Alberta-based Country musician and host, Danny Hooper stopped at the Pembina Lodge on June 5 in Westlock to perform some classic country hits.
The star and his wife, Barb, are travelling to 15 different senior’s lodges and homes in communities in and around Edmonton to perform for fans that have been there since the beginning. Hooper says that this tour is a way to say thank you for the years of support.
This year also marks 50 years in the music industry for Hooper, who landed his first record deal in 1975. The singer-songwriter has recorded 11 albums and performed at major events in Las Vegas and Nashville.
Over 160 different seniors' homes around the CFCW listening area applied to have Hooper perform but due to the demands, only 15 were chosen based on travel time. Despite his extensive discography, the tour only features one original piece, John Deere Tractor Keys but he fills up the halls with Country classics from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
This idea sparked for Barb Hooper after they had received a call asking for him to perform at a local seniors lodge. Due to his busy schedule, he had declined at the time but then decided to make it a special appreciation tour, “CFCW jumped on board, and they were happy to promote it for us.”
Hooper and his wife continue their life in Edmonton where he maintains a strong connection to rural Alberta, having grown up on a cattle ranch in the hamlet of Tomahawk.
The Juno award-winner explained how important it was for him to visit small towns, “I think our farmers and ranchers are the most important people that we have here in our country because they’re the ones that put food on our tables.” Many of the people that live in the Pembina Lodge grew up on farms and ranches, using their skills to feed families.
But Hooper also digs down to the core of Seniors Appreciation Week, “I know how lonely it is for a lot of these people at this season in their life, they’re living in these extended care centres and I know that they get lonely and feel isolated, and it’s sad to say it, lots of times they feel a little forgotten.”
For Hooper, the best part about this tour is showing them how much he cares and “... seeing the smiles in these faces and the sparkle in these old people’s eyes.”
Hooper finished off his tour on Friday, June 6 at the Chartwell Retirement Residence in St. Albert. He will return to Edmonton to his regular work of fundraising auctioneer host and will host the Big Valley Jamboree for the 28th time.
