Insight
John Berkmortel began guitar lessons at nine years old. His teacher was Kathryn Sharpe, nineteen at the time, who told him he had ability and kept on telling him so. Almost four decades later that encouragement would come back around in the most public way imaginable, but in the meantime it did what good teaching does. It gave a Southwestern Ontario kid the lifelong habit of writing songs.
By 1983 Berkmortel was writing his own material. “Your Love for Me,” the earliest song he would eventually gather onto the retrospective collection One Day at a Time, dates from that year. “You’re the One” followed in 1986, and 1987 alone produced four more: “25 Years Have Just Gone By,” “A Little Forgiveness,” “Motor Runs Dry” and “Childhood Recollections.” The songs accumulated alongside the rest of his working life. He wrote them the way other people keep journals.
That same decade brought him into partnership with Bill Lamont. The two had gone to the same high school in Strathroy, and as Gilded Cage they built a studio project. They wrote, they recorded properly, they serviced radio and they went after industry exposure, all while Berkmortel kept his day job.
Gilded Cage’s first single, “Last Time” backed with “A Feeling I Can’t Hide,” came out on London’s Auto Records in 1987 as AUTO 003. Peter Brennan produced it, Joe Vaughan engineered at EMAC Studios in London and Lacquer Channel in Toronto handled the mastering. Berkmortel sang lead and backing vocals and played bass and guitar, with Lamont on guitar and keyboards. Jeff Stevens, Jane Colligan, Peter Brennan and Steve Malison filled out the sessions. The record won CFPL-FM’s On Track songwriting competition and took several nights of CKSL’s Battle of the Bands, and local press credits the duo with On Track wins across both 1986 and 1987. Roughly a thousand copies moved through Auto Records and area retailers.
The 1988 follow-up, “Tara” backed with “Rain” on Auto 005, went considerably further. It picked up airplay at more than fifty stations across Canada, and the pair were named CKSL Battle of the Bands champions. A video for “Tara,” shot by Ryerson students Tim Martin and Jeff Wickstead, placed second in the music video category at CBC Telefest ’89 and went on to air on YTV and CBC’s Video Hits. Both singles drew PRO Canada and Music Scene coverage.
Two years of that was enough. Berkmortel and Lamont stepped away from Gilded Cage as the decade closed, and Berkmortel went back to writing on his own terms. “The Once Upon a Time” dates from 1988, “Rock ’n Roll Mountie” from 1989, “A Winter’s Morning” from 1990 and “Gift of Sight” from 1993. A Gilded Cage recording called “Gotten Over You” carries a 1993 date as well, so whatever ended in 1989 was the public phase of the band and not the friendship behind it.
In 2005, with a backlog of songs stretching back twenty years, Berkmortel set about recording them properly. Somewhere in that process he went looking for Kathryn Sharpe to thank her. He found that she had spent her career in education and was deeply involved with Peaceful Schools International, and that she had a phrase she used with students: do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Berkmortel wrote it into a song.
“The Right Thing to Do” was finished in 2006 and given to Peaceful Schools International. Berkmortel sang and played guitar and bass, Judy Von sang backing vocals, Kathy Gillard played piano and clarinet, and Doug Gillard and Ross Teeple played drums. Glen Teeple recorded it at The Music Room in Arkona.
The song then did something home recordings almost never do. Hetty van Gurp’s 2007 book Creating Caring Schools: Peace-promoting activities for all seasons built a section around it, printing the song and its sheet music across pages 70 to 82 with a CD tucked inside the back cover, and recommending it to teachers for assemblies through the school year. Van Gurp thanked Berkmortel by name for writing it. A guitar teacher had started him at nine, and his thank-you to her ended up as classroom material.
One Day at a Time gathers twelve songs written between 1983 and 2006, and its credits read like a map of the players Berkmortel worked with over those years. Randy Lawson engineered and programmed drums across much of the collection, Glen Teeple recorded several tracks, Bill Lamont returned on keyboards, Christine Grimminck added guitar, vocals and flute, Steve Malison played saxophone, Tyler Viaene played keyboards, and Tim Martin, the same Tim Martin who shot the “Tara” video, played snare and percussion. Ben Berkmortel sings on “A Winter’s Morning.” Glen Teeple and Berkmortel remastered the album at The Music Room.
