Canada's Singing Newfoundlander

He’s been singing the praises of his homeland since the Joey Smallwood era—and he’s still at it!

- Michael T. Wall, Native son of NFLD

My name is Michael T. Wall (the T stands for Thomas). I am from a family of nine children. Dad and Mom made eleven. I was born on Country Road, Corner Brook. We moved to the Ernest Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville when I was a kid. I went to school there until we moved to Lakeview/ Habour Main in Conception Bay, where I resumed my schooling. I was always interested in singing and sang in many concerts at the little one-room Shamrock School. You could say that’s where I got my start in singing. I worked at odd jobs during the summer holidays, and I saved enough money to buy my first guitar. After hearing Johnny Cash on our radio, I knew right then that’s what I wanted to do. So I went to St. John’s and bought a ticket on Air Canada and headed for Toronto.

Upon arriving in the Big City, I found out Johnny Cash was doing a live concert at Massey Hall. So I decided to go and meet my hero. When I arrived at Massey Hall, I met Johnny’s personal guitar player, Luther Perkins, who introduced me to the “Man in Black,” who is my all-time hero to this day. From that moment on, I was hooked on country music. I called myself “The Singing Newfoundlander” and had special tailor-made stage costumes created with a big, Irish-green map of Newfoundland on the back of all of them. I sang at clubs throughout Toronto, including the famous Horseshoe Tavern and the Caribou Club.