A legendary guitarist that let his hands do the talking - forging out an enviable music career, while never straying from the humble, down-to-earth persona that friends and family recalled lovingly, John Till died last week at the age of 76 after an illness.
Born into a musical family in Stratford, Till's biography is the stuff of legends, partnering first with high school pals Richard Manuel and Ken Kalmusky and others to form The Revols (short for revolution). He played with Ronnie Hawkins and was on stage playing with Janis Joplin's band at the Woodstock music festival. Till lent his talents to many musicians and toured extensively, playing before small crowds and packed venues.
Shawn Till, one of John's two sons along with Michael, with wife Dorcas Till, said those that knew his father knew of his genuine love for people.
"First and foremost he was a great dad to me, we had an incredible relationship," Shawn Till told StratfordToday. "He played on those big stages but he was a humble guy, he took the same care giving a kid guitar lessons as playing at Woodstock"
John Till's mother played classical and ragtime piano, his father played Spanish guitar and bass. Though he wasn't pushed into music, instruments were always around and he learned to play guitar at a young age. The Revols, formed in 1957, played around the region, earning a dedicated following when the members of the group were barely in their teen years.
It was the start of several successful music careers.
The Kalmusky house on Queen Street in Stratford, with a music room in the basement, was a clubhouse for The Revols, said Bob Kalmusky, whose brother Ken was the band's bassist and later a session musician. Manuel went on to link up with Ronnie Hawkins' Hawks, the Band and Bob Dylan and Ken Kalmusky played with Sylvia Tyson's Great Speckled Bird, amongst others. Till collaborated with other acts, including Hawkins.
Till returned to Canada eventually, continuing partnerships and recordings and starting a local band, Plum Loco, with his son.
"His greatest thing would be jamming with his friends," said Shawn Till. "Never, ever, would he say I am John Till, who played with Janis Joplin. For a long time growing up, into double digits (in age) at least, I didn’t even know that stuff."
Similar to his father's upbringing, there was no pushing Shawn towards music, but instruments were around and it was a musical home. "Someone asked me recently, do you still play? I said, 'yes and I still breathe'. It's not something I would ever let go. It's my meditation and therapy and my outlet."
Shawn Till said his father's childhood trip to New Orleans with his parents left a life-long impression on his father and his approach to music. His style of play was different, far from flashy, 'almost like a saxophone player, leaving space between notes', in no hurry to play the music, his son said.
John Till's drive and intellect kept him playing, writing and updating old tracks he would find into workable modern files, right up until near the end of his life.
"Literally up until three weeks ago, John was emailing me digital archive transfers of cassettes and videos that he would find at his home," said David Kalmusky, a producer and musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. David, son of The Revols' bassist, followed the families' trajectory into the music business, touring for a number of years and commuting back and forth from Nashville and Stratford for a time.
"Anytime I was in Stratford I would stop by. We would play music, share music, share gear. He was just a really giving person with everything from passing the torch as a mentor, teaching me guitar as a little child all the way to continuing to give me music that me and my father created up until a month ago."
David Kalmusky said that in his line of work, he has an appreciation for the humble musician, which can be a rarity in the industry.
"There was nothing about status with John. I have known him my whole life. He would never sit down and initiate a conversation about...the highlights of his career as bragging notes…in fact he shied away from it."
"Growing up in the music industry, that is almost the opposite flex of literally every other musician. I think most musicians, without bragging, try to validate themselves. His true core of excitement wasn’t his need for you to know how great he was, it was honestly just to share whatever he was working on, usually his latest project."
Till's intellect and computer savvy kept him working on and updating music files well into his 70's.
"He would email and say, 'here is your dad on a train in 1968 playing acoustic guitar on a box car going to Calgary'," said David Kalmusky. "He was just really in tune with the music and the historical connotations of everything that happened...these guys got to do some amazing things in their career. He was a real musician, it was a life of making music."
Shawn Till recalled an early memory of his dad playing local gigs at the former Dominion House on Friday and Saturday nights, a popular spot for live music. He was sometimes allowed to stay up and watch the first set. His dad would still get up at 7 a.m. the next day to spend time with the family.
"He left lots behind," his son said of the man and his music. "A life well lived. His memory lives on."
