Sharon Hampson and Bram Morrison of Sharon, Lois and Bram embarked on what was to be their final tour earlier this year, but it hasn’t all been fond farewells. The beloved children’s performers claim that they’re owed thousands of dollars by a British Columbia promoter.
The West Coast leg of the tour brought the duo to venues in Nanaimo, New Westminster, Abbotsford and Kelowna in October, rather than the “major centres” — a decision that drew small crowds.
Making matters worse, promoter Travis Pangburn’s company Pangburn Philosophy folded in November.
Hampson told CBC that she estimates that they lost out on $15,000, after Pangburn failed to cover flights, transportation and the salary of their three-piece band.
Hampson and Morrison were not paid their full fee, and the final two venues on the tour — Abbotsford Arts Centre and the Kelowna Community Centre — are still waiting for payments.
Morrison described the situation as “a disaster,” adding that it won’t cause them financial ruin, “but in this final year of our touring, for this kind of thing to happen was not a nice thing.”
“It sucks,” Pangburn said in an email to CBC. “I am and forever will be huge fans of Sharon and Bram. The fact that the shows didn’t bring in enough to cover their full fee was not expected and it was highly unfortunate.”
The musical duo are now considering options to return to BC to say a proper goodbye to a “wider audience.” They still have a round of East Coast shows coming up in 2019, but hope to return to Victoria and Vancouver in the future.
The third member of Sharon, Lois and Bram, Lois Lilienstein, passed away in 2015 at the age of 78.
