The Hans Stamer Band

about

Hans Stamer was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1938. In his teens he discovered British Traditional Jazz, and American Blues music. In 1955, after he discovered the music of Django Reinhardt, he learned to play a bit of guitar. In 1957 Stamer saw Louis Armstrong and numerous American Jazz artists on tour in Germany, inspiring him to become a frontman and vocalist. Upon his parents’ insistence he spent the next five years learning to be a Goldsmith – a trade he still practices today. When his apprenticeship ended he decided to move to Canada, making Edmonton his home in 1962. He immediately found work as a Goldsmith, and started exploring the local music scene, performing blues and folk songs in the style of Leadbelly, while accompanying himself on 12-string guitar. During this time he performed for the first time on CKUA Radio, on a show hosted by Bob Rhodes, covering songs by Leadbelly as well as Woody Guthrie (“The Songbook of Woody Guthrie”). Stamer joined his first band in Edmonton in 1964/1965, consisting of Jerry Ford on sax, Al Gerrard on drums, Rich Terry on bass, and Archie Southern on guitar. This band morphed into “The Famous Last Words”, gigging around Edmonton and Prairies until it broke up in 1967. Following the demise of this band, a new band was formed in 1967 called “The Mighty Preachers” (Rich Terry, Archie Southern, Dennis Ferby, Stu Mitchell, and Gaye Delorme on guitar). The band unfortunately lasted only 6 months. In 1968 Stamer moved to Vancouver, BC,

top songs

albums

similar artists