Tarry, Michael (Michael McDermott)
Websites:
No
Origin:
Manchester, England, UK → Marmora, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:
Michael Tarry McDermott, born in 1946 in Lees (Oldham), England, better known by his stage name Michael Tarry, was a Canadian singer-songwriter whose brief but memorable recording career in the 1970s left a lasting impression on the Canadian pop charts and airwaves. Born in Lees, Oldham, England, he immigrated to Canada with his family in 1958 at the age of 12. Settling in Ontario, Tarry would eventually find his calling as a performer, songwriter, and recording artist in the country he adopted as his own.
Tarry’s early musical ventures included stints in Toronto-based groups such as Susan Taylor and the Paytons and Milestone. The latter released a 1969 single featuring Tarry on vocals, “Sometimes You're Up” backed with “Silent People,” a moody and introspective folk-pop release that quietly signaled his emergence as a solo artist.
That same year, Tarry signed with Columbia Records and released his first solo 45: All That I Love b/w Oh What Strange Rain. Though it didn’t chart, it led to another Columbia release later in 1969: If You Believe b/w Such a Long Time. “If You Believe” earned him a Certificate of Honour from MAPL for his contribution to Canadian music, establishing him as a songwriter of merit even before his commercial breakthrough.
His biggest success came after moving to WEA Records in the early 1970s. In 1973, Tarry released Rosalie, a delicately arranged acoustic ballad with poetic lyrics and a soaring melody. The song resonated with Canadian listeners, climbing to #8 on the RPM Top Singles chart in July of that year—a major achievement during a competitive period dominated by international superstars like Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder. “Rosalie” also earned Tarry another Certificate of Honour, and a Juno Award nomination, making 1973 the peak of his national visibility.
He followed up with a self-titled LP, Michael Tarry, released in 1973 by WEA, featuring “Rosalie” alongside several other original tracks that blended folk-pop, soft rock, and introspective singer-songwriter stylings. Other singles from this era included That’s When I’m Happy b/w Sing Along Song, Sunshine b/w Jeannie, and Memories b/w Sail Away, though none matched the success of “Rosalie.”
In addition to his music career, Tarry composed music for film and television commercials and wrote soundtracks for two films—though these remain obscure. By the end of the 1970s, Tarry stepped back from the commercial music business. In 1978, he and his wife Gilian moved from Toronto to the small town of Marmora, Ontario, where they settled along the Crowe River.
In Marmora, Tarry reinvented himself as a radio announcer with CIGL Quinte Broadcasting and became a beloved local figure. To residents, he was simply Michael McDermott—“the guy who wrote the Sled Dog Song,” and the songwriter who supported local environmental activism by writing a protest anthem for the group T.N.T., which opposed the dumping of Toronto’s garbage at the Marmora Mine site.
Michael Tarry McDermott passed away on April 15, 2013, but his songs—especially the haunting “Rosalie”—continue to echo through Canadian pop history as a reminder of a quietly gifted songwriter who captured hearts during a vibrant chapter of homegrown musical talent.
-Robert Williston