He never stopped playing. Berkmortel has sung in choirs and worked in bands including Goldhawk and, more recently, Just Like That, and he still turns up on stage with Bill Lamont from time to time. In August 2026 he played Sundays at the Station in Glencoe alongside his son Luke, guitar and piano and family harmonies, carrying a musical life that started with childhood guitar lessons into a second generation.
-Robert Williston
KKD Villager Magazine, Sept 2026
Gilded Cage and Beyond:
John Berkmortel
Over his musical career, John Berkmortel has been fortunate to have had played in bands, choirs, and as a solo artist.
A local resident of the Mt. Brydges-Delaware, John has lent his musical talents to a variety of different venues. He’s even performed with several bands, including Goldhawk, and most recently, Just Like That.
Most notably, in the late eighties John and his partner Bill Lamont took to the airways as part of the Gilded Cage. They went on to win the FM96 On Tracks Contest twice in 1986-1987, which resulted in their work being broadcast across various Canadian radio stations.
Their first single— “Last Time’ b/w ‘A Feeling I Can’t Hide”— received significant airtime, even winning the CFPL-FM’s On Track Songwriting competition and winning CKSL’s Battle of the Bands across multiple nights. Over a thousand copies were distributed through Auto Records and other local retailers.
This was followed by a second single “Tara’ b/w ‘Rain” in 1988.
The song continued to boost their profile, being broadcast on more than 50 radio stations across Canada. By then, the two were already multiple-time FM96 On Track winners.
After two years of tremendous success, John and Bill ultimately chose not to pursue further opportunities with Gilded Cage. However, that doesn’t mean that the two ever hung up their instruments.
Now, John continues to perform within his new band and as a solo musician.
“Many places don’t have the physical space, nor budget to hire a whole band,” John explains. “So they often prefer to have a solo musician playing tastefully in the background. This challenges me as a performer in ways that playing with an ensemble doesn’t. With a band, you’re one piece of the puzzle. When you’re playing solo, you’re on your own! You need to bring your best interpretation of those songs!”
Despite all his decades of experience, John remains dedicated to continually expanding his breadth of musical offerings.
“I’m always trying out new songs,” John explains. “Even if they’re just new to me. That way I can keep improving my sound. It’s nice when you can keep surprising yourself, year after year.”
Perhaps most significantly, John continues to play the odd gig with his former Gilded Cage bandmate, Bill Lamont. Their songs are still proudly displayed online in the Museum of Canadian Music. Interested in booking John? Feel free to reach out to him at jdberkmortel@gmail.com.
Gallery
Images
2 images
John Berkmortel - One Day at a Time BACK
One Day at a Time
Media
Videos
0 videos
No videos available for this title.
Credits
Track Credits:
Your Love for Me
John Berkmortel: vocals, guitar
Glen Teeple: recording engineer
You’re the One
John Berkmortel: vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
Randy Lawson: drum programming, recording engineer
25 Years Have Just Gone By
John Berkmortel: guitar, vocals
Christine Grimminck: guitar, vocals
A Little Forgiveness
John Berkmortel: vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
Randy Lawson: drum programming, recording engineer
Motor Runs Dry
John Berkmortel: vocals, guitar, bass
Bill Lamont: keyboards
Steve Malison: saxophone
Randy Lawson: drum programming, recording engineer
Childhood Recollections
John Berkmortel: vocals, guitar, bass
Glen Teeple: recording engineer
The Once Upon a Time
John Berkmortel: vocals, guitar, bass
Tyler Viaene: keyboards
Tim Martin: snare drum, percussion
Randy Lawson: recording engineer
Rock’n Roll Mountie
John Berkmortel: vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
Randy Lawson: drum programming, recording engineer
A Winters Morning
John Berkmortel: vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
Ben Berkmortel: vocals
Christine Grimminck: vocals
Randy Lawson: drum programming, recording engineer
Gift of Sight
John Berkmortel: vocals, guitar
Christine Grimminck: vocals, flute
Randy Lawson: recording engineer
One Day at a Time
John Berkmortel: vocals, guitar, bass
Judy Von: vocals
Bill Lamont: keyboards
Ross Teeple: drums
Glen Teeple: recording engineer
Right Thing to Do
John Berkmortel: vocals, guitar, bass
Judy Von: vocals
Kathy Gillard: piano, clarinet
Doug Gillard: drums
Ross Teeple: drums
Glen Teeple: recording engineer
Lyrics:
1. Your Love for MeYour Love for Me
(John Berkmortel)
You know that I’m just so crazy ‘bout you.
