Cowell, Johnny

Websites:  http://johnnycowell.ca/
Origin: Tillsonburg, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Johnny Cowell (1926–2018)
Trumpeter, Composer, Arranger, Canadian Musical Icon

Johnny Cowell was one of Canada’s most distinguished musical figures—a virtuoso trumpeter, prolific composer, and beloved orchestral member whose career spanned over seven decades and bridged the worlds of classical, pop, and symphonic music.

Born in the southwestern Ontario town of Tillsonburg, Cowell showed early musical promise, performing his first solo at age six on a dented, hand-me-down trumpet. By age eight, he was a featured soloist with the town band, his arrangements written by his mother. Self-taught in his early years, Cowell’s musical instinct and ear for melody would become lifelong hallmarks. At fifteen, he was accepted into the Toronto Symphony Band under conductor “Puff” Addison, becoming its youngest member and regular soloist on CBC Radio broadcasts. A year later, he played his first engagement with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), and by sixteen was performing professionally alongside Canada’s top classical musicians.

During World War II, Cowell joined the Royal Canadian Navy and served as cornet soloist with the HMCS Naden Band in Esquimalt, British Columbia. He also held the first trumpet chair with the Victoria Symphony and performed dance band gigs, Dixieland shows, and parades. On VJ Day in 1945, following an exhausting marathon of concerts and parades, he severely damaged his embouchure—doctors told him he would never play again.

Temporarily silenced, Cowell turned to composition. He taught himself orchestration by studying Beethoven scores and submitted a full symphonic suite to the Royal Conservatory of Music, which awarded him a scholarship. He studied under John Weinzweig and Oskar Morawetz, but never gave up on trumpet entirely. After years of slow rehabilitation, he gradually regained his embouchure and returned to performance. In 1952, Cowell rejoined the TSO after a rigorous audition process, beginning a tenure that would last nearly 40 years.

As a trumpet soloist, Cowell became one of Canada’s most respected performers, lauded for his golden tone, clarity, and expressiveness. He performed with major orchestras across North America and drew glowing praise from Erich Kunzel, who called him “a rare combination of Wynton Marsalis, Maurice André, and Gerard Schwarz—with a bit of Harry James thrown in.”

Parallel to his classical work, Cowell became one of Canada’s most successful pop composers. He wrote over 200 songs, with at least 150 recorded commercially. His 1956 ballad “Walk Hand in Hand”, first recorded by Tony Martin, became an international chart-topper and was later covered by Andy Williams, Gerry & The Pacemakers, and numerous others. In 1963, pianist Bill Pursell’s version of Cowell’s “Our Winter Love” reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming a seasonal radio favorite across North America and the UK.

His compositions were performed by a diverse list of artists: Chet Atkins, Al Hirt (who recorded his “Strawberry Jam”), The Guess Who (“His Girl”), Moe Koffman, Anita Bryant, The Lettermen, and Dame Vera Lynn, among many others. His songwriting success led to contracts with BMI and publishers in New York, cementing his place as a dual force in both classical and commercial music.

As tastes shifted in the late 1960s, Cowell turned toward symphonic pops. Encouraged by conductors like Seiji Ozawa and Erich Kunzel, he composed dazzling works for orchestra such as “Girl on a Roller-Coaster”, “Canadian Odyssey”, and “Famous Trumpeters”, a 40-minute tribute to brass legends like Louis Armstrong and Harry James. His encore composition “A Farewell Tribute to the Grand Old Lady of Shuter Street” celebrated Massey Hall before the TSO’s move to Roy Thomson Hall.

In 1991, the Toronto Symphony held a historic tribute concert in Cowell’s honour—marking his retirement with a sold-out evening at Roy Thomson Hall that celebrated his dual talents as a performer and composer. It was the first time in the TSO’s history that a single member had been recognized with such a concert.

Even after retirement, Cowell continued to perform and compose. He became principal trumpet with the Toronto Philharmonia for a decade and was a featured soloist with the Hannaford Street Silver Band for eight years. He also played with the Pro Arte Orchestra of Canada for sixteen seasons. In 1984, he was commissioned to write fanfares for both Governor General Jeanne Sauvé and Her Majesty The Queen. He received the Civic Award of Merit from Scarborough in 1997, and was later inducted into the Scarborough Walk of Fame (2007) and presented with the Toronto Musicians’ Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2005).

His recordings—including The Art of Johnny Cowell and Carnival of Venice: Great Showpieces for Trumpet and Orchestra—received international acclaim, and even caught the attention of trumpet great Doc Severinsen, who personally phoned Cowell to express admiration for his artistry.

Cowell was married for over 60 years to vocalist Joan Mitchell, whom he met while performing with Stanley St. John’s orchestra. Their musical and personal partnership remained strong throughout his life.

Johnny Cowell passed away in 2018 at the age of 92, leaving behind a catalogue of enduring music that continues to inspire musicians and audiences alike. From his humble beginnings in Tillsonburg to the concert halls of the world, Cowell’s life was a triumph of talent, tenacity, and love for the art of sound.
-Robert Williston