Stouffville musician, author launches new historical album in hometown

Jason Wilson's latest recording, Sumach Roots, tells untold stories of colonial Ontario

YorkRegion.com
Jan 22, 2019
Alexandra Rusu

To Jason Wilson, Whitchurch-Stouffville isn’t just a town.

It’s where he grew up, where he shares many memories, and where his life is.

That’s why he chose to preview his new album, Sumach Roots, at his hometown theatre, the Lebovic Centre for the Arts--Nineteen on the Park.

Sumach Roots is a collection of musical vignettes that tell the unheard of, or even untold, stories of Upper Canada across four centuries.

It focuses a lot on Toronto, especially the Irish famine of 1847 and how it impacted the city.

“During the famine, around 38,000 Irish immigrants came to Toronto,” said Wilson, an adjunct-professor of history at the University of Guelph as well as a two-time Juno Award nominee, Canadian Reggae Music Award winner and bestselling author.

“The population of Toronto was only 20,000 at the time. Many of the Irish came carrying diseases, which quickly spread. One of the vignettes tells the story of a Toronto nurse who died trying to help them.”

The album also touches on the diaries of Elizabeth Simcoe, wife of John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant-General of Canada. 

Her diary entries provide valuable insight on what life was like in Upper Canada, Wilson said.

“Even though our stories are centred on Upper Canada, we like to think that they could translate anywhere. We try to tell them from different angles.”
Sumach Roots is the second part of a set titled The Valley Road Trilogy that began with Wilson’s album Perennials, relating stories from Ontario and from New York.

Before every song is played, actors perform a skit to introduce and explain the stories being told, instead of saying the context of the song before the band plays it.

“I’ve never seen something like it before,” Wilson said. “And I don’t like to ramble, so it’s a great way to introduce these stories.”

To Wilson the stories told on Sumach Roots are very important.

“It connects us to history, which is a huge part of my life. But more importantly, it connects us to each other. Through these stories, you can almost hear yourself in that person, which I like to think makes for a nicer world.”

For more information, visit jasonwilsonmusic.com.