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Only in Canada could a hockey goalie who couldn't carry a tune become a legend both on the ice and on vinyl. But Johnny Bower's "Honky The Christmas Goose" has been a local legend and a Yuletide perennial ever since it was released in 1965.
NHL.com relives that magic music in the linked article, outlining how it came to be, who the "Rinky Dinks" that accompanied Bower on the song really were and the follow-up he turned down, never to record again.
"I told [CBC producer Chip Young] the only singing I did was in the shower," Bower said. "But the challenge appealed to me and he talked me into it. He came over to the house and wanted to get my son, John Jr., who was about 11, involved in a little choir. So we all went down to the studio -- a bunch of neighborhood kids who couldn't sing worth a hoot and myself -- and we made the record."
Bower's 'Honky the Christmas Goose' gift that keeps giving
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He came from a very talented musical family led by his brother Laurie.
(That's not even partially true, but a timely reference all the same. )
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Maybe Honky should be the Leaf's song mid November until Christmas? I could see the crowd singing along with the part that has the kids chorus. A shame not to use it.