Obit: John Morris Rankin Dead (Jan 2000)

Subject: John Morris Rankin Dead
From:
Date: 16 Jan 00 - 02:22 PM

Today, it was announced that while driving his son and a couple of his son's friends to or from a hockey game, John Morris Rankin of the Rankin Family, drove off the road into the river. The three boys with him swam to shore, but rescuers were unable to reach him in time.

CBC's Newsworld

will have full details.

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: InOBU
Date: 16 Jan 00 - 04:20 PM

I cant express my sorrow and sense of loss.
Larry Otway

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 16 Jan 00 - 04:28 PM

Great performer, and a great loss to our community; my heart goes out to the families, we shall miss him. Sadly,Aye. Dave

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: Bob Landry
Date: 16 Jan 00 - 06:34 PM

Oh, no! Just a few hours ago, Carol (my soulmate) and I were talking about the Margaree River (planning to go there while on holidays next August. Now I check out the Mudcat and learn this sad news. I had the pleasure of seeing the Rankin Family perform in Edmonton a few years ago. John Morris, my favourite of the group, is going to be missed.

Bob

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: Willie-O
Date: 17 Jan 00 - 09:27 AM

This was awful news to wake up to. John Morris was the one that made their music Cape Breton soul--he was a really fine piano player and fiddler. I didn't even know the band had broken up--I must be the only folkie in Canada who never saw them live!

Tragic, but considering they had just made a 100-foot dive into the Gulf of St Lawrence (not the river) it's pretty remarkable that the young lads survived.

Another good man gone...

Willie-O

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From:
Date: 17 Jan 00 - 10:45 AM

The earliest reports said, the river. Later they said the ocean. Then they said the harbour, and the last report is the Gulf! Oh well.

Also, there seem to be varying descriptions of the distance down the embankment. Some reports said 75 feet.

Apparently the boys were told by John Morris to leap from the vehicle into the water. One of the boys climbed! that embankment and flagged down a vehicle. It was unfortunate that it took several hours to retrieve John Morris' body. One of the boys stayed in the hospital overnight suffering from severe hypothermia.

That's as much as I know right now.

There have been many accolades praising this quiet man. I hope we all will remember how important it is to just be "nice". That's the legacy that John Morris Rankin leaves in the minds and hearts of all who have listened to the music he, his family and friends played.

R.I.P. John Morris Rankin

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: Bob Landry
Date: 17 Jan 00 - 12:42 PM

Here's a posting from a Cape Breton website I belong to. It was written Sunday by a fellow I only know as Old Salty:

"It is with difficulty I write this in response to Morans posting, due to the fact that I was involved in the same hockey tournament that John Morris was heading to in Cheticamp when the accident happened. When we arrived there this a.m. we were told the game was cancelled because of an accident that some of the Port Hood players were in. The tragic news of the fatality was conveyed to us shortly afterwards. On the way back home to Baddeck tonight I drove up the rte.19 to lookmat the accident site. It was about a 60-70 foot drop over a cliff and into the ocean. I spent the day with John Morris yesterday in the Cheticamp arena, he was sure a dedicated Dad to his son as far as hockey was concerned. A tragic loss for everyone. The three boys are OK as far as really serious injuries are concerned."

Bob

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From:
Date: 17 Jan 00 - 01:09 PM

Halifax Herald reports

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: black walnut
Date: 17 Jan 00 - 02:31 PM

the talented, multi~juno~award winning rankins split up a year ago to pursue their individual interests. john morris articulated his need to spend more time with his family, and it was in doing so that he met his early death. the rankins had a sound which was an important and rich canadian voice. as a canadian myself, i cannot get this loss out of my mind. my heart goes out to the rankin family and to their community.

~black walnut

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: P. Cooper
Date: 17 Jan 00 - 06:52 PM

I was so sorry to hear of John Morris Rankin's death. Margaret Nelson, my singing partner, and I met him, and the rest of the Rankin's, when we were playing at the 1991 Owen Sound Summerfolk Festival. We were doing a workshop on Celtic music with them and were so impressed by how nice and gracious they all were. I'll never forget the fine set of Gaelic songs they performed there and John's great piano and fiddle playing. This is just os sad.

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: Dale Rose
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 02:46 AM

Obituary from the Halifax Herald.

RANKIN, John Morris - 40, died in a motor vehicle accident in Whale Cove, Inverness Co., on Sunday, January 16, 2000. A gifted member of a gifted family and a highly respected artist, family man and friend, John Morris' tragic death is mourned throughout the Maritimes and indeed nationally and internationally. Born in Mabou, he was a son of the late Alex J. "Buddy" and Kathleen (Wright) Rankin, he was a graduate of Mabou Consolidated School and St. Francis Xavier University. From a very early age his exceptional talent was apparent to all who knew him. For the past ten years he performed both at home and abroad with his brother and three sisters as the acclaimed quintet known as The Rankin Family. While he never sought accolades, his contribution to the Canadian Music scene was given due recognition by both Maritime and National Associations. Recipients of 18 ECMA awards, he and his siblings were awarded four Juno awards in 1993 and a fifth in 1996. In that same year ('96) he shared still more honors where Acadia University conferred honorary doctorates on all five of them. His legacy to the music world, to his friends, and especially to his family will long be cherished and commemorated with affection and justifiable pride. He is survived by his wife, Sally (MacDonell); son, Michael; daughter, Molly; also seven sisters and four brothers, Genevieve (Jake) Fakoory, Geraldine (Seamus) Coyne, both of California; Raylene (Colin) Anderson, Carol Jean "Cookie" (George Massenburg), Heather (James MacInnis) and Nancy, Halifax; Susan, United Arab Emirates; David (Lorraine), Long Point; Paul (Kathleen), Sudbury; Ronnie (Clare), Mabou; and Jimmy (Mia), Halifax. He is also survived by his grandmother, Margaret Wright; two grand aunts, Susie Wright and Loretta Pellerine; grand uncle, Fred Wright; many aunts, uncles and cousins. Visitation at his parents home, Mabou, today from 7-9 p.m., Wednesday 2-4, 7-9 p.m. Funeral 2 p.m. Thursday, January 20, in St. Mary's Church, Mabou, Rev. Angus Morris officiating. Burial in the parish cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Inverness Funeral Home. We remember with love transcending all boundaries...until we meet again.

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: GUEST,BeauDangles
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 05:25 PM

I just don't know what to say. To me, this ranks up there with the passing of John Denver & Jim Henson. The music of the Rankins was my entre into Cape Breton music. I never saw them perform, but I met a good many players from up there and found them all to be genuine and friendly and approachable. I am richer for John Morris' music and we are all the poorer for his passing. My thoughts and prayers go out to all who new and loved him. I will never hear, or sing, Fare the Well Love again in quite the same way.

Beau

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: GUEST,Tony Doherty The Harp & Whistle Kincardine O
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 06:57 PM

"A CELTIC HEART STOPS BEATING" A terrible and tragic loss, we will miss you John Morris,but your music will live on in our hearts! Our condolences to his family and friends.

Tony and staff

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: bbelle
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 08:31 PM

I was in Border's Books & Music, here in Tallahassee, FL, a few months ago. One of the cd's featured for listening to was a group I'd never heard before, The Rankins. I listened to the whole cd and fell madly in love with the group. I have both their "Collection" and "Uprooted" cd's and listen to them constantly. What an absolute loss to the folk world ... moonchild

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: Willie-O
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 09:52 PM

Say Tony, I take it you're in Kincardine Ontario there? There's real beer there now eh? I enjoyed a brief career slinging draft in the old Windsor Hotel there sometime around 1976...lasted all of two or three weeks.

Willie-O

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: gnu
Date: 07 Feb 09 - 07:06 PM

First time I watched this since...

Subject: RE: John Morris Rankin Dead
From: open mike
Date: 08 Feb 09 - 12:06 AM

perhaps the thread title should be dated with "obit" added

Subject: RE: Obit: John Morris Rankin Dead (Jan 00)
From: GUEST,Mark, Scotland
Date: 20 Aug 12 - 11:31 AM

I saw the band perform at the Queens Hall in Edinburgh in the mid 90s. As a musician myself who has seen some of the world's top bands play live, Rolling Stones, Bruce Springstein, AC/DC, Gary Moore, Foo Fighters and many more, I can say The Rankin Family, although a completely different genre, were the tightest group I have ever seen perform and the closest to their studio album sound. John may be gone, but his contribution, work and life are not forgotten.

Subject: RE: Obit: John Morris Rankin Dead (Jan 00)
From: GUEST,Charles Macfarlane
Date: 20 Aug 12 - 04:30 PM

I saw them at The Bristol Hippodrome, I think, probably on the same tour. They were very good, but it was a pity that the soundman was obviously unfamiliar with their act, and kept bringing up the levels too late after individual instruments and voices had begun playing or singing.

John was a wonderful player and composer of tunes. A tragic loss.