Around you the light always shines.
And when you smile, I just can’t help but admire the glowing warmth from deep inside.
Chorus:
Just to hear your voice really lightens up my day.
To be close to you is a joy I can’t repay.
I only wish that nobody takes away your love for me.
But times goes on and the feeling slowly dies.
Friendship is all that remains.
Deep inside an everlasting fire is burning.
Can’t you see it in my eyes?
I often think and wonder what would have been, if our lives had never crossed.
Either way, I am happy to have known you.
A bird set free is never lost.
I recall your voice really lightened up my day.
When I was close to you, saw the smile upon your face.
I can only wish you remember me that way, your love for me.
Your love for me (wasn’t meant to be).
My love for you (it once was true).
Your love for me (was like a bird set free)
My love for you (fond memories).
You’re the One
(John Berkmortel)
A long, long time ago, I was walking on a windy day.
Thoughts were drifting in my mind. I wondered why my life’s this way.
For once a pretty girl in a crowded room gazed at me and I looked her way.
There was something in her smile. I realized it right away.
Chorus:
You’re the one, you’re the only one and I’ve prayed for the day you’d come.
Now that you’re here, a new times begun.
You’re the one, you’re the only one.
Seasons come and seasons go.
The autumn leaves for falling snow.
The birds of sun are on their way, but for me another day.
Life’s pleasures speak to me in rhyme; the best of times will fall in line.
One thing I know that I can’t deny, when you’re with me I realize.
Chorus
Solo
Bridge:
I’m only trying to tell you baby, all the things we can do to make it right, all right.
The things that I do show you that I mean what I say.
A gift in a song for you tonight; tonight. Yeah.
Chorus
3. 25 Years Have Just Gone By25 Years Have Just Gone By
(John Berkmortel)
And not so very long ago a young man came to say
To a very pretty girl he found along life’s way.
And he asked her patiently; would you like to marry me?
And since then, they’ve never regret.
Chorus:
The 25 years that have just gone by.
Your family always be by your side.
God always will be there you can’t deny that your love has grown from deep inside.
From the time their children were born to the time they went to school,
it seemed that life was full of promises and broken rules.
A parent’s love it has no bounds to conquer all life’s up and downs.
With God’s help they made it through.
Chorus
The years gone by were full of joy.
The ones to come will be once more
a blessing, a time to enjoy.
Chorus
Your love has grown from deep inside.
4. A Little ForgivenessA Little Forgiveness
(John Berkmortel)
I say a word out of place; you seem to take it the wrong way.
Mistakes do cause some disgrace, a little forgiveness for my sake.
Were both human and still, love doesn't phase on a bad day.
The two reasons make one, and one makes a promise that I say.
Chorus:
I will be there.
I will be there.
I will be there.
I will be there.
I will be there.
I will be there.
A kind word spoken sweet, the sparkle in your eyes says everything is all right, awaken to clear skies.
The storms that rage in my heart are all gone.
No reason why I should feel all alone.
Not when your here at my side.
Chorus
Solo
Bridge:
Take a step out of time.
Linger in the halls of loneliness.
Down the way there’s a door which leads to the room of emptiness.
You’re the one with the key to unlock all that I fear and what I distress.
You’re the one, you’re the one, you’re the one.
And I will be there.
I will be there.
I will be there.
I will be there.
I will be----
I say a word out of place; you seem to take it the wrong way.
5. Motor Runs DryMotor Runs Dry
(John Berkmortel)
Oh, the light shines so dim, the starry skies out tonight,
people are walking around like they don't know its night.
All the fast cars are out; they like to lay rubber down.
People look out of their cars to see if I looked around.
You see I don't even care about your fast-moving thrills,
I'm looking for something more inviting, something you never will.
So give me the key to excitement, shift my will into drive.
Gonna travel life's lonely highways till my motor runs dry.
Chorus:
Till my motor runs dry, till my babys out of sight.
Ain't spending no time.
Gonna move on down the line.
You see a busy street corner; there's a signal above.
The sign says walk, wait, hold on boy for the green light has gone.
