The Maple Leaf Forever Guitars are two guitars, one acoustic and one electric, made from the tree that inspired Alexander Muir to write "The Maple Leaf Forever". The guitars are kept in a trust and are loaned to a different musician each year.
History
In 1867 Alexander Muir, a Scottish immigrant, lived on Laing Street in Toronto, Ontario. Following Canada's confederation, a large maple tree on his street inspired Muir to write "The Maple Leaf Forever". The song was used as Canada's unofficial national anthem.
In July 2013, a thunder storm destroyed the tree that inspired Muir's song. The fallen tree was initially going to become mulch, but due to public outcry its wood was saved and used for projects that would preserve its cultural importance to Canada. Significant objects made from the tree include the gavel for the Supreme Court of Canada and the speaker's podium for Toronto City Council. In 2014 Colin Cripps and Craig Scott came up with the idea of making guitars from the tree. Cripps also expressed desire for the guitars to be custodial, so that they would be passed from musician to musician instead of being owned by one person. After approval by City Council, David Fox was chosen to build the acoustic guitar while Tom Bartlett built the electric. The guitars were completed in September 2015.
Custodians of the guitars
Acoustic
- 2016 – Colin Cripps of Blue Rodeo
- 2017 – Jason Barry
Electric
- 2016 – Paul Langlois of the Tragically Hip
- 2017 – Sam Roberts
- 2020 - Steve Sladkowski of PUP
References
- ^ Ionova, Mariana. "'The Maple Leaf Forever' no more: Storm knocks down tree tied to Canadian history". Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
- ^ Rider, David. "Guitar made from "Maple Leaf Forever" tree displayed at Toronto city hall". Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
- ^ "Toronto's Maple Leaf Forever tree on tour with Blue Rodeo, Tragically Hip". Archived from the original on November 29, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
- ^ Gillis, Carla. "Maple Leaf Forever guitars". Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
- "Playing a piece of Canadian history". Therecord.com. July 18, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- Mitchell, Layne. "Sam Roberts Honoured As This Year's Custodian of The "Maple Leaf Guitar"". Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
- "PUP's Steve Sladkowski Is This Year's Keeper of the Maple Leaf Forever Guitar". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved December 29, 2021.