'''Johnny Cowell''' (11 January 1926 in Tillsonburg, Ontario – 22 January 2018) was a Canadian trumpeter, composer and arranger.<ref name=":0">[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/johnny-cowell-emc/ Johnny Cowell] in the Canadian encyclopedia</ref>
==Early life== Cowell's father and three uncles were members of the Tillsonburg Town Band, and Cowell played his first trumpet solo with this band at age six.<ref name=":0" />
Cowell joined the Toronto Symphony Band in 1941 at the age of 15 as trumpet soloist.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite interview|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2016/01/17/regrets-hes-had-so-few.html|title=Regrets? He's had so few {{!}} Toronto Star|website=thestar.com|access-date=2016-05-27}}</ref>
Cowell was largely self-taught but after joining the Toronto Symphony Band he studied briefly with Edward Smeale in Toronto.<ref name=":0" />
He served during World War II as soloist with the Royal Canadian Navy band in Victoria, BC, and played first trumpet from 1943 to 1945 with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. He later studied composition at the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCMT) with Oskar Morawetz and John Weinzweig.<ref name=":0" />
From 1952 to 1991 he played with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.<ref name=":0" />
Cowell composed more than 200 songs, almost 150 have been recorded and several of them have become well known. Among them 'Walk Hand in Hand', 'His Girl,' and '(These Are) the Young Years' with Floyd Cramer.<ref name=":1"/> His song 'Walk Hand in Hand' (1956) has been recorded over 90 times <ref name=":1" /> making Cowell one of Canada's most successful songwriters<ref name=":0" /> He composed the trumpet instrumental ''Our Winter Love''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://johnnycowell.ca/music |title=Johnny Cowell: Music: Johnny's best known and loved pop hits |publisher=JohnnyCowell.ca |accessdate=July 19, 2017 |archive-date=January 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116044629/http://johnnycowell.ca/music/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> that Bill Pursell later arranged for piano in a No. 9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, in addition to hitting No. 4 on the Easy Listening chart, and No. 20 on the Hot R&B Singles chart<ref name="billboardsingles">[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p24771/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}} Billboard Singles], Allmusic</ref> in the Spring of 1963.
== Private life == Cowell married his wife Joan on 26 September 1953.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/4129130-cowells-celebrate-60-years-of-marriage-56-of-them-in-the-same-scarborough-home/|title=Cowells celebrate 60 years of marriage - 56 of them in the same Scarborough home|website=www.insidetoronto.com|date=27 September 2013 |access-date=2016-05-27}}</ref> They met six years earlier when he began playing trumpet for the dance band in which Joan was the vocalist. Cowell and his wife have a daughter, Marcie and three grandchildren.<ref name=":2" /> He died on 22 January 2018.<ref>[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestar/obituary.aspx?pid=187989715 Johnny Cowell]</ref>
==Discography== Cowell has released more than 10 LPs and CDs. * 1997 - ''The Art of Johnny Cowell''
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://johnnycowell.ca Johnny Cowell's website] * [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/johnny-cowell-emc Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca] * {{discogs artist|Johnny Cowell}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowelll, Johnny}} Category:1926 births Category:2018 deaths Category:Canadian composers Category:Canadian male composers Category:Classical trumpeters Category:Canadian male trumpeters Category:Musicians from London, Ontario Category:Players of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
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