L-R: Ross Turner, Johnny Cowell, John Liddle, Stephen Chenette

On June 9th 2007 the Encore Symphonic Band of Canada paid tribute to Canada’s legendary trumpet soloist, 81-year-old Johnny Cowell. He was featured as composer, arranger, conductor, pianist and trumpeter. A number of professional trumpeters were in the audience as well as on stage and virtuoso trumpeters Ross Turner and John Liddle performed many of Johnny’s original trumpet solos as well as his arrangements for solo trumpet and band.

Also present and appearing as a guest conductor was Stephen Chenette, ITG past president and former principal trumpet of the Minneapolis Symphony.

Vocalist Priscilla Wright and the Canadian Singers sang a number of Cowell’s songs that reached the top of the hit parade charts in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1990 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Toronto Musicians’ Association for his outstanding career as a trumpet soloist.

Johnny began his career aged 15 as soloist of the Toronto Symphony Band, which performed regularly over the Canadian Broadcasting Network. During World War II he was the cornet soloist of the Royal Canadian Navy Band: at the same time, he was principal trumpet of the Victoria Symphony. He had a fifty-year association with the Toronto Symphony, where he  appeared as soloist on the Symphony Pops concerts several times.

Johnny was profiled in the October 2006 issue of the ITG Journal. On October 25th this year he was presented with a star on the Scarborough Walk of Fame, Toronto in an unveiling ceremony followed by a Gala Dinner at the Delta Toronto East Hotel.