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It’s Bud the Spud from the bright red mud

A Song That Put PEI
Potatoes on the Map.

A familiar song.
A new generation.

For longtime fans, we hope hearing Bud the Spud again brings back a memory or two. For those discovering it for the first time, we hope it introduces you to a little piece of PEI. Because after all these years, Bud is still on the road.
And those spuds are still from Prince Edward Island.

He was
singing about
more than a potato.

When Stompin’ Tom sang about potatoes from the bright red soil of Prince Edward Island making their way across the country, he captured a piece of Island life — our farmers, our red soil, our sense of humour and pride, and a product that has been part of this place for generations.

Bud the Spud became one of Stompin’ Tom’s best-known songs and helped introduce the story of PEI potatoes to people from coast to coast.

Now I know a lot of people
from east to west, that like
the spuds from the island best.

Bud the Spud, Stompin’ Tom Connors

Stompin’ Tom’s
Island roots

Stompin’ Tom’s connection to Prince Edward Island ran much deeper than a song. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Tom came to PEI as a child and was raised by the Aylward family in Skinners Pond, in western Prince Edward Island. It was here that he spent some of his formative years — surrounded by the farms, communities and people of rural PEI — before setting out as a teenager on the travels that would eventually take him across Canada.

Those travels became the inspiration for a remarkable career. Stompin’ Tom had a gift for celebrating the places, people and everyday experiences that make Canada what it is. He sang about miners and farmers, small towns and big cities, hockey, highways and working people. And when he sang about Prince Edward Island, he was singing about a place he knew personally — and a place he continued to consider home.

That connection endured throughout his life. In 1973, Stompin’ Tom was named an Honorary Goodwill Ambassador for Prince Edward Island in recognition of his contribution to Island life and culture. Today, his connection to the Island is celebrated at the Stompin’ Tom Centre in Skinners Pond, not far from the schoolhouse he attended as a boy.

  1. 1936Born in Saint John, New Brunswick
  2. ChildhoodRaised by the Aylward family in Skinners Pond
  3. 1969Bud the Spud is released
  4. 1973Named PEI’s Honorary Goodwill Ambassador
  5. 2017The Stompin’ Tom Centre opens in Skinners Pond
  6. 2026Bud is back on the airwaves

A familiar song.
A new generation.

PEI Potatoes is bringing Bud the Spud back to the airwaves.

There’s plenty of nostalgia in the song, but our story isn’t only about looking back. Today’s PEI potato industry combines generations of farming knowledge with new technology, innovation and a commitment to caring for the land that makes our potatoes so special.

And while a lot has changed since Stompin’ Tom first sang about those famous spuds, some things haven’t.

Family Grown

PEI potatoes are still grown by Island farm families.

Red soil

They still begin in our unmistakable red soil.

Coast to coast

They’re still picked and shipped to communities across Canada and beyond.

Around the table

And they’re still one of those wonderfully simple foods that have a way of bringing people together around a table.

For longtime fans, we hope hearing Bud the Spud again brings back a memory or two. For those discovering it for the first time, we hope it introduces you to a little piece of PEI — and to the people and place behind the potatoes you find in your grocery store today.

Because after all these
years, Bud is still on the road.

And those spuds are still
from Prince Edward Island.

The Great Canadian Sing Along:
Bud the Spud

Got your own spin on Bud the Spud? Let’s hear it!

Sing solo, get a group together or grab an instrument. Celebrate Stompin’ Tom’s Canadian classic, PEI potatoes and the farmers who keep our Island growing.

Share a video of your performance of the chorus for a chance to win one of three cash prizes. Perform the full song for bonus points! Need the words? Sing along right here.

Enter the Sing Along

Enter by November 30, 2026
at 11:59 p.m. Atlantic Time.

#budthespud

It’s Bud the spud from the bright red mud

Rolling down the highway smiling…

The spuds are big on the back of Bud’s rig

And they’re from Prince Edward Island

They’re from Prince Edward Island

Now from Charlottetown

or from Summerside

They load him down for the big long ride

He jumps in the cab and he’s off

with the pride Sobagos

He’s gotta catch the boat

To make Termentine

And he heads up that old New Brunswick line

Through Montreal he comes just a flyin

with another big load a potatoes.

It’s Bud the Spud from the bright red mud

Rolling down the highway smiling

The Spuds are big on the back of Bud’s rig

They’re from Prince Edward Island

They’re from Prince Edward Island

Now the Ontario Provincial Police

don’t think mucha Bud

Yeah the Cops have been lookin for the son of a gun

That’s been rippin the tar off the 401

They know the name on the truck shines up in the sun

“Green Gables.”

But he hits Toronto and it’s 7 O’Clock

when he backs er up again the terminal dock.

And the boys gather round just to hear him talk

About another big load a potatoes!

It’s Bud the Spud from the bright red mud

Rolling down the highway smiling

The Spuds are big on the back of Bud’s rig

They’re from Prince Edward Island

They’re from Prince Edward Island

Now I know a lot of people from east to west

that like the spuds from the island best.

Cause they’ll stand up to the hardest test

Right on the table

So when ya see that Big truck rollin by

Wave yer hand or kinda wink yer eye,

Cause that’s Bud the Spud from old P. E. I.,

with another big load a potatoes!

It’s Bud the Spud from the bright red mud

Rolling down the highway smiling

because he’s got another big load,

of the best dog gone potatoes that’s ever been growed

And they’re from Prince Edward Island

They’re from Prince Edward Island.

Bud the Spud, Stompin’ Tom Connors

Sing for a chance to win

First place$500CAD
Second place$100CAD
Third place$100CAD

Judged on creativity and performance quality, with bonus points for full-song performances. Winners announced December 2, 2026.

1

Make it your own.Sing solo, get a group together or add musical accompaniment.
2

Record your performance.Include at least the chorus in one video file, clearly seen and heard. Perform the full song for bonus points.
3

Upload your video.Complete the entry form by November 30 at 11:59 p.m. Atlantic Time.
Official contest rules
  • One individual entry and one group entry are permitted per participant.
  • Participants under 16 must have parent or guardian consent.
  • Your video must include at least the chorus of Bud the Spud in one video file. Full-song performances are encouraged and will receive bonus points. Submit by November 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Atlantic Time.
  • By submitting, you permit PEI Potatoes to share your video on its social media accounts.
  • No purchase necessary.
  • The PEI Potatoes team will select winners based on creativity and performance quality, with bonus points for full-song performances. Prizes are $500 CAD for first place, $100 CAD for second place and $100 CAD for third place. Winners will be announced on December 2, 2026.

Give Bud the Spud your own spin.

Ready to share your potato pride? Have your performance video ready and complete the entry form.

Enter the Sing Along

The entry form opens in a new tab.

FOLLOW @pei_potatoes