Oh, the red light will turn before you know what to do.
Don't you yield, don't be senseless, got to push your way through.
People are blind, they don't notice what the world tries to do.
Everybody tries to copy, be a copy of you.
I won't mold to you easy; I won't bend to your lies.
Gonna travel life's lonely highways till my motor runs dry.
Chorus
Solo
Bridge:
Buddy can't you wait for me for I need a ride.
I hope this is my ticket out of this senseless demise.
Just let me say a word to her, a farewell goodbye.
For you know I can't live in a lie – I can't live in a lie.
Oh, the glow now has faded, all the sparkle is gone.
All the things that you cherished will just lead you along.
Haunted by strangers with all their charms and their lies.
Gonna travel life's lonely highways till my motor runs dry.
Chorus
Song introduction by Greg Simpson, FM96 Rado, London Ontario 1987.
6. Childhood RecollectionsChildhood Recollections
(John Berkmortel)
Get your lunchbox ready, boy its time for school.
Oh, you better hurry. Being late’s not cool.
Learn the golden rules, what to think and do.
Don’t forget your homework. Have to pay your dues.
Now you get your training. Get it while its free.
Think about tomorrow, just you wait and see.
As we’re growing older, time will take its toll.
Steal our innocence, so guard your mind and soul.
Chorus:
Our childhood recollections.
Our childhood recollections.
Sometimes kids are mean. I remember well.
I just ran much faster, made me never tell.
Feeling scared and humbled and I don’t know why.
I did nothing wrong, must blame the other guy.
Their authority is all in my mind.
Feeling scared for nothing, must build up my pride.
Taken years to earn it, gain my confidence.
And we learn to defend it, build our inner strength.
Chorus
Bridge:
Looking back, I recall all the crying shames that we’ve been through.
The familiar phrase, “it’ll be good for you”, boy you know it’s true.
The smiling face of a pretty girl that we once knew….
Our childhood recollections.
And if I were given one more shining chance to repeat the years that lead to circumstance.
I would never even change a little thing.
Who would want to mess with all the joy it brang.
Chorus
Oh, my childhood recollections…
7. The Once Upon a TimeThe Once Upon a Time
(John Berkmortel)
She came to me follow winter snow oh, oh.
A treat so rare yes in time I'd know, oh, oh.
The season is about to change and so, so.
The warmth it brings to me feel your loving glow.
The time is right and I know for sure.
The feeling's right and I can't be wrong.
Chorus:
Days without end, the story never ends.
You here with me is the only,
Way that I feel, a bond forever sealed.
The once upon a time since I met you.
Reach out your hand for I feel your cold, oh.
Two comes one and we've just begun you know.
You make me laugh, feel your joy don't hold back, got to show.
Need no yes dear man, want no slow down girl and so, so.
The time is right and I know for sure.
The feeling's right and I can't be wrong.
Chorus
Bridge:
We're the characters, the narrators in a story far from through.
Life's a long time to live, it's what we say and do.
Hold my hand and feel the way, the key to our success.
Turn the page and settle for nothing less.
Turn the page and settle for nothing less.
Chorus
Days without end…
She asked me to tell her a story...
8. Rock ‘n Roll MountieRock ‘n Roll Mountie
(John Berkmortel)
As far back as I remember, as a child I dreamed to be,
a preserver of the music, the heart and soul of me.
Once a clean-cut boy, with a worn leather coat, some ragged blue jean.
Oh, see a Mountie ride again, a force to be seen.
Oh, a Rock 'n Roll Mountie rides again.
A force to be seen.
Well, I'm Canada's finest rockin' law man in sight.
Travel all 'cross this country in hopes I will find
rock is healthy, it's spirit's alive.
Never meaning no harm just give a warning or two.
Don't you blaspheme or swear at rock 'n roll's straight cut groove.
I, I am a Rock 'n Roll Mountie.
Well, my job is to clean up all the riff raff in town,
those who love elevator music, those who disco around.
Trying to keep this world straight playing music that's cool.
Rock 'n roll is the answer.
Rock 'n roll is for you. Yeah.
Don't hold rock music for ransom, it's priced way too high.
Feel the blues because you miss it. Pretty woman don't cry.
I am a rock 'n roll Mountie.
Now don't you step on my shoes, you'll rub the suede off and find,
I'm not one to be messed with.
