Music
Press
This band has no press
Discography
Five song demo C.D
1. The Piper
2. Coupe Deville
3. Bad Boy
4. Danny Boy
5. You Will be Mine
Streaming music at
www.myspace.com/classyjohnnymassy
www.classyjohnnymassy.com
Photos
Bio
The Name:
Some say he would give the shirt off his back, although he had little to spare. I gave him a dollar for a coffee and he was grateful.
John Massie was a homeless person, but I felt a connection with him as we sat talking on the sidewalk of a busy downtown street corner. Turns out we shared similar roots as Aboriginal Canadians, and were from the same reservation. Unfortunately alcohol and hard times had taken their toll on the man who wore the weary face of someone much older than his 46 years.
He talked about life and his nine years on the streets of Toronto. He said he had been beaten, but he took care of himself because, “I’m Classy Johnny Massie.” He said this while comically raising his fists. I walked away that day thinking it was a great name for a song or something.
It wasn’t long after my chance meeting with John that I read of his death. It was January 2009. He had been sleeping in a bank vestibule and went out for a smoke. John accidentally set himself on fire. He died later that day.
I had been trying to come up with the name for the band at the time and decided then that I would pay tribute to John. I think he wouldn’t mind. Although the spelling is altered somewhat, we are “Classy Johnny Massy”.
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