P.E.I.'s Dennis Ellsworth shares special memory of Gord Downie

P.E.I.singer-songwriter DennisEllsworthsays he has a special memory of GordDowniethat makes performing in the Tragically Hip tribute bandthe Fabulously Richeven more meaningful.

Ellsworthsings lead vocals in the band, which he formed withMikeMontignyand TJ Lewis in 2016. Greg Stapleton and Trevor Campbell also play in the band.

A fan of the Tragically Hip since he was a teenager, Ellsworth said he had hit a roadblock in his career.

"I was kind of stuck on things, it was before I made Hazy Sunshine and I took at look at his book of poetry and I found a poem in there that the melody presented itself in my head."

At the time,Ellsworth was working with Josh Finlaysonof the Skydiggerswho was a friend of Downie's.

"I threw this idea at Josh and said, 'Is this insaneor what?' and he said, 'No, I think it's a great idea. Let's just send it to Gord and see what he thinks.'"

Ellsworth said from there a dialogue began between withDownieover the material.

"Over the course of six or seven months leading up to making that record we stayed in touch and I sent him demos and he sent ideas back to me."

Kept in touch

Ellsworth said they ended up making Hazy Sunshine at the Tragically Hip studio in Bath, Ont. He added that after thathe kept in touch with Downie and hung out with him whenever they crossed paths.

While he admits he was intimidated when he first met his musical hero, Ellsworth said he learned quickly that Downiewas a generous, humble human being.

"He was wide open to this idea, I let that wash over me and I ran with it."

Ellsworthsaid he last had contact with Downie about a month ago after he sent him a copy of a record he made and received a note of thanks.

The tribute bandperforms music of the Tragically Hip and donates the majority of the proceeds to the GordDownie& Chanie WenjackFund.

"It's a cause Gord'squite passionate about and we think that it's a great cause," saidLewis.

Montignysaid the band has a big catalogue of Tragically Hip music to chose from to perform.

"There's a lot of fan favourites but we've also picked some back catalogue stuff that people may not necessarily expect to hear."

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