Don't play out of time.
I, I am a Rock 'n Roll Mountie.
You've got the right to remain silent, but boy if you do the long arm of the law will have a strangle hold on you.
Trying to keep this world straight playing music that's cool.
Rock 'n Roll is the answer.
Rock 'n Roll is for you:
Listen to what I'm telling you.
Solo
I was meant to be, for music, for you and me.
To serve and protect thee, protect thee, protect thee.
I am a Rock 'n Roll Mountie. (4x)
Past the sunset, cross this great land.
I hear a beat that keeps on calling me
A Rock 'n Roll Mountie.
9. A Winter’s MorningA Winter’s Morning
(John Berkmortel)
A winter’s morning, the sky just broken.
A little baby, in mother’s arms.
First step into a world of false devotion.
Born to the ones that call baby son, oh their son.
He grew up fast, lacked some attention.
A father’s burden, a mother’s pain.
Street smart retention that’s very hard to break in.
He grew apart from his family’s love, Oh their love
It’s very hard to understand just what went wrong.
Didn’t we take care of you? Didn’t you belong?
Mom and dad, I love you still. Can’t you see the way?
I want to live, enjoy my life and it’s my own way.
Now a man of twenty strolls down the sidewalk.
Recalls a childhood that never had been.
A product of surroundings, condemned to live within them.
You see his teardrops, his broken heart.
Oh, his heart.
Turning back the hands of time, to right these wrongs.
To lighten up a shadowed past, a dream I’ve had so long.
Solo
Repeat verse #1
A winter’s morning, the sky just broken.
Oh, he grew apart from his family’s love
Oh, a winter’s morning…
Gift of Sight
(John Berkmortel)
Like a candle shares it’s glow we mark the way.
How to live this life we go from day to day.
Face each challenge put before us with a smile.
Sometimes even cry a tear once in a while.
When a candle burns the wax just goes away.
Slowly brightness fades replaced by darkness pain.
As our focus slowly changes what may.
We believe that there will be a brighter day.
Chorus:
I see the hope.
There is a way to see the light.
Become the gift of sight.
Life it has it’s good times and it’s bad.
When we lose a gift, we thought we’d always have.
Face the future straight ahead we still can see that we are the person that we wish to be.
For each child that’s born a candle you will find.
As we search for answers we will see the signs.
Hope’s a spark to lighten every day.
Who can help but see the future and to say
Chorus
Bridge:
One candle in darkness is but one light.
Joined together such brightness will show.
To uncover the mysteries the shadows hide.
To behold.
The future brings a vision all it’s own.
A feeling that we know we’re not alone.
In a while the spark will turn to flame and each candle will burn strong and bright again.
Chorus
… become the gift of sight
This work is dedicated to RP Research Foundation of Canada.
11. One Day at a TimeOne Day at a Time
(John Berkmortel)
Life is full of people who are just like you and me who work for a living each day.
Watch and look around. See the faces in the crowd.
Some smile; some look in a daze.
Waiting for the lottery, that’s what they tell you and me.
The odds are against them I say.
Be happy with what you got. Please, don’t complain a lot.
Chase your dream a little each day.
Chorus:
Take it one day at a time.
Each stop along the line.
Life’s choices you must make.
Learn how to give and take.
All the new reality you watch on the TV, I can’t tell what’s real or what’s fake.
Cosmetic surgery available for you and me.
We get better looking each day.
The high road, the low road, either one will take the tolls.
Pay our dues, we’ll be on our way.
Don’t forget to look around, smell the roses, hear the sounds.
Relax, my advice for the day.
Chorus
Solo
Life is full of people who are just like you and me who work for a living each day.
Watch and look around. See the faces in the crowd.
Some smile; some look in a daze.
All the new reality you watch on the TV, I can’t tell what’s real or what’s fake.
Cosmetic surgery available for you and me.
We get better looking each day.
Chorus
Take it one day at a time.
Each stop along the line.
Life’s choices you must make.
Learn how to give and take.
Take it one day at a time.
Don’t you know life is fine.
Each step along the way gets better every day.
Take it one day at a time.
Each stop along the line.
Life’s choices you must make.
Learn how to give and take.
Take it one day at a time.
Don’t you know life is fine.
People just want to be, have fun like you and me……………
No Comments