Whiskey Jack Strikes Gold With Country-Folk Single “O L D” About Aging and Pickleball
If you’re fortunate enough to grow old, things begin to happen and you begin to ask yourself simple questions, like “did I leave my keys in my wallet or in my car? Did I leave my wallet in my car or at home? Did I leave my dentures in my car or in my wallet?” Time remains undefeated after all. But for Whiskey Jack, the process of aging has provided inspiration for their latest whimsical toe-tapper “O L D.”
“O L D” was inspired in early 2024 when singer and guitarist Douglas John Cameron was chatting one day with his old pal Steve Hunter. During the discussion, Cameron had a momentary brain lapse and forgot something.
“It looks like you’ve got the O L D,” Steve quipped with a laugh. The apt response was the creative spark for the single. “I just wrote about everything that was happening around me at the time — losing keys, doctor appointments, and pickleball,” Cameron says. “The song wrote itself.”
“O L D” was written, composed, and produced by Cameron, a two-time JUNO Award nominee for his songs Mona With The Children (1986) and Ants In Your Pants (2000). This is a sparse but spectacularly precise tale of realizing the aches and pains might not go away so easily. Told as if it was a doctor-patient consultation, “O L D” brings the work of John Prine, Lyle Lovett, Leon Redbone, and Jerry Reed to the fore for being highly comical and true. The song features Cameron on guitar and vocals, Duncan Fremlin on vocals, and Steve Hunter on piano. And from the subtle piano tickling to the light and airy rhythm section, Whiskey Jack has played all the right notes to have a hit on their hands.
“We played it for the first time live with our band mates Billy MacInnis on fiddle, and James McEleney on bass, at a Royal Canadian Legion show in April, a crowd not known for their exuberance,” Cameron says. “We were stunned by the extended applause and robust laughter. Today, this has become our signature song and is featured at all of our shows. The reactions are the same each time. The young like it because they say, ‘My dad would love that song.’ The older crowd loves it because it speaks to what they’re experiencing every day as a senior. If it had been on a recording this year, our CD sales would have soared, and the pickleball craze would be even bigger.”
“O L D” is the latest offering from Whiskey Jack, a band that has been touring and recording for almost half a century. Appearing on CBC Television’s The Tommy Hunter Show‘s “Ol’ Back Porch” segment, the group were honoured in 1990 when the legendary Stompin’ Tom Connors made the group one of his studio and touring bands. The partnership lasted for almost a quarter of a century before Connor’s death in 2014.
Whiskey Jack has several albums in their discography dating back to 1979’s Uptown debut, which was followed up by 1981’s One More Time. The group, who released their latest album Whiskey Jack 10 (Do It Again) in 2023, have also appeared on CBC Morningside, The Alan Thicke Show, and The Ralph Emery Show on The Nashville Network. Members of the group also supported Connors on Late Night with Conan O’Brien when the host took his show to Toronto in 2004. Whiskey Jack, who has taken their years with Connors to create a Whiskey Jack Presents Stories & Songs of Stompin’ Tom concert, describe their performances as “polished” while “exuding humour, playfulness, and professionalism.”
Now, with plans for a Legends of Canadian Country Music TV trek with Donna and LeRoy from The Tommy Hunter Show in the cards and a brand-new single in “O L D,” Whiskey Jack has definitely struck G O L D with this terrific tune.