How trading drumsticks for a masonry trowel made George Morgan love music again

"To me, the pendulum had to swing pretty far in the other direction," says percussionist George Morgan of his dramatic mid-life career change.

At age 47, Morgan laid down his drumsticks and picked up a masonry trowel, leaping from one of Newfoundland and Labrador's leading industries — culture — into another — the skilled trades.  

"To be honest, I kind of hit a wall in that industry," said Morgan of his decades working in the province's music scene.

"Then I got married, had children, moved out of downtown, and went to trade school."

Morgan retrained as a mason, and then set up his own business, specializing in chimney repairs and small outdoor projects.  

"It's amazing what masonry can do for your music," said Morgan.  

"After six or seven years, I started to love music again."

From the scaffold to the studio

Morgan climbed down from his chimney scaffold and returned to the recording studio. He called in many of his old friends from the local music scene and made the album, Not Set In Stone.   

Morgan said part of the reason he chose masonry was to do something completely different from music, but now, he can see some parallels in both pursuits.

"One of my [chimney] specialities is 'tangly downtown,' and you often have to be very creative to get yourself out of a jam."

Have a First Listen to George Morgan's conversation with Weekend AM's Heather Barrett.

Do you have a new album of music that Weekend AM should know about for First Listen? Email us [email protected] and tell us about it.

You can hear First Listen on Sundays on Weekend AM from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in Labrador) on CBC Radio One.