Tony Strudwick

Eventually, in 1976, my wife, children and I moved to Kamloops where we still all live today. It wasn’t long before I was back into the music scene. In August, 1978 I was asked to join the popular Kamloops band Country Odyssey when their former drummer retired. The band members were singer and songwriter Roly Quest, lead guitarist Ken Leblanc and bass guitarist, Dawayne MacKenzie. Country Odyssey played not only in Kamloops and the surrounding area but also throughout the B.C. Interior for rodeos, banquets, dances, etc. We were approached by the Kamloops City Council to write a song about Kamloops. Thus the tune, Kamloops City was born. It was recorded in September, 1979. The song was quite popular and was played during the second intermission of the Kamloops Blazers WHL team hockey games for nearly five years. Much to the band’s surprise “Kamloops City” was also the #1 hit song in Hiawatha, Kansas for 3 months in 1980. Shortly after that I had to stop playing drums for several years due to a severe back problem and several ensuing back surgeries. Eventually, my love of music won out again and this time I joined the “World Famous Kamloops Rube Band” as a percussionist. That was back in 2006 and I’m still with them today. The Rube Band was formed in 1949. The term “rube’ refers to someone who is awkward, unsophisticated, or clumsy. Therefore, the band is known for its funny and sometimes bizarre costumes. The band consists of mostly of woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments. We play a lot of big band music and swing but also some of the more up to date music. The Rube Band has played all over the world and across Canada and the United States. Fortunately, our spouses are allowed to accompany us too if they want to which is really nice. So in 2008, my wife and I went with the Rubes to Nova Scotia and in 2014 we went to the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Needless to say, a great time was had by all. Tony Strudwick