1. Bobby Gimby was born in Cabri, Saskatchewan, a small town of about 300 people.
18 Facts About Bobby Gimby
1. 2.
Bobby Gimby came from a musical family: his father Albert S Gimby played fiddle, his mother played piano, and his sister played guitar.
3.
Bobby Gimby's father ran a hardware store, but after it burned in a fire the family struggled financially.
4.
The family moved to Chilliwack, BC, where they lived throughout the 1930s, and where Bobby Gimby attended Chilliwack High School.
5.
Bobby Gimby played trumpet and he went on the road with Mart Kenney's Western Gentlemen, working mainly in Vancouver and western Canada.
6.
Bobby Gimby founded his own band and became popular playing for teenagers.
7.
Bobby Gimby remained with the Gang for thirteen years, until April 1959.
8.
Bobby Gimby came to be known as "The Pied Piper of Canada", a role he embraced: he would perform his music dressed up in a Pied Piper costume, wearing a cape.
9.
Bobby Gimby's popularity soared after he wrote a 1967 song called "Ca-na-da," which commemorated the Canadian Centennial.
10.
Bobby Gimby wrote the bilingual song using children's voices to sing the chorus; wherever he performed it, he would invite local school kids up on stage to sing it with him.
11.
In 1971, Bobby Gimby donated the song's manuscript and all future royalties to Scouts Canada.
12.
Bobby Gimby wrote pop songs that were recorded by Peggy Lee, Georgia Gibbs, and Ray Bolger.
13.
Bobby Gimby performed many concerts for young audiences, and was often praised for his ability to connect with kids.
14.
Bobby Gimby often participated in events where he would lead a parade of singing children to a county fairgrounds and then perform for the fair's attendees.
15.
Bobby Gimby traveled to military bases in foreign countries, where he would entertain the children of service personnel who were stationed overseas.
16.
In recognition of his musical contribution to his country, Bobby Gimby received the Medal of Service, and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1968.
17.
Bobby Gimby died in 1998 in a nursing home in North Bay, Ontario, at age 79.
18.
Bobby Gimby was interred in Plot T, Lot 1933 at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.