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Being a performer, at the sacrifice of writing and recording our own music broke my will to
continue life on the road. I quit the band I’d formed with The Johns Brothers, & Louis DeFranseco,
and began a new life in downtown Toronto, bartending for cash, writing and recording demos,

performing original music at The Cameron House, Diamond Club and the weekly songwriters
open mic hosted by Gail Akroyd, (no relation to Dan Akroyd), and Paul Meyers, (brother of Mike
Meyers). Good demos, no record deals.
LL: I apologize for
segueing away from

music, but I’d be amiss if
I didn’t ask about your
Canadian Prime-Time TV
reality show Antique
Hunter. How did you get

into selling antiques and
how did it lead to a Prime-
Time reality show?!

RH: Like Alice, down the
rabbit hole, my interest in
duck decoys, (like [those]
my Dad once hunted over)

led to collecting vintage fishing tackle and other sporting collectibles, then eventually primitive
painted Quebeqois farm furniture and folk art. Presto-change-o, I take up the knife, start crafting
my own decorative woodcarvings of fish and decoys. Before I know it, I’m buying & selling from
my own collection, an antique dealer, and appraiser of vintage tackle and decoys. While I’m

doing a special event, I get recruited to host Antique Hunter. Produced by Summerhill Prods,
ran for 39 episodes, plus spin-off series Antique Style.

A lot of good learning for me in all that, working with research writers, directors, performing
for the camera, sharing knowledge and entertaining in ways I never could have imagined as
Reality T.V. was in its infancy. A special honour was to be recorded playing the show’s theme

song on harmonica, and even an impromptu on-camera blues jam with guest Morgan Davis, a
Canadian blues icon, antique collector and writer, (published in Upper Canadian mag). Small
world of antique lovers, didn’t I find myself in a Prince Edward County based roots/rock band
The Fade Kings, with no less than three antique dealers/musicians, and one dyed in the wool
duck hunter. Good little band recorded some harp stuff with them, (single ‘Down to Georgia’).

LL: Let’s talk about your January 2024 debut release “Blues Calling”. What was your
concept and vision for this project please?

RH: Can’t really say there was a concept, except, that like a pebble in my flip-flop, it was bugging
the heck out of me, to not have made a record. What was I waiting for? I will admit that Covid
lockdown did force the issue from back burner to front. A lot of time to think about what is truly
important. If the material there-in has any conceptual continuity ,any apparent themes, I’ll admit,

the songs are from a period of my life of great emotional upheaval, and if/when, there is a wry
sense of humour evident. It is likely masking a darker truth. It is a fun record to perform, folks
are even dancing to it. My truth, a skunk hollow boy, love to play, I’ve done O.K.