ai acheté les 45 tours de ‘A t’aimer’ et ‘Pour toi, pour toi’’.... c’était en 1969, les années ‘Flower Power’

Flash 2: J’ai aussi acheté ‘Rain Showers’ (bien sur j’ai toujours ces vieux vinyles)

Flash 3: le 31 décembre 1970 j’assiste à un concert de Pag et des Wackers au Palais du Commerce  (une performance qui m’a marqué, j’avais 14 ans)

Flash 4: Pagliaro et le ‘Nuit Magique’ dans le Vieux Montréal

Flash 5: Je fais une entrevue en roulant dans son ‘Grand Prix’ pour le compte de Québec Rock (1978)

Flash 6: Pagliaro revient de France et Alert Records, que je dirige avec Tom  Berry signe l’album ‘Sous peine d’amour’ qui contient le hit ‘L’Espion’ (super clip en passant...)

Love hurts, love stinks, love will keep us together, love will tear us apart, because I honestly love you, there are words of love, there is crazy love, the list can go on and on but the word love plays a major part in the hit songs of decades gone by. My editor, Lenny Stoute, pointed out that two of the most memorable love songs of all time, ‘Misty Blue’ by Etta James and of course the unforgettable Casablanca song ‘As Times Goes By’ (If you can play it for her you can play it for Bogey line) do not even utter the word ‘love’, not even once.