‘An Interview with Margaret Good’

Margaret Good is one of those rare people who finds some way of balancing her own life, family life and business no matter which way they lead. Doesn’t everyone?

Yes, but they’re not Margaret Good. As the wife of Bruce Good of The Good Brothers – our internationally known but locally grown country-rock band – her life has a broader scope than most.

Life with the Good Brothers can take you to the awards night to pick up another Juno (they have won 8 consecutive Junos so far) or singing across Western Canada “traveling from places like Estevan, Saskatchewan or Snake’s Breath, Alberta…” Margaret says with a twang and then laughs.

It was 20 or so years ago when Margaret was working for the Richmond Hill high school dance committee that she booked a rock group called the Good Brothers. One week later, she was singing with them.

For the past eight years, Margaret has stopped singing and has taken on the role of financial manager for the band. At one time she was the band’s manager and a licensed booking agent with the union. She has also been a professional singer and not only for the Good Brothers. When Bruce was called out to Halifax to do the Noel Harrison show, some years ago, Margaret went with him. At some point during the week’s rehearsals Margaret remembers, “there was a party and I sang a couple of songs and they asked me back to do the show.”

Dallas, their youngest son was 2 years old at the time and Travis the eldest son was 7. Margaret hadn’t sung professionally in years. She credits her husband Bruce with encouraging her to do the show.

“I knew all the songs and I knew the band would cover me if my voice cracked… . I just pictured all the worst things happening and the taping went really well. It was a lot of fun.”

After that, Margaret was prepared to once again keep her singing voice at home. But as fate would have it, Ed Wideman, another Richmondhillite and a man who once sang with Elvis Presley was looking for a back up group for the Ronnie Prophet Show on CFTO. He had seen Margaret’s television debut and so Margaret began singing back-up vocals for Ronnie Prophet and such guest stars as Dolly Parton and Charlie Pride.

The two years Margaret sang for the Ronnie Prophet show was certainly a highlight in her life. “Ian and Sylvia and Gordon Lightfoot were my heroes when I was a teenager, says Margaret wistfully. “I always used to think it would be great to meet them and then there I was singing right there beside – well, behind some of the biggest names in country music.” Margaret never fails to be critically concise yet still warm and funny. Probably all the necessary personality traits to survive the diversity in and around her life.

Presently, Margaret works as a substitute teacher in grades K through 8 and she also teaches an exercise course for the York Region Family ‘Y’. Although she does not recommend it, she has been known to teach 14 one-hour exercise classes per week. Now she only teaches six.

“I think maybe the reason that I have done so many different things,” she says, “is so that my time is flexible. So I can be with Bruce when I want to be with him. It’s hard to have a nine-to-five job and be married to a musician.”

The one true career constant has been her appreciation of music. A talent inherited from her father, Lloyd Queen, who was the head of the music department for the Department of Education for Ontario. He was also instrumental – excuse the pun- in getting Margaret to obtain her teaching certificate after Travis was born. She was only nineteen.

“At that point,” Margaret says, “I was just ready to sit back and take care of my baby and enjoy myself but no such luck. But now I’m really glad I did (go back to school) because I still teach.”

Apparently her students are familiar with her celebrity status as “the wife of one-of-the Good Brothers” but Margaret laughs, “To tell you the truth, they’re more impressed with the fact that I’m Dallas and Travis Good’s mother!”

Richmond Hill, in particular, will be looking forward to the release of the Good Brothers’ ninth album later this month.