John Bird

Bird, John

John (Charles) Bird. Publisher, euphonium player, b Belgaum, India, 2 Nov 1923, d Toronto 26 Feb 2006. After World War II service as a euphonium player in the RCAF Band John Bird joined Gordon V. Thompson Ltd in 1946 and served as sales manager 1950-5 and general manager 1955-65. Bird was responsible for securing the rights to such hits as "Ca-na-da" and Hagood Hardy's "The Homecoming." On the death of G.V. Thompson in 1965, he became president and served until his retirement in 1988. He was president 1969-71 of the Festival Singers, chairman 1962-3 and president in 1976 of the Canadian Music Publishers Association (CMPA), first president and one of the founders in 1975 of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA), president 1976-7 of the Ontario Choral Federation, and president 1979-81 of the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada (CAPAC). In 1989, he served on the boards of CAPAC and CMRRA and again as president of the CMPA. Bird retired in 1990. He was later on the board of the Elmer Iseler Singers and the advisory board of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

See also Charles Bird (his father), Bailey Bird (his brother) and Irene Bird (his sister-in-law).