Walk of Fame recipients announced

The 2022 Walk of Fame Award is honouring a pair of members of the Canadian pop rock back Jackson Hawke.

The selection committee for the Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame announced the award for 2022 will be given posthumously to Tim Ryan and Bob Yeomans.

Following is a full release from the committee on the announcement:

The Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame Selection Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Walk of Fame Award. This year’s award is given posthumously to Tim Ryan and Bob Yeomans of the Canadian pop rock band Jackson Hawke.

Early in their career, Ryan and Yeomans, originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, had been in a Canadian band called The Amen. The group performed regularly in Toronto on the Yorkville scene and were managed by notable Canadian manager, promoter and record producer Bernie Finklestein who went on to manage the careers of Bruce Cockburn, Murray McLauchlan and Dan Hill; as well as founding True North Records. The Amen recorded two songs in the sixties including Carnivals and Cotton Candy and Peter Zeuss that were released on the Algoma label. The Amen was the opening act for The Guess Who when they played the Princess Theatre.

In 1974, Jackson Hawke was co-founded by Ryan and Yeomans and was particularly prominent in Canada during the 1976-1978 period, releasing three singles and two albums on CBS Records. Their first single, released in 1976, was a double-sided hit, featuring the original You Can't Dance and a version of Van Morrison's Into The Mystic. You Can't Dance later became an international hit when released in 1978 by England Dan and John Ford Coley. The song was also covered and released as a successful single by Ricky Nelson. The band's 1977 single, Set Me Free, peaked at No. 54 in Canada, but went to No. 11 on the CHUM Chart in Toronto.

Jackson Hawke received a Juno Award nomination in the category of most promising group of the year in 1978. In 1984, Tim Ryan received a Juno Award nomination for most promising male vocalist of the year during his solo career.

In December 2007, both The Amen and Jackson Hawke reunited for the 18 Forever festival in Sault Ste. Marie, commemorating the musicians who had originally gained fame in Sault Ste. Marie in the 1960s.

The Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame Award recognizes individuals who have achieved a provincial, national or international excellence in a competitive athletic endeavour or cultural, academic or humanitarian field. Nominees must have been born in Sault Ste. Marie or lived in the city or surrounding area during their lifetime.

An awards ceremony recognizing this year’s inductees will be held at a later date. The Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame is a joint project of the City of Sault Ste. Marie and the Downtown Association.