Orval William Prophet in Edwards, Ontario August 31, 1922 - d: January 4, 1984
Ronnie Prophet's second cousing, Orval Prophet, dubbed "The Canadian Ploughboy", was a self-taught guitarist born in Edwards, Ontario. His first professional job as a musician was in 1944 singing with Bill Sheppard's country band as part of CFRA's 'Fiddler's Fling' travelling radio show in the Ottawa Valley.
This stint lasted until 1949 with Prophet also moonlighting as part of Mac Beattie And The Ottawa Valley Melodeers after which fellow Canadian Wilf Carter discovered Prophet and invited him to tour the Ottawa Valley. On Carter's recommendation, Prophet was pushed toward a contract with Decca Records in the U.S. that resulted in the release of his first single as Orval Rex Prophet, The Canadian Ploughboy called "Going Back To Birmingham" in March of 1951 followed that same year by "Judgement Day Express".
He would then record with Grady Martin And The "Nashville Sound" before offers from The Louisianna Hayride and The Big D came pouring in, but he refused to leave Canada because of his devotion for his girlfriend.
Following a suggestion by BMI's Harold Moon, Prophet recorded for a while under the name "Johnny Six" (1957-1961) which led to the hit single "Mademoiselle". The success of his new identity finally convinced him to make his way down to Nashville in 1958 with his own radio show on WWVA in Wheeling, West Virginia. An offer to do radio for CBS was tabled but never panned out.
He also toured extensively throughout North America including a stint with Johnny Cash in Canada where he returned by 1959 to take up permanent residency in his birthtown of Edwards, Ontario.
He continued a long and successful career releasing singles and albums and making appearances on CBC-TV and CTV. In 1966 he recorded a tribute song to Hank Snow called "The Traveling Snowman".
In 1967 Prophet signed a new recording deal with Caledon and the first single for that label was "Human Nature".
Prophet's schedule began to slowdown following heart surgery in 1970, but in 1971 he released one of his biggest singles ever called "Mile After Mile".
He received a Big Country Award for 'Outstanding Performance By A Male Singer' in 1978.
His last live performance was was at The Hitching Post on December 31, 1983. He died four days later while clearing snow from his home driveway January 4, 1984.
Prophet was posthumously inducted into the CCMA Hall Of Honor that same year and later the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1989.
With notes from John Henderson, Mark Miller, and Rick Jackson
Singles
as ORVAL REX PROPHET, THE CANADIAN PLOUGHBOY
1951 Going Back To Birmingham (Decca)
1951 Judgement Day Express (Decca)
as JOHNNY SIX
1958 Mademoiselle (Decca)
as ORVAL PROPHET
1962 Run Run Run (Harmony)
1962 Lois And Me (Harmony)
1966 The Traveling Snowman (Harmony)
1967 Human Nature (Caledon)
1968 Blue Side Of The Street (Caledon)
1969 Country Fair (Caledon)
1971 Mile After Mile (Caledon)
1972 It's Good To Be Home Again (Caledon)
1972 Headin' Down The Line (Caledon)
1972 Judgement Day Express (Columbia)
1973 Champlain & St. Lawrence Line (Columbia)
1974 Badger Bodine (Columbia)
1974 Eastbound Highway (Columbia)
1975 My Kinda Woman (Columbia)
1976 Lisa Mae (Columbia)
1977 Leroy Can't Go Home (Columbia)
1978 Where Have All The Cowboys Gone (Columbia)
1978 Ol' Amos (Columbia)
1979 Sorry And The Hobo
1979 I've Seen Some Things
1979 The Mighty Tractor Pull
1980 The Canadian Ploughboy
1981 True Blue
1981 A Little League In Heaven
Albums
as JOHNNY SIX
1958 Foreign Love Affair (Decca)
as ORVAL PROPHET
1959 Propheteering (Decca)
1963 The Travelin' Kind (Decca)
1971 Mile After Mile (Caledon)
1976 My Kind Of Woman (Columbia)
1981 True Blue
1981 The Canadian Poughboy
1995 The Traveling Snowman
Video
Compilation Tracks
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