We lost one of Canada's finest and wittiest singer-songwriter's yesterday. Joe Hall had been ill for some time, but continued performing right up to the end. And even recorded a new album which I look forward to hearing.

I met Joe in Edmonton in the early 1970's, where he lived for awhile and played around town with his group "Joe Hall and the Eyeball Wine Company". Then a few year's later had the pleasure of staying in his apartment in Toronto the first year I went to the Mariposa Folk Festival.

He wrote a number of great tunes---many of them satirical, many of them profound. One of my favourites was from his first album, and it was called 'Preparing to Begin'. I transferred it from an lp to digital---but have no idea how to share it.

But here's one that's on youtube----about passing to the 'other side'. Called The New Frontier.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7Du5JX6-3M


And here is one of his most brilliant satirical tunes---first recorded in the late 70's I believe, but so relevant today with the incredible amount of xenophobia so prominent in the U.S. and parts of Europe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BOo83JHoY