New Canadian

Pretty much like the stories from the turn of the century, on March 15,  1970 I arrived in Toronto with $200 Canadian and a steamer trunk full of my worldly possessions; which included far too many thick sweaters to protect me from the harsh Canadian winters. I guess my brain had not processed the fact that North America had central heating pretty much everywhere.
I emigrated with two friends who had come ahead of me and had an apartment already.

One of the friends was from my college days and shared my love of music. Especially American girl groups and girl singers and R&B artists. It was the first Sunday after I had arrived, he and I headed to Sam’s record shop on Yonge Street while my other friend, his girlfriend at the time, later his wife, cooked dinner for us. (They are still together and we are still friends.)
We were overwhelmed by the fact that shops were open on Sunday and a record store had so many of our favourite artists with material that we had not seen before. We were also interested in so many new artists for us to pick over.  My friend bought Roberta Flack‘s debut album called First Take. 
I bought an Ella Washington album which included a minor hit named, He Called Me Baby. I love that song and I had the 45 RPM disc back in London.

Roberta Flack’s album contained a soulful rendition of English rebellious folk singer Ewan McCol's  The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. A beautiful song he wrote for his girlfriend back in the early 1950's named Peggy Seeger. (They later married and she is still performing.)

I remember seeing Roberta Flack performing music from the album on the Johnny Carson show.  However, Roberta was not well known until Clint Eastwood used her version of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face as a background music for a romantic interlude in his 1972 movie Play Misty for Me.  The track was released as a single that year and  eventually topped  the Billboard charts.

In 1972, I bought a Mini 1000 and commuted to work in it; braving 16 lanes of Highway 401 and its daily chaos. I also often gave a ride to anyone who asked for one. Soon I had accumulated three regular companions and we packed into that little car, turned on the radio, usually to 1050 CHUM, and sang along to all the hits. Johnny Nash, I can see  clearly now, You're so vain Carly Simon and of course Roberta Flack among many more.

It was a wonderful year. My friends had returned temporarily to the UK for many months and I found crazy new companions in Toronto. Many born and raised there who exposed me to so many great new experiences.  It was the year I felt I had found myself as a genuine new Canadian; and Roberta Flack's song is forever associated with that initiation.