Inductee Celebration:
In November 2017, Bob McDonald was honored at the Northern Ontario Country Music Awards Weekend with his induction into the Great Northern Opry.
From the inventive spirit of the Shovel Band to co-founding the Sod Busters, his music and craftsmanship left a lasting imprint on Northern Ontario’s country music scene.
Bob McDonald
Robert George McDonald was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, on February 17, 1934.
Raised in a musical family, all had the love of music and were self taught. —his father a square-dance caller and violinist, his mother a piano player, and his uncle an award-winning fiddler. Bob began playing music after making his first guitar. He bought a book and taught himself chords. He then bought a banjo-uke and later a banjo and taught himself to play the instruments.
Bob’s journey began in 1957 with his cousin Ken Stafford as the K-Detts, playing dances at the Orange Hall in Goulais River. By 1965, they formed Fats and Friends—the first band to play at McCauley’s Hotel in Haviland Bay—turning casual dining-room sets into packed weekend dance events for several years.
Later, while working as lead carpenter for the Community Services Board, Bob formed Rotten Ralph and the Warblers, a group that entertained coworkers at Christmas parties and local gatherings, reflecting his lifelong passion for music and community.
One year, Bob went to a retirement party for a city employee and played a shovel guitar he had constructed. He made the shovel guitar to show the management that city workers did not just lean on their shovels about which the public often complained; they played their shovels too.
The Shovel Band was born in 2000. Bob built all the instruments from real shovels, including a violin, banjo, mandolin, and three guitars. Lead, rhythm, and bass. The five-piece group toured communities from east of the Sault to as far as Barrie Ontario. The band members were: Terry Bye, Morris McDonald, Mel Ryckman, Ken Stafford, and Bob.
In 2002, their unique sound caught national attention when On the Road Again host Wayne Rondstadt visited Goulais River to interview the band. The Shovel Band was featured in a national television segment recorded September 6th, 2002 at Buttermilk Hill dining room. What an honour for the guys.
When the Shovel Band folded in 2004, Bob and Ken formed the Sod Busters, continuing to perform at local clubs, festivals, and community events across Northern Ontario.
A highlight in his life had to be when on April 30, 2017 Bob was inducted into The Great Northern Opry.
With his knowledge of music and fine woodworking skills, Bob continued to craft many musical instruments and spread his musical talent.