Tommy Hunter

Thomas James Hunter (March 20, 1937 – July 2, 2026) was a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman".

Career In 1956, he began performing as a rhythm guitarist on the CBC Television show Country Hoedown. The Tommy Hunter Show began as a CBC Radio program in 1960, replacing the long-running variety show The Happy Gang, and went on to replace Country Hoedown on CBC Television in 1965; Hunter's show was picked up by TNN in 1983 and ran on CBC until 1992. Performers on the show included singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot in the early years of his own musical career.

People who performed on The Tommy Hunter Show early in their careers include: Garth Brooks Shania Twain, then known as Eileen Twain The Judds Yvonne Murray

After his show was cancelled by the CBC, Hunter continued to tour with his band, The Travelling Men. He retired after his final tour in 2012.

Death Hunter died at a retirement home in London, Ontario, on July 2, 2026, at the age of 89. Family members and his rescue dog were at his bedside.

Awards and recognition Hunter was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1986, Hunter was made a Member of the Order of Canada. He received three Canadian Juno Awards and one Gemini Award. In 1990, he was given a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame's "Walkway of Stars". A street ("Tommy Hunter Way") was also renamed in his honour in his hometown of London, Ontario, in the late 1990s. He became a member of the Order of Ontario in 1996. In 2005 he was honoured with a GMA Canada Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is handed out annually by the Gospel Music Association of Canada.

He received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Discography Albums Year Album 1964 Tommy Hunter 1968 Travelling with Tommy Hunter 1970 Tommy Hunter 1971 Time Slips Away 1973 Tommy Hunter's Greatest Hits 1975 Tommy 1982 Tommy 1983 Gospel Readings and Recitations 1989 The Anniversary Sessions 1993 Tommy Hunter Sings for You 1995 Timeless Country Treasures 1996 Timeless Country Treasures Vol. 2

Singles Year Single Peak chart positions Album CAN Country CAN AC US Country 1967 "Cup of Disgrace" 2 — — Travelling with Tommy Hunter "The Battle of the Little Bighorn" 2 — — "Mary in the Morning" 1 — 66 1968 "Half a World Away" 2 — — "I Can't Find a Space (To Park My Car)" 13 — — 1969 "Walk With Your Neighbour" 4 — — Tommy Hunter 1970 "Wait for Sunday" 3 — — 1971 "Bill Jones General Store" 4 15 — Time Slips Away 1974 "The Departure" 33 — — Tommy "Born to Be a Gypsy" 6 — — 1975 "Love of a Good Woman" 32 — — 1978 "The Great Mail Robbery" 33 28 — 1982 "Dance With Me Molly" 38 — — Tommy "Fool Enough to Fall in Love Again" 34 — — 1989 "The Man of '87" 49 — — The Anniversary Sessions 1990 "Couldn't See the Gold" 19 — — "Name the Place and Time" 64 — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart