A couple of weeks ago I got an interesting email from one of our forum members. Les McLaughlin alerted me to the fact that he and his poetry-loving cyber pals had launched a site commemorating the poetry of Robert Service.

Plus they're hawking a CD, selling Service's songs. I wrote Les back, telling him if he sent me the CD, I'd review it plus the site. Yesterday the mailman arrived and today we're going to be talking about a Canadian legend I sort of forgot. The man who live on northern lore. The one and only Robert Service.

First a brief refresher courtesy of Les and the gang:

Robert William Service was "born in Preston, England on January 16th, 1874. He grew up in Scotland, where as a teenager he was employed by the Bank of Scotland."

Robert quickly grew bored of the bank and headed across the big pond to Canada. He hoboed through the Canadian frontier, eventually landing a job at yet another bank, only this time it was located in the Yukon. It was after transferring to Whitehorse that Service's poetic adventures truly began. He heard the incredible stories spun round the campfires. Tales of cremation, that spawned the legendary Cremation of Sam McGee. He met people who with the stroke of his pen, became Blasphemous Bill, Claw Fingered Kitty and One-eyed Mike.

Service was a correspondent for the Toronto Star during the Balkan Wars, he drove an ambulance in France during WW I, had a cameo in a Hollywood movie with Marlene Dietrich and then retired on the French Riviera. Talk about adventure!

The poet wrote six novels, two autobiographical works and "more than 45 verse collections containing over 1,000 poems." Wow!

And wow is what I've got to say about the CD. No, Cecilia Bartoli it ain't, but if you're looking for 100 percent pure Canadiana then The Songs of Robert Service is a must have for your musical collection. It features The Cremation of Sam McGee, The Shooting of Dan McGrew, Heart O' the North and a host of others. The recording takes you back, to a time of adventure in the distant, dangerous north. The quality's good and the performances (which are provided by Les and his band of seasoned musicians) are great. Grab a copy for yourself or your kids. It's bound to foster an interest in Canadian history for the youngsters. Plus stoke the fires of memory.

The website could have used a little more guidance in terms of layout, but that's just a question of graphic aesthetics. The facts are all there. There's lots of history on Service, sound bites (which allow you to sample the songs on MP3 or Real Audio), the dirt on Les and the gang, plus an intriguing "did you know?" trivia page.