A man from Sault Ste. Marie who helped create one of the largest and longest-running Elvis festivals in the world passed away peacefully in his hometown earlier this month, but loved ones say his impact in music will live on forever.
Billy Cann, who previously went by Billy “Can,” made a name for himself as an Elvis Presley tribute artist during the 1970s and 80s. His convincing rendition of the “King of Rock and Roll” helped him earn international acclaim as he performed on numerous tours across the continent.
While he worked for various companies as a master plumber around southern Ontario at the time, Cann’s son Rob — one of five children — told SooToday his father’s true passion was honouring the rockabilly legend.
“He was a great entertainer — just full of charisma,” he said. “It was almost like it was his last performance every show. And he had a powerful, powerful voice. He could really belt it out like nobody’s business.”
“He also spoke in his natural voice; he didn’t try to put on the Elvis voice and that kind of stuff,” he added. “He presented it more like a celebration of life and made it about honour and respect. The audience really appreciated that.”
Alongside his friend Dorian Baxter, Cann eventually founded the Collingwood Elvis Festival in 1995, which quickly became regarded as the largest convention of its kind on the planet.
Headline acts would take to the main stage in front of thousands at the centre of town, while other Elvis tribute artists from around the world performed at local bars and night clubs — “transforming” Collingwood for an entire week, according to past attendees.
“It was just a sea of people,” Rob recalled. “That whole main street down Collingwood was just filled with people. We don’t know how he did it. It just blew my mind.”
As CollingwoodToday reported last week, the long-time organizer of the Collingwood Elvis Festival had high praise for the original founder.
“He was somebody who was full of great ideas,” festival coordinator Rosemarie O’Brien said. “He was a little before his time, in that regard. He was the brains behind it.”
Rob noted that his dad even managed to bring in prolific friends and colleagues of Elvis, who were referred to as the “Memphis Mafia,” which contributed to an atmosphere that was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
“It was awesome,” he said. “The people he was able to call up, like Al Dvorin, the guy who said: ‘Elvis has left the building.’ I even got to sit down with Marian Cocke, who was Elvis’ nurse for the last seven years of his life.”
Cann parted ways with the festival after five years before the town ran it for 20 more. It was eventually retired in 2019.
But the convention wasn’t the only unique lens Rob had the opportunity to witness his dad through.
For more than a decade, the proud son got to join Cann on countrywide tours with his band called Jailhouse — a rockabilly, rock and roll-style group that played songs from Elvis Presley’s era.
Rob remembers his dad would assemble big productions and shows for the group, some of them ranging from 13 to 20-piece bands that included back-up singers, a horn section, and an extra piano player, among others.
They even got to perform at the SkyDome in Toronto for a halftime show at a CFL game during the early 90s.
Now a bassist with Bullet Train in the Sault, Rob credits the time he spent by his dad’s side for allowing him to learn the musical tricks and skills necessary to be successful in the industry.
“I’m so grateful for all of it,” he said. “He really treated me more like a best friend. Being able to bond like that on the road gave me a different perspective of my dad and who he was. You get to see a whole different side of him.”
“He always demanded the best players come on board,” he continued. “I got to learn from university teachers or guys who had already been playing for 25 to 30 years — extremely talented people. He was always that mentor and wanted you to be the best you can be with the resources that you have.”
Whether he was in the boxing ring and teaching out of the Scarborough Boxing Club, opening up his own restaurant with live entertainment just outside Alliston, Ont., or hosting backyard parties for his family and friends, Cann wasn’t the kind of person who stayed in one lane.
His family takes a lot of pride in that.
“He always taught me that you have to explore yourself, because there’s so many facets to your life that you probably don’t even know about until you tap into it,” Rob explained. “And if you can do that, it’s going to open up a whole world for you.”
After living in Toronto for much of their adult life, Cann and his wife Carol entered the retirement phase of their life and moved back to the area in 2008, settling near Ojibway Park in Garden River.
Although his entertainment days were behind him, the devoted performer still found ways to impact people’s lives for the better in his hometown.
“He was a great mentor for a lot of guys on the reserve,” he said. “He was still doing small birthday parties, and the last time he performed was when he was around 70 years old. He just couldn’t put it down, he still had it.”
“Anybody I speak to has the utmost respect for him because he did what he wanted to do to keep his life happy,” he added. “When he came back, it’s like he finally landed in his home.”
A father and grandfather himself, Rob feels honoured to instill the values he learned from his dad to the younger generations of his family.
“Follow your dreams and do what you want in life — that’s the advice that carried over,” he said. “He lived his life outside the box and left me the tools to survive.”
Cann leaves behind children, stepchildren, grandchildren, great grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will take place at the Garden River Community Centre on Aug. 23 at 1 p.m. and is open to the public.