When some think of country music icons, names like Williams, Cash and Brooks come to mind. In Restoule it’s Beatty and Renaud. Burton Beatty, left, was inducted into the Nipissing Country Music Association’s Wall of Honour on Saturday, Oct. 13. Here Harley Renaud congratulates him.
RESTOULE – The quaint village nestled between two lakes at the end of Hwy. 534 prefers to consider itself an out-of-the-way destination.
But one would never have known this if they dropped by the packed community centre on Sat. Oct. 13.
They would have thought they had walked into Nashville North.
That’s the night two Restoule men were inducted into the Nipissing Country Music Association’s (NCMA) Wall of Honour for their contributions to the local music scene.
Burton Beatty of The Knighthawks, one of the area’s most popular bands, and George Odd, who never passed up an opportunity to entertain, were recognized for sharing their passions for music.
The evening, hosted by local country music personality Harley Renaud, featured the music of both men and included a tribute to Odd who died in 2003.
Songs from Odd’s CD “The Basement Sessions” were played, including his version of Garth Brooks’ “The River.”
And while Odd was an accomplished musician whose golden voice was enjoyed by the more than 150 attendees, it was his passion for the community and for others that was admired most.
Odd was always sharing his talents with family, friends and many others. Raising his family in Toronto, London, and Mississauga, Odd was a stalwart wherever he went with church choirs and often served as organist. After retiring to Restoule in 1995 he played and sang at community events, retirement homes and with friends and family in informal settings.
Beatty, born and raised in the Restoule area, was brief in accepting the plaque recognizing his contributions to local country music, obviously preferring to let his guitar do the talking for him.
Beatty started playing with The Knighthawks at the age of 14, his parents Jim and Eleanor driving him to practices in Golden Valley at the Dobbs’ home.
He took a break from the band while his daughters were in school, but started The Knighthawks up again in 1993 and soon regained his reputation for getting toes tapping.
As a member of the NCMA, Beatty has been a judge at the Northern Ontario Open Country Singing Contest and has twice made the pilgrimage to the Canadian Country Music Awards to meet the country’s best-known stars.
“This is a real honour for me and I thank you,” Beatty told the NCMA members and fans. “I hope to keep playing the music I love for a long time to come.”
And if The Knighthawks’ schedule is anything to go by, the demand for them to keep playing will be around for a long time.
Band members Paul Dobbs, Doug Webb, Sean Bryan and Cathy Brooks are kept busy playing venues from North Bay to Port Loring, drawing a crowd wherever they appear.
Plaques honouring Odd and Beatty will be displayed at the Restoule Community Centre and at the Northgate Square near the Sears entrance to the mall.
Editorial
