Jerry Goodis

Canadian folk musician and advertising mogul, Jerry Goodis was born June 25, 1929, in the 'garment district' of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His father, a union organizer, passed away when Jerry was just 7 years of age. An awkward child from a working class family, Goodis said he relied on his quick wit as a defense mechanism, something that would later benefit his life and career. Belonging to the United Jewish People's Order, Goodis attended Camp Naivelt in Brampton, Ontario, where he met others, and eventually helped form the great Canadian folk band, The Travellers in 1953. Acting as a singer, the group consisted of Jerry Gray (banjo/lead singer), Sid Dolgay (mando-cello), Oscar Ross (singer), and Jerry Gray's sister, Helen Gray (singer). In 1954, Helen Gray was replaced by fellow Camp Naivelt attendant, Simone Cook (m. Simone Johnston). Inspired and encouraged by mentor, Pete Seeger of The Weavers, they went on to write and record the Canadian version of fellow "folkie", icon, and U.S. blacklisted artist, Woody Guthrie, "This Land is Your Land". Their version is still sung, respected, and known nationwide in Canada. During this time, they donated all their proceeds of this song to Guthrie and his family in their time of crisis. Predominately known for playing union halls and picket lines, The Travellers made their TV debut in 1954 on the CBC's 'Haunted Studio' and were finalists in 1956 on the network's 'Pick the Stars'. That same year, Goodis formed his own advertising agency, Goodis, Goldberg, & Soren, with Samuel L. Goldberg, The Travellers musical director until 1961, and Albert Soren, his half brother. Within 27 months, the company's billing reached $30 million, and became one of Canada's fastest growing firms. In 1961, after successfully touring Canada and other parts of the globe as a musician, he left The Travellers to concentrate fully on his full-service advertising firm. During the 1970s, Goodis worked as an advertiser for the Liberal Party of Canada. For 19 years he served as the top advertiser, tactical advisor, speech writer, communications counselor, and policy consultant for former Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, and was appointed Special Emissary to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, U Thant, for Canada. In turn, he served on a number of government committees, including the Canadian Council on the Status of Women, the Special Senate Committee on Mass Media, and as a special witness to the Anti-Smoking Branch of Canada Health and Welfare. He also found time to be a teacher at Centennial College, Toronto, and founded "The Jerry Goodis Business Education Group", which has appeared at many universities and community colleges. Over the years, Goodis and his firm, through their accounts, have created Canadian "catch phrases" such as, "We care about the shape you're in" (WonderBra), "Never so good for so little" (Swiss Chalet), "At Speedy You're a Somebody" (Speedy Muffler King), and "Harvey's makes your hamburger a beautiful thing" (Harvey's). Other major accounts included, Hush Puppies and London Life and Gordon of Canada. Goodis, remaining the advocate for the people, refused to advertise or promote three categories of products: tobacco, war toys or games, and poorly designed or manufactured goods. He has won innumerable awards in his field, and has also written three books, Have I Ever Lied To You Before? (1972), GOOD!S: Shaking the Canadian Advertising Tree (1991),and his autobiography, Battles of a Marketing Warrior (1991). A native, and long time resident of Ontario, Goodis decided to move to British Columbia a year before his death. He was diagnosed with cancer 8 months later. According to his wife, Joyce Seidel-Goodis, he remained a "peoples' man", even while facing death. "He could put them all at ease. When he was airlifted to the hospital in Vancouver, he knew all the nurses' names. He cared about people and believed in everybody." Goodis passed away at age 73, leaving behind a legacy in music, advertising, politics, and three children, Leslie, David and Noah.