Hillbilly-Music.com—The People. The Music. The History.
King Ganam
Born:  August 9, 1914
Died:  April 26, 1994
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame

About The Artist

King Ganam

King Ganam was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada. His dark, good looks came from his father who as Syrian; his mother was english. His original name was Ameen Ganam, but he found that the Arabic name "Ameen" confused listeners, so he changed the name to simply "King". He felt there was a bit of kinship in his ancestry for the nomadic Arab tribes were similar to the wandering cowboys that he pays tribute to in his music.

King got his reputation as a fiddle player. One magazine wrote, "...this is the hottest fiddle since Nero played while Rome burned...".

He was featured at one time on CBC-TV's "Holiday Ranch, which aired on Saturday nights at 7:30pm. He also had his own show on CBC Trans-Canada called the "King Ganam Show" which was on Tuesday and Thursday at 1:45pm.

In 1956, it's reported that his fan club had well over 1,000 members. We've not found any recording information about him yet, but they mention some of his original compositions included, "Ridin' The Fiddle", "Kiley's Reel", "Alberta Stomp", and "King Ganam's Special".

Credits & Sources

  • Folk and Country Songs, November 1956; Amercian Folk Publications, Inc.; Derby, CT

Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)

 
RCA Victor
Rec. No. Side Song Title
  20-5870 A Kiley's Reel
  20-5870 B Ridin' The Fiddle