Scott Woods Bands to perform at Grace Tipling Hall this fall

Written By Paula Brown

Shelburne residents, prepare for a toe-tapping, foot-stomping, knee-clapping good time. 

Fiddle legend, Scott Woods and his multi-talented band are heading back on the road to tour once again and will be stopping at Shelburne's Grace Tipling Hall on Nov. 5 with their latest show – Yee Haw.

The Yee Haw tour pays tribute to the iconic television show, Hee Haw, which was a variety show featuring country music and comedy sketches based in a rural farming community. 

Woods and his band members bring the show to life with lots of “pickin and a -grinnin”, some “Kornfield” humour and of course some classic Canadian Old Time fiddle tunes in the style of Don Messer, Al Cherry, and Graham Townsend. 

“We decided to pay tribute to the show not in the sense that we're doing a re-creation, but rather a throwback to the days of television and radio variety shows,” explained Woods.

Known as “The Fergus Fiddler” and “The Flippin' Fiddler”, Woods is a multi-winner of the Canadian Open Fiddle Contest, the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championship, and he was named Fiddle Entertainer of the Year. In 2018, he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association.

Returning to the Town of Shelburne for the tour holds personal significance for Woods, whose great-grandfather was an original top three finalist in the Olde Time Fiddle Contest. His father also competed in the local fiddle contest, and Woods himself began competing in the contest in 1979 through to 2004.

“Shelburne was always known as Fiddleville and I competed in the fiddle contests every year, so it's really like a second home for sure,” said Woods.

Joining Woods on stage for the Yee Haw tour will be his sister Kendra Norris, a talented singer and multi-instrumentalist, who is a Canadian Fiddle Champion and a three-time Duet Fiddle Champion with her brother. Norris is known for doing her tribute to ‘Cousin Minnie Pearl'.

Leo Stock, a 20-year-old step dancer fondly known as ‘Good Ole Spaghetti Legs', will take the stage to play drums, fiddle, sing and dance. Stock is a winner of the Canadian Open Step Dancing Championships and a two-time Ontario Open Step Dance Champion.

Telecaster Master – Steve Piticco – will be plucking away on electric and acoustic guitars during the Yee Haw tour. Piticco is a multi-winner of the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Award's Guitar Player of the Year and Instrumentalist of the Year as well as winner of the Flat Picker of the Year from the Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards.

The Yee Haw tour will also welcome special guest Kurk Bernard, who has performed with some of country music's biggest legends including Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Tommy Hunter and Ronnie Prophet. When not on the road touring, Bernard regularly performs at the Stompin' Tom Centre in Skinner's Pond, PEI.

“You certainly don't have to be a fiddle or country music fan to enjoy the show,” said Woods. “I try to build the show so there is always something different to see and hear and your emotions will vary from excited, happy and fun to serious, sentimental and even sad.”

The Yee Haw tour will be making stops in 59 towns, in six provinces, over 73 days, starting from the middle of September and running until the end of November. The Yee Haw tour will also see the launch of the band's newest album by the same name.

The Yee Haw tour will kick off at the Annesley United Church in Markdale, Ont. on Sept. 13 and will arrive in Shelburne at Grace Tipling Hall on Nov. 5.

Tickets are $45 each and can be purchased by calling the Scott Woods Band office (toll-free) at 1-855-726-8896 or online at www.scottwoods.ca. More information including a complete schedule of the Yee Haw tour can also be found on the Scott Woods Band website.

Since 2003, the Scott Woods Band has offered out many of their shows to communities as fundraising events to help raise much-needed funds for local charities, churches, food banks, and service clubs. 

In previous years, the shows in Shelburne by the Scott Woods Band have helped raise funds to support initiatives organized by local groups including the Rotary Club of Shelburne and Trinity United Church. 

“[We're] giving back to the community with the talents we were blessed with,” said Woods. “It is a great way for the general public to get out and support the local community.