Images(6)

King Ganam Stage Outfit

Not currently on exhibit

Artifact TypeEnsemble

Manufacturer Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors

Datec. 1950

An outfit appropriate only for "Canada’s King of the Fiddle," this ensemble was owned by musician and TV personality Ameen Sied Ganam, a.k.a King Ganam. Born in Saskatchewan to Syrian-English parents, he began his fiddling career performing at hometown dances at age nine. After moving to Toronto in 1952, he appeared regularly on CBC TV’s Holiday Ranch and Country Hoedown shows, and later starred in his own CTV TV program, The King Ganam Show in 1961. In 1989 he became one of the original inductees into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

Users/PerformersKing Ganam was born Ameen Sied Ganam on 9 August 1914 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, the son of Syrian-English parents. His first musical experience came at the age of nine, undertaking informal fiddle lessons directed by local old-time performers. By age thirteen, Ganam was performing live on CHWC radio in Regina. He later undertook more formal training in fiddle, violin, and composition from W. Knight Wilson, Jack Thornicroft, and Gregori Garbovitsky. Following relocation to Edmonton, Alberta, Ganam formed his first band, Sons of the West, in 1942. The group performed together on CBC radio’s Alberta Ranch House, and were the winners of the World Open Western Band Competition in Vancouver in 1950, resulting in a recording contract with RCA Victor’s subsidiary Bluebird label and a Canadian tour. Ganam, now known as “Canada’s King of the Fiddle”, relocated to Toronto in 1952 where he began performing on various CBC television shows throughout the remainder of the decade including Holiday Ranch and Country Hoedown with Gordie Tapp. In 1961, Ganam was offered his own show, The King Ganam Show, on CTV, however, just one year later, he relocated once again to southern California. Throughout the 1960s, he continued to tour and perform throughout Canada, and to record original compositions inspired by Western Swing tunes and polka. Ganam was the recipient of the Saskatchewan Country Music Association Legend and Legacy Award in 1990, and was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989. He passed away in Carlsbad, California on 26 April 1994.

Collection

Object numberCCMHF.2009.01.802.1-3