Cedric Landers from Lutes Mountain New Brunswick has been playing piano for almost his entire life but the soon to be 90 year old never imagined he would become an overnight social media sensation with people from around the world listening to his inspirational hymns. The devoted husband plays piano for his wife Marina every day after 70 years of marriage, and with help from their daughter Loralee Druart they started posting videos of Cedric playing hymns on Facebook where the response was so overwhelmingly positive that Druart started an Instagram account for her dad on December 30th. It took off with more than 10,000 followers and videos viewed over 1.3 million times with viewers from all around the world.
Cedric said he can not register it yet that it has really happened and keeps saying he can not believe that many people are listening to what he calls the radio, but he learned to play when he was just seven years old back when radio brought music into homes. The music loving child would rush home from school to turn the radio on listening to every musical program and famous singers like Bing Crosby until his mother chased him to bed. In high school Cedric sang in a quartet that toured the Maritimes, and after his studies he bought a pickup truck and Hammond organ travelling from Pittsburgh to Newfoundland to play music living what he calls a pretty good life.
Druart believes her father is popular because old hymns bring joy and bring back childhood memories of growing up in church or singing with grandparents. Cedric who always thought of himself as an organist not a piano player said it is hard to believe his music is being heard worldwide, but he figures church people know all the hymns and if you are into that kind of music you stop and listen proving beautiful melodies can touch souls across every border.
