The Day the Music Died - Chasing the Light Fantastic

“Nobody stopped to hear him though he played so sweet and high. They knew he had never been on their TV so they passed his music by” – “For Free” by Joni Mitchell

Donnie Tucker was an accordion player who busked downtown St John’s Newfoundland for almost 30 years. I photographed Donnie dozens of times over the years. I would often try to capture his style or look for some framing or composition I found interesting and we both enjoyed a little playful fun. Often times I would stop for a chat and he would tell me about his women’s issues or his dog Zoey. He loved dogs and a lot of them would take their humans for a walk downtown and they would always stop and spend some time with him. A few people told me their dogs looked forward to seeing Donnie! He often busked during the winter months (yes Newfoundland winters) and if you are familiar with my work you would have seen that I love to take street photos in the snow and got a few of Donnie then too.

Sorry to say Donnie passed on November 2022. RIP Donnie! He’d be happy to know that Zoey found a lovely home as you can see below.