After many years of searching, last night I managed to find (thanks to the glory that is teh Intarwebs) not one but TWO copies of Johnny Bower’s vocal masterpiece, Honky the Christmas Goose. Recorded for charity in 1965, the tune gave the Beatles a battle on the CHUM charts in Toronto for a while that year and made an unlikely musical hero out of the Maple Leafs’ brilliant goaltender.
It’s important to understand that Bower made the record for charity and never banked a dime of the considerable proceeds generated by its sale.
I have posted a little screed about Bower’s selfless and unselfconscious act of charity over at Pension Plan Puppets. It’s amazing to me that Bower would have agreed to do this; it speaks volumes about the man’s good heart and compassion. I couldn’t help thinking about the contrast between Bower’s decision to use his fame to help others and Sean Avery’s efforts of self-aggrandizement.
Anyway, you can check out the full-on rant by folowing the link above. Incidentally, take a peek around the site and consider joining up. Pension Plan Puppets is the epicentre of the Barilkosphere, the community of Leaf bloggers that have plenty of funny and insightful things to say about the Blue and White. If you join the site as a result of this referral, let me know (by leaving a comment on this post or sending me an email), because – if you then make a paltry 20 comments on the site in the month of December – I, as your guide and PPP mentor, will be eligible to win some awesome swag.