Film Review: You Left Me Blue: The Handsome Ned Story

by Allan Tong

June 18, 2010

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He was talented, charismatic and doomed. Inspired by Elvis and The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Toronto's Handsome Ned brought country music to Queen Street West and helped put the Cameron House on the map. Back in the late-70s, Queen West was starting to blossom into a boho enclave, with the Cameron being one of the city's few live music clubs.

Playing @ NXNE: Friday, June 18

He was talented, charismatic and doomed. Inspired by Elvis and The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Toronto’s Handsome Ned brought country music to Queen Street West and helped put the Cameron House on the map. Back in the late-70s, Queen West was starting to blossom into a boho enclave, with the Cameron being one of the city’s few live music clubs. Dressed in his trademark cowboy hat and kerchief, Ned soon attracted the respect of other musicians and the devotion of local fans. His afternoon residency at the Cameron helped establish his career and the venue.

Ned spun records on university radio, and cut his own sides of rockabilly and country. He even mixed in reggae to amazing results. However, mainstream success was always a hit song away, and sadly he never reached that plateau. Instead, Ned died of heroin at age 29.

Fortunately, there’s a lot of old concert footage, photographs and interviews to bring Ned alive on screen. The filmmakers throw in new interviews with former band members, Blue Rodeo and local musicians such as John McLeod. The result is a glowing tribute to Handsome Ned, whose talent shines through. For the casual fan or the uninitiated, however, this 79-minute film will seem like overkill. The film loses momentum at times, and Ned’s attraction to booze and drugs merely hints at a dark side that begs elaboration.

That said, there’s no denying that You Left Me Blue is a labour of love.

Tags: Music, Blue Rodeo, Elvis Presley, Handsome Ned, NXNE, The Byrds, The Cameron House

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