Blake Emmons, a Canadian-born country entertainer, recording artist, TV personality, and actor, has passed away.
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Emmons (born Bruce MacKenzie) died March 9 at age 81, per CTV News and his online obituary. No cause of death was provided.
Born in Toronto, Emmons spent his early years in Peterborough and Almonte, Ontario. He enjoyed a long and illustrious career in country music, television, and acting.
According to Billboard, Blake Emmons began his career in Vancouver, where he wrote commercials for TV and radio while performing on stage at venues like the famous Bunkhouse Club. In the mid-1970s, Emmons formed his first tour band, which included bassist Valdemar Horsdal, who later gained fame as the country/folk singer Valdy.
In 1974, Emmons hosted the CTV series Funny Farm, a Canadian version of Hee Haw. He also co-hosted the Nashville on the Road TV series with the late Jim Ed Brown.
Blake Emmons Became a Familiar Face on TV, Popping up on Shows Like ‘Alice’ and ‘The Golden Girls’
In 1977, Emmons guest-starred on the Jerry Reed TV series Nashville 99. His later television credits included hosting the game show Chain Reaction and making cameo appearances on the sitcoms Alice, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Golden Girls.
Emmons also hosted the sports show Fish ‘n Stars, appeared in the 1969 TV movie An Old Time Country Christmas, and authored the children’s book If You Think…You Can Do It. He was also heavily involved in hosting and performing at numerous Telemiracle and Wounded Soldiers charity fundraisers across Canada.
Emmons also had a prolific recording career. He released four Canadian country hit singles between 1969 and 1976, starting with “You’re My Woman” and “Deadest Man Living.” In 1978, he released his vinyl album, I Wish You Love, which featured the Top 10 hit “Let Me Do Something Lord” and the follow-up single, “Sunchild.”
Emmons released the vinyl album First Flight in 1983, followed by CD releases such as I Can Be and Dear Uncle Sam. His singles were released on the Caledon, Stop, ShowBiz, MGB, Condor, and Columbia record labels.
In 2016, Emmons was inducted into the North American Country Music International Hall of Fame. More recently, he hosted the podcast My Good Ole Country.