The artistic director from StanFest,Troy Greencorn has selected a song from local songwriter Ron Parks to be included on this year’s Compilation CD “Remembering Canso”.

The song, Ballad OF Jimmy Cohoon, was written more than 25 years ago and is the story of a Canso sailor, Jimmy Cohoon who was working on a ship up on the great lakes when he won five hundred thousand dollars in a lottery. He proceeded to do what he did every other payday: go on a tear till all the money was gone.

Eleven weeks later he had spent the money by buying a friend a house, another guy a truck and giving money to hookers on the street who said they needed it. He was also extremely generous with waiters and pan handlers doling out fifty dollar bills to them and if that wasn’t enough he went to Scotia Square and threw a bag full of twenty’s, one by one, over the balcony to the delight of local shoppers. In the end, Jimmy went to the bank and there was about three thousand bucks left. He wondered where it had all gone. He was interviewed by Barbara Frum on the CBC radio show “As It Happens” He saidhis only regret was that he didn’t get to go to Ireland. It was also written up in The National Enquirer. A full page story had a big picture of Jimmy’s smiling face with the headline “Sailor Goes On Drunken Spree”. Ron’s song ends with the chorus line  “Good hearted soul gave it all away….Like Star Dust In The Daylight, It Just Slipped away.” You can see the video and hear the live version by googling “Jimmy Cohoon,music,Ron Parks or pick up the great collector’s item CD “Golden Rocket” from Ron. You can also download it at http://www.cdbaby.com/ronparks

Ron loves making music. it’s like money in the mail!