Easy Rocking Chair b/w Let Me Be Your Friend

Jimmy Arthur Ordge was a Canadian country singer, songwriter, guitarist, and recording artist from the Donalda area of Alberta. Born James Arthur Ordge in 1935, he began picking guitar and performing at schoolhouse dances before moving to Edmonton in his teens. There he became a regular on Old Dad Taylor’s Jubilee Jamboree and built his early career through dances, radio, and television appearances, including CFRN Edmonton, CHED Edmonton, CFTO Toronto’s Country Time, and CBC Halifax.

Ordge first reached record buyers with “Easy Rocking Chair”, released by Quality Records in 1961. His breakthrough came with “Irena Cheyenne”, written by Al Oster, which became one of the major Canadian country hits of 1967 and was also issued in the United States by Decca Records. The song earned him a Lloyd E. Moffat Award for Best Country Record and established him as one of the first Alberta country artists to make a serious impact on the national charts.

His recording career continued through the late 1960s and 1970s on Point Records, Apex, Damon Records, MCA, and Royalty Records. His early albums included The Country Soul Of on Point in 1968, followed by Good Times Bad Times on MCA in 1972. He also recorded the Point albums Tears From A Country Heart, Irena Cheyenne - The Hit Version, and King & Queen Of Country Music, the latter with Joyce Smith.

Ordge scored another major success in 1970 with “The Ballad of Muk-Tuk Annie”, a novelty story-song written by Bob Ruzicka. Released on Damon Records, it became one of his signature recordings and helped define his gift for narrative country material. Other charting singles followed, including “Chilly Winds”, “She’s Dreaming”, “Mail Order Bride”, and “Big Gray Walls”.

In 1974, Ordge signed with Royalty Records, beginning the most sustained album period of his career. His Royalty releases included I’ll Go Anywhere, Greatest Hits, Storytime & Prayers, and later catalogue material issued under titles such as The Legend. During this period he recorded some of his best-known later singles, including “The Old Man”, “Just One Night of Love”, “Herschel’s Hemi Half-Ton”, “He’ll Have to Go”, “Dawson City (The Ballad Of)”, and “I Know She’s Hungry”.

A strong traditional country vocalist, Ordge was equally comfortable with ballads, recitations, uptempo country, gospel-leaning material, and comic story songs. He was a popular live performer across Western Canada and beyond, and opened shows for major Nashville artists including Buck Owens, Webb Pierce, Roy Clark, and Hank Snow. His American exposure included the 1981 Doré single “Stay Away From Jim”, which reached the lower end of the Billboard country chart.

Ordge received an Alberta Achievement Award in 1971 and was nominated for Juno Awards as a country male vocalist during the late 1970s. He later received the Bev Munro Award for his contribution to traditional Canadian country music. Even after retiring from full-time performing, he remained active as a guest artist on Canadian Country Music Legends shows in Alberta.

Jimmy Arthur Ordge died of cancer in Edmonton on July 1, 2016. In 2021, he was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Alberta Hall of Fame, recognizing his place as one of Alberta’s important country music pioneers and one of the early Canadian country artists to turn regional success into national chart recognition.

-Robert Williston