Text © by Al Walker Original article appeared in the owen sounder. Click photos to enlarge. Rudy & Jean have been playing music in the Grey Bruce area together for almost 30 years. At dance halls, community centers, legions and bars. Their versions of country, rock, pop and traditional songs have kept audiences coming back for more. Rudy Couture grew up "out Brooke" with a musical family who enjoyed playing fiddle, piano, ukulele, guitar and singing on a Saturday night at their home or out visiting. Rudy's dad played fiddle and enjoyed traditional fiddle tunes, early country & western (hillbilly), and popular music of the times. Rudy's mother who played piano would accompany the fiddle and help sing "old shanty town" and other favourites. When Bob, Rudy's older brother got an Etonia archtop guitar from Eatons for $18.95, it was like Rudy got one as well. Playing ukulele and a bit of piano had gotten Rudy started musically but the guitar playing came easy and he improved quickly. A early influence on Rudy in the early 60's was his cousin. She was playing the folk clubs "Purple Onion", and the "Bohemian Embassy" in Toronto. The duo "Mary Jane & Winston Young" were doing quite well and this professional connection was not lost on young Rudy. Rudy's long professional career began with playing dances at the OSCVI with good friends Paul Barfoot and Ted Mills in "The Talisman". Soon he was playing with Neil Fromager and band. This band merged with Alf Fromager's group. So in a very short period of time Rudy had played with many local musicians including Frank Chaisson, Ken Ducharme, Earl Georgas, Don Bird (loco musician?), and Reg O'Hagen. Regular work was to be found in Hanover at the Esquire Dance Hall, in Woodford at the community centre and at dances in Owen Sound. Rudy who was still going to school at the time remembers writing exams, playing in the evenings and recording live on Wingham's CKNX television. He did not get his grade 13. With Neil and Alf's departure, the band newly named the "All Stars" began to widen their playing area. Playing dances in southern Ontario where the emphasis was on dancing, Rudy got a taste for the road. So when he had an offer to play full time on the road Rudy quit his day job at "Bell" and joined "Maria's Oracles". Entertainment is a weird business and this band format was strange, but in this business weird can do well and they did. Robbie Robinson (drums), Greg Sawyer (keys) and Rudy (bass & guitar) were joined by Maria Montez who was a go-go dancer. This was when go-go dancing was big and in the bar circuit they were huge! It was on this circuit that took Rudy to Kingston were he meet Jean Smith. The short introduction may never of clicked but the owner had to have "Maria's Oracles" again and again. This played a card in Rudy and Jean's fate. Jean and family moved to Tara. It was a whole lot closer than Kingston was to Owen Sound and their relationship took hold, in fact more like cement. Thirty years and seven children later Rudy and Jean are still made for each other. Rudy left "Maria's Oracles" to join "Gordon Rhodes & the Comets" from Port Elgin. They were the cats meow on the Lake Huron shore line. With Larry Dudgeon (singer), Eddie Miller (drums), Paul and Wayne McGrath (keys & trumpet) and Gordon on guitar the band would cover versions of Buckinghams, Doors, Beatles, Zombies and Herb Alpert. The Port Elgin Casino hired the Comets as house band Saturday night for the summer and on Tuesday nights you could hear "The Ugly Ducklings", "Major Hoople", "Lords of London" and Jean recalled hearing "Deep Purple" at the Casino! With departures of Eddie (to Bobby Curtola band), Wayne (high school teacher) the door was open to have Jean join the band. Jean who had professionally sang in Kingston as young as 12 also came from a musical family. Her brothers and sisters would go off to the local radio station before school to play, and family get togethers always included lots of music. The band folded soon after Rudy & Jean left in 1968. Jean who wanted to play bass was asked by Neil Fromager to help out in Collingwood for a dance, she thought he was just kidding but he showed up on Saturday night and said "lets go". Soon after she was playing bass on a regular basis. With Jean playing bass and singing the notion to play together was born. The Krossing with drummer Ronnie Baker began playing the area circuit. Once Ronnie who was very underage for the bar brought a pipe to make him look older, everyone cracked up. Ronnie left for higher ground and was replaced by Gary Edmonstone who had played with the Comets for a while. When Gary left their drumming problems were fixed with the addition of Cam Clark who would play for the next 16 years! The Krossing would play top forty, classic country, folk, bluegrass, and rock songs with emphasis on the vocal harmony. One night Rudy recalls the crowd at Look-a-bout Lodge stomping to a yiddish folk song "Hava Nagila". With the crowd stomping louder with each verse one of the larger participants stomped right through the wood floor! The owner of the club demanded that "Hava Nagila" was to be removed from the songlist along with "Bo Diddley" which had a similar effect! The Krossing now plays as a duo as well as a trio (son Rudy plays drums) and continues to play in the area. They have 7 children, 4 boys and 3 girls 26 and up, and most are musically inclined. They soon hope to produce a tape of their most requested material. From a series of articles written by guitarist Al Walker, for the owen sounder. HOME
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