Sudbury, Ontario. Famous for their nickel mines, The Big Nickel, Laurentian University and Science North. Stompin’ Tom Connors even sang about a Saturday night there. A lot of musicians have come from Sudbury, but one stands out among them all…and he’s all but forgotten. Born Al Bruneau, 82 years ago today, he shortened his name to just Al Bruno. The Academy of Country Music in the U.S. named him Guitar Player of the Year ten times! But that’s just scratching the surface of his incredible history. In the 1950’s, he toured with Conway Twitty for four-and-a-half years while Conway was riding high with the popularity of his huge pop hit “It’s Only Make Believe.” Making his way to Philadelphia, Al worked with Dick Clark on his “American Bandstand” TV show and was musical director for Clark’s “Caravan of Stars Tour.” Bruno also was a resident guitarist for Capitol Records, working on sessions with Glen Campbell and James Burton. In the 1970’s, he played on such TV theme songs for shows like “Columbo,” “MacMillon and Wife,” “Happy Days” and “Laverne & Shirley.” Bruno also played on countless country classics like Bobby Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” Charlie Rich’s “Behind Closed Doors” and Tanya Tucker’s “Delta Dawn.” Al passed away in the summer of 2015, but his accomplishments and contributions to country music have few equals. (Pic: Al with Conway in Canada, 1960, courtesy brunobearmusic.com)