Wilf Carter was one of Canada’s first country music stars. Wilf was born in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia on December 18, 1904. His father was a traveling Baptist Minister who was born in Switzerland and his mother was from Aldershot, Hampshire, England. At the age of 16, Carter quit school to work fulltime first as a farmhand and then as a lumberjack. In 1920, he left Nova Scotia for Calgary to work in the wheat fields but eventually found work as a rancher. While working, Carter continued in bunkhouses and camps to perfect his singing, guitar playing, and song writing skills. He then began to perform locally at dances and house parties. His career really took off when he auditioned for a radio show on CFCN in Calgary. He got the job and began to entertain people all over North America. Wilf died at the age of 92 in Arizona. Over the years he won many awards for his music. He was the first Canadian Idol!
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