The Earle of Welsford

At the turn of the 20th Century, Earle Spicer attended the annual Methodist camp meeting in Berwick, where his mother had established a tradition of attending since it was founded in 1872.

Born in 1891 to Richard S. and Lavinia Spicer of Welsford, Kings County, Earle began singing at an early age, and often entertained at the hymn sings and informal sing songs at the camp meeting.

He attended high school in nearby Berwick and graduated from Mt. Allison University, Sackville, N.B.; in 1913 with a degree in music. When one of his professors recognized the true scope of his vocal talent, he suggested Earle develop it. Spicer went on to study in London, Paris and New York.

Earle was beginning to make a name for himself in the music world when he joined the Canadian army in the First World War. His health did not permit him to go to France, so Staff Sergeant Spicer was given a position in the Canadian Records Office, where he spent three years.

His music career spanned over half-a-century, including a command performance before Kings George V and Queen Mary at Buckingham Palace. In the letter to his father, Earle said it was hard to settle down without a servant turning his socks and dinner at night with all the fixings.

When in Europe, he was concert soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra and featured soloist over the National Broadcasting Company Network in the United States after he returned to North America.

Further on in his career, Earle became a household name as “The Friendly Fuller Brush Man” on the popular radio show. The featured soloist was a childhood friend of Alfred Fuller, the sponsor of the program in later years. He became immensely famous for his tours of the college circuit, giving hundreds of performances.

Though Earle lived in New York, he spent his summers in Berwick, where he gave freely of his time running the music program for Gala Day. He was program director for Berwick’s centennial celebrations in 1951.

Always a booster of his home province, he was held in high esteem by young and old. He made generous donations to what was at that time the Western Kings Memorial Hospital. He took a keen interest in the hospital and spent a half-day there twice a week with patients when he was home in Berwick.

The camp meeting was held over the CBC radio network in 1940, with listeners finding the musical portion of the broadcast pleasing. It was generally thought fitting Earle Spicer, who had brought distinction to Berwick and whose life had been so linked with the camp meeting, should sing on the broadcast.

Earle, a bachelor, once said: “My heart is in my homeland. Nothing else does me so much good as seeing the young people of the Valley growing into fine men and women and cultivating their various artistic abilities as they grow.”