Alfred Hooperwas born in Back Bay, New Brunswick on February 12, 1943. Al came from a musical family and picked up the guitar at an early age. He then began singing for friends and at parties. He then formed a local group and began playing for dances, jamborees and fundraisers.
In his early 20’s he moved to Ontario where he formed a new group called the “Don Valley Boys”. When this group split up, Al formed another group called the “Blue Diamond Showband”. He very rapidly gained publicity and was offered a recording contract with Allied Records. Later he recorded with Marathon Records, Condor Records and Paragon Records. Al was later signed to Dominio Records, RCA and Columbia Records. The band recorded 35 LPs and 50 singles during this period of which 13 albums and 20 singles were Al’s alone. The group was then billed as Canada’s Number One Showband, performing on radio, television and night spots.
Al participated in all places of music by owning Al Hooper Talent Agency of which he handled over 100 groups. He also owned T.W.A. Records, Win Mar Publishing and Red Dolphin Promotional Enterprises.
Al Hooper and The Blue Diamonds became one of the most successful and sought after groups in Ontario. Al now lives in New Brunswick and owns the night club and dining room called Al’s Red Lantern at Pennfield of which he still performs every Thursday night.
Steve FooteSteve is affectionately known amongst his fans and friends as Stevedore Steve, a name he picked up while working around the waterfront docks of Saint John, New Brunswick. However, working on the docks is just one of the jobs that Steve Foote has done in the course of his many years of long and varied travels. In fact, by the time he was eighteen, Steve had already made several trips across Canada working as potato picker, lumberjack, truck driver, tobacco picker, seaman, and of course, stevedore.
Steve hitch-hiked and rode the rails across Canada for over sixteen years. The experience gathered in these journeys were the basis for many of the songs that Steve would write and record in later years. He had recorded four albums and several singles. One of the songs, “Lester the Lobster” became a number one country hit across Canada. Some of Steve’s songs have made the top of the charts literally around the world.
After all the clubs, concerts and television shows, (Steve had his own year-long TV series in Toronto), Steve and his lovely wife Gini, have settled in his home town of Saint John, New Brunswick, where they have resided for the past ten years.
Steve still remains active, guesting on TV shows, concerts, etc. and is considering recording again.
Eddy Poirier Eddy Poirier was born in Rogersville, New Brunswick in 1943. His first instrument, at the age of seven, was the violin. His father, an accomplished musician himself, as well as the whole environment, were his first teachers.
Over the years, Eddy picked up the guitar, the banjo, the accordion, the harmonica, the bass, all the instruments of country and bluegrass music.
In Toronto for awhile, he was a member of the Blue Diamonds band. He appears on two of the band’s records. In the Maritimes since 1975, he heads his own group, the Bluegrass 4. The group has already put out three records. They are favorites at the many bluegrass and country music festivals in the Maritimes. Eddy is the featured artist on nine recordings, and he plays backup on a number of others.
From 1977 to 1984 he was one of the featured musicians for a popular music show on the French CBC station in Moncton.
Eddy is a partner in a record production company where he plans to produce his own work as well as that of other Maritime artists.
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