Minto Country Music Wall of Fame

Eric J Blackier was born in Saint John, NB in 1944, the second eldest of 4 boys to Edmond and Irene Blackier. He moved to Minto with his family at an early age. Eric’s love for country music became evident very early in his life, when he started to play the guitar and sing at the age of nine. This New Brunswick musician has been performing publicly for a period of 55 years. He began playing for dances at Minto Memorial High School, which led to numerous appearances at concerts, fairs and dances in the Grand Lake area.

Eric appeared on Bud Brown’s (1961 Capital Co-op Jamboree over CFNB in Fredericton. Shortly after this he moved to the Welland area of Ontario, where he worked and played with a popular rock & roll band called the “Barrons”. This group played for numerous shows, concerts, and talent contests in Toronto, Hamilton, Welland, Fort Erie, and Niagara Falls. Eric moved back to New Brunswick in 1963 and settled in Moncton where he became a member of Tommy Bastarache’s Jamboree.

The talented musician played with a number of popular bands in Southeastern New Brunswick, such as “Blue Side of Lonesome”, “Pure Country”, “Dawson City-2nd Edition” and several editions of the J.D. Whyte Band. Presently, Eric plays with the Canadian Legion Branch 6 House Band as well as with J.D. Whyte and the “Whyte Way”.

Besides Eric’s many guest appearances on shows such as the Kent Lake Lodge, (Shediac Local Cable, and Channel 5 Cable, Moncton), he has found time to release two recordings entitled, “Soiree Amateur VOL 1-6” with the Whyte Way Band recorded live at CKUM Radio 93.5FM, Moncton. A second CD “Dawson City–2nd Edition” was taped in Amherst, Nova Scotia in 1988.

A major highlight in Eric Blackier’s career was the founding of Jonathan’s Music City Museum and Opry, which features a Saturday night jamboree and is home to thousands of photos of Canadian Country Music artists.