Gary Buck
singer, songwriter, tv host, record executive | 1940 - 2003
BornMarch 21, 1940 in Thessalon, Ontario, Canada
DiedOctober 14, 2003 in Didsbury, Alberta, Canada
Biographyby Chris Bilton
Gary Buck could have been a contender on the Canadian country-music scene—instead, he helped legitimize its existence. Though his butter-smooth voice on recordings in the late 1960s and early ’70s earned him appearances at the Grand Ole Opry as well as his own TV show on Kitchener, Ontario’s CKCO, it wasn’t until he made the move to publisher and producer, eventually starting his own Broadland label in Nashville, that he began to carve out a more enduring niche behind the scenes. While still recording his own albums and singles, he produced for the likes of Tommy Hunter and Ian Tyson, and in 1970 became the international director of Nashville’s Country Music Association. Back home, in 1976, Buck helped found the Academy of Country Music Entertainment, which became the Canadian Country Music Association. In 1981, still vigorously beating the drum for country music, he began to organize the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. It officially opened in Kitchener in 1989, and two decades later, through an arrangement with Buck’s widow, Deb, his extensive collection of iconic objects and instruments from legendary country music performers found a new home at the National Music Centre. This lead to NMC becoming the official and exclusive home for the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame collection in 2011, through a partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association.
Gary Buck could have been a contender on the Canadian country-music scene—instead, he helped legitimize its existence. Though his butter-smooth voice on recordings in the late 1960s and early ’70s earned him appearances at the Grand Ole Opry as well as his own TV show on Kitchener, Ontario’s CKCO, it wasn’t until he made the move to publisher and producer, eventually starting his own Broadland label in Nashville, that he began to carve out a more enduring niche behind the scenes. While still recording his own albums and singles, he produced for the likes of Tommy Hunter and Ian Tyson, and in 1970 became the international director of Nashville’s Country Music Association. Back home, in 1976, Buck helped found the Academy of Country Music Entertainment, which became the Canadian Country Music Association. In 1981, still vigorously beating the drum for country music, he began to organize the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. It officially opened in Kitchener in 1989, and two decades later, through an arrangement with Buck’s widow, Deb, his extensive collection of iconic objects and instruments from legendary country music performers found a new home at the National Music Centre. This lead to NMC becoming the official and exclusive home for the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame collection in 2011, through a partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association.
artist, singer-songwriter | 1950 - 1996