50 years of ATV includes the popular series 'Up Home Tonight'

One man plays the guitar while the other plays the fiddle in an episode of the 1980s television show "Up Home Tonight." (CTV Atlantic)

As Gordon Stobbe looks back on the eight seasons of “Up Home Tonight,” he fondly remembers the series that ran on ATV, wrapping up its on-air run in 1990.

From the outset, the show highlighted and celebrated musical talent from all over the Maritimes.

“There are a lot of people here who have invested a lot of time into being good at what they do,” said Stobbe. “ATV allowed me and Barry Bramhill, the producer, to travel around the Maritimes and audition people."

Hundreds of talented singers, musicians and dancers appeared on more than 170 episodes -- including the Rankin Family before they became world famous.

“There is talent and there is ability and then there is the business sense which you need to have to be as big as the Rankins were,” said Stobbe.

Stobbe was invested into the Order of Canada in 2018 and says “Up Home Tonight” remains a career highlight.

“One of the things I am most proud of is that we had step dancers on every week,” said Stobbe. “Step dancing is a regional thing in the Maritimes and we realized everywhere we go there are different types of step dancing and it’s really amazing to see.”

“Up Home Tonight” was shot and produced in the CTV Robie Street studio in Halifax.

“We had a secret ingredient," said Stobbe. "We had good singers, good guests and a good house band but the real secret ingredient was a good old-time kitchen.”