The Men of the Deeps has been engaging with audiences around the world since 1966. Formed with a goal of representing Cape Breton and Nova Scotia at the 1967 World's Fair in Montreal (Expo '67), the Men of the Deeps has lived on as North America's only coal miners chorus. They have performed all across North America, in China and in Europe. As the choir's musical director for more than forty of those years, John C. (Jack) O'Donnell is the most qualified to mark the travels and performances of the choir's half-century in the spotlight.

Jack O'Donnell is Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Department of Music at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Professor O'Donnell holds degrees in music from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, and the University of London (England) Kings College. He is a Member of the Order of Canada, holds an honorary degree from Cape Breton University (an honour conferred upon the entire group in 2000) and the Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award from ECMA. