On the evening of April 28, the town of Oak Lake, Manitoba, was kicking up their heels as Grayson Ross and his dance band put on an amazing performance as individuals and couples remembered Shirley Kennedy and Morris Clarke.
Grayson Ross, now from Brandon, says he has known Shirley for years and years. She was a long-time friend of their family and was a figure skating instructor for Grayson’s mother when she was growing up. “Shirley was a great mentor for me when I was learning to play the fiddle,” adds Ross. “She taught me how to play for dancers.”
According to Ross, Shirley got him playing at his first ever dance at Lenore Hall over ten years ago and she was a great supporter of young musicians in the area. “Morris was always at the dances and didn’t miss too many that I can remember.”
Shirley and Morris taught dance lessons together out of Virden, and over the years instructed many couples how to swing around the dance floor. Ross says he put a band together for this memorial dance in honour of Shirley, who passed away Feb. 18, 2023 at the age of 82, and Morris, who passed away Oct.1, 2021 at the age of 74.
The band consisted of Grayson Ross on fiddle/violin; two Moosomin musicians Chris Istace (bass guitar/vocal harmonies) and Lorne Frape (drums;, and Virden's Larry Gabrielle playing guitar.
Two young fiddlers, Rory McCallum from Brandon and Riley Jorgensen from Virden also performed on stage that night.
Gabrielle produced a CD that Ross recorded when he was a kid. Frape provided the backup and accompanied him as a fill on the disc as well. “All the band members have known Shirley for a long time as well,” he said.
Ross says he mostly plays the fiddle and plays a bit of piano, as that is what he started on as an up-and-coming musician. He learned how to read music and developed an ear for music. “I quit playing piano when I was twelve and began playing the fiddle after that.” He also plays the bagpipes with the 26th Field Regiment in Brandon.
A special guest, Leona Joseph from Virden took the stage and sang some select song requests from the audience.
Ross grew up in Virden but works out of Brandon as a veterinarian and tends to the larger animal group of cattle and horses. He studied at Brandon University and then at Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon.
