By Joel van der Veen

ELBOW — Jeffery Straker warned patrons at his concert last weekend not to mess with the lady running the merch table.

Dawn McTavish, his former piano teacher, was lending a hand by selling CDs, T-shirts and other items at the back of the Civic Centre auditorium.

“When I didn’t practise, she cuffed me upside the head,” he joked, “so just keep that in mind.”

Straker, a singer-songwriter and pianist originally from Punnichy, entertained a crowd of more than 100 in Elbow on Sept. 3.

The auditorium was filled nearly to capacity for the evening show, a fundraiser for the village’s community park.

Straker had played in Elbow previously as an opening act at another show, and was welcomed back warmly, with at least one audience member wearing red canvas shoes in imitation of his trademark footwear.

McTavish was Straker’s piano teacher for six years, offering lessons from her farmhouse near Raymore.

She has since retired to Elbow, where she plays piano for the Line 19 Choir. (Their repertoire includes an arrangement of one of Straker’s songs, “Prairie Tune.”)

McTavish described him as a “dream student,” adding, “I shipped him off to Regina when he got too good for me.”

For the full story, please see the Sept. 12 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.