Born: Henry Thomas Joseph Hibbs in 1944 on Bell Island, Newfoundland; Died: December 21, 1989 in Toronto, Ontario.

The son of a Bell Island, NFLD., miner, Harry Hibbs learned button accordion as a boy. He worked in factories after moving to Toronto in 1961. In 1968 he began performing at the Caribou Club, a Newfie social centre in Toronto which soon brought him television appearances on 'At The Caribou' (1968-74, CBC), and then 'The Harry Hibbs Show' with his Caribou Showband (later known as the Seaforest Plantation). Newfoundland's Favourite Son played jigs, reels and other dance pieces as well as original ballads; his motto was "We'll rant and we'll roar like true Newfoundlanders."

Although he had toured across the Maritimes and Ontario several times, and did a tour of the British Isles in 1970, his career had waned somewhat by the mid-seventies. However, he has recorded ten albums on three different labels, earning him several gold records and making him a leading Canadian recording artist of his time.


Singles
1966 The Nightingale/Scotland, I Am Coming Home To Thee (Caribou) CC45-6903
1966 Harbour Le Cou/Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary's (Caribou) CC45-6904
1967 Farewell To Nova Scotia/[same] (Caribou) CC45-6907
1968 The Black Velvet Band/Road To The Isle (Arc) 1229
1969 I'll Forgive And I'll Try To Forget/Fighting '59 (Arc) 1239
1974 A Toast To Newfoundland/All Kinds of Everything (Marathon) 45-1103
1980 The Garden Song/Minstrel Boy (Tapestry) 801

Albums
1965 Somewhere At Sea (Caribou) CC-LP-7004
1966 To All My Lovelies (Caribou) CC-LP-7005
1967 The All New Harry Hibbs With Shrimp Cocktail (Caribou) CC-LP-7007
1968 Best of Harry Hibbs (Arc) COV-3002
1969 At the Caribou Club (Arc) AS-794
1969 Live From the Caribou Club (Arc) AS-798
1970 More Harry Hibbs at the Caribou (Arc) AS-809
1970 The Incredible Harry Hibbs (Arc) AS-818
1971 Harry Hibb's Fourth (Arc) AS-821
1971 A Fifth of Harry Hibbs (Arc/Ahed) AS-826
1973 All Kinds of Everything (Marathon) MMS-76026
1974 Between Two Trees (Hibbs) HR-724
1980 Pure Gold (Tapestry) GD-7375

Video


Compilation Tracks