The history of music that led to Hamilton’s Arkells being chosen to open for The Who is a long and rich one spanning more than 120 years — and the Hamilton Public Library is calling on residents to help contribute to that story.
The library, in partnership with the Hamilton Music Advisory Team, has launched the Hamilton Music Archives, a collection of recordings, photos, posters, articles, and everything else tied to both the city and music of all genres, from opera to rock.
Karen Milligan, the library’s manager of Local History & Archives, said they’ve already received lots of donations to the archive through word of mouth, and they welcome anything else related to Hamilton and music that the public might want to contribute.
“I think everybody can be a music champion,” said Milligan. “Whether you attended some concerts and you have concert tickets, or you want to share your stories through the storytelling project, I think that there’s an opportunity for all Hamiltonians to be involved through that collaborative pride of music and their city.”
Shortly after the official launch announcement, one resident brought up a banner from the 2015 Juno Awards, which was held in Hamilton.
Susan Chambers-Stothart and her husband David, who both have a musical background, attended the launch and visited the Archives collection on the third floor, where most of the artifacts are stored. She said she heard about the launch of the music archives in the local media and wanted to come by to take a look at some of the items in the collection.
“We’re both musical. David’s a high school music teacher, we both sing, and I’m a piano teacher. And both my parents were musicians.”
When staff opened one of the boxes and pulled out a photo of the Hamilton Savoyards from 1956, Chambers-Stothart immediately pointed to a woman in the front row and said, “That’s my mother.”
Chambers-Stothart’s story is one of many threads tied to Hamilton’s musical history.
Mark Furukawa, owner of local record store Dr. Disc and chair of the Hamilton Music Advisory Team, said music is part of the city’s backbone and foundation.
“There’s something in the water in Hamilton,” said Furukawa, who grew up in Barrie but moved to Hamilton to open his store in 1991. “Music here is this organic thing that we all seem to gravitate to in one form or another, and it’s vital to a lot of people.”
He said a recent profile of creative industries in Hamilton found that more than 7,700 people make their living through music in some form.
The launch of the archives itself was a celebration of local music, featuring performances by local musicians and wrapping up with a screening of the music documentary Rush Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland. There’s a local connection with that selection as well — Rush’s drummer, Neil Peart, is from Hamilton.
Posters and other artifacts from the collection are on display throughout the Central library but the majority of the collection is located on the third floor with the rest of the local history archives.
Shelley McKay, communications manager with HPL, said staff is working on digitizing the collection for online access as well.
“If you’re a researcher, come on in and we’ll help you find the information you’re looking for,” said McKay. “If you’re a music fan and you want to see what there is, come on in, it’s a nice way to spend an afternoon.”