Ronnie Prophet, known as the “entertainer’s entertainer,” knew instinctually which joke would win over a crowd. “When he walked into a room, if he wanted to, he’d own it,” recalls his wife and frequent performing partner Glory-Anne Prophet.The Canadian-born country musician was a gifted singer and guitar player too. “He could do it all,” says musician Jim Stafford of his friend who died last March at age 80. Prophet had numerous radio hits, including “Sanctuary,” “No Holiday in L.A.” and “The Phantom of the Opry.” He and Glory-Anne charted with “IfThis is Love,” “I’mGladWe’re Bad at Something” and others. He hosted various country music TV variety shows in the 1970s and 80s. He twice won the Juno for Country Male Vocalist of the Year. The Canadian Country Music Association named him Entertainer of the Year and Country Music Duo of the year with Glory-Anne in 1984, and he was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. The Prophets played Snowbird Extravaganza shows and Snowbird Lifestyle Presentations starting in 1999, doing their final tour in 2011. They were most at peace when they were in a dressing room getting ready for a show. Giving it up was tough for Prophet. During a Snowbird Lifestyle Presentations tour in 2010, he felt chest pain and shortness of breath. A doctor on tour suggested that he may have had a heart attack. “I feel fine,” he announced before he was to go onstage in Peterborough, Ont. “I’m going to do the show.” Prophet delivered what his wife recalls as “the best show he did on the whole tour.” After, he was taken by ambulance to hospital, where he was diagnosed as having had a major heart attack. During shows, Prophet would dress up in a mask and cape, get inside a homemade horse costume and put a boot on a crutch to make himself a three-legged man. He loved to ad lib. Frequently, a crew member would come backstage in the middle of the show, laughing his head off. “What did he do this time?” the crew would ask. If an audience member told Prophet that he had omitted a favourite song or humorous bit, he’d go back onstage and do it. He’d never let his ego get in the way. Ronald Lawrence Vincent Prophet was born on December 26, 1937 in Hawkesbury, Ont. near the family farm in Calumet, Que. Young Ronnie started singing at age seven and playing guitar at 10 – country music ran in the family…he was second cousin to Orval Prophet. By 15, he was playing on the radio in Ottawa. Two years later, he moved to Montreal to play in clubs. Prophet was soon performing in the U.S. and, in 1969, set up a home in Nashville where he bought a club and renamed it Ronnie Prophet’s Carousel Club. He began releasing albums and landing country hits. In 1973, he hosted CBC-TVsCountry Roads, a variety show. The Ronnie Prophet Show then had a stint in 1974. In 1975, he got a record deal with RCA and moved to CTV to host Grand Old Country, which had a lengthy run. In the late 80s, he hostedRocky Mountain Inn andRonnie ‘n The Browns. In the early 1980s, Prophet’s first marriage ended – he has two sons with his first wife – and a close colleague, Cecil “Cy” True, died in a fire. Saskatchewan-born Glory-Anne Carriere met him around that time when she joined one of his tours. They soon began recording songs together and married in 1986. In 1997, the couple moved to Branson, Missouri – a hub of live country music – and often did daily shows starting at 9:30 a.m. They formally retired in 2015 and moved to Tavares, Florida. While he lived most of his adult life in the U.S., Prophet stayed connected to Canada, spending his vacations near Calumet. “He loved the Laurentians,” says Glory-Anne. He is buried at a cemetery near the family farm. Prophet was a high-energy person who loved food – particularly crab legs – and caring for his pristine lawn with his riding mower. After his death, Stafford told Glory-Anne: “Ronnie was so full of mischief mixed with a little bit of fairy dust. He could get away with anything." OBITUARY Ronnie Prophet DECEMBER 26, 1937 – MARCH 2, 2018 56 | www.snowbirds.org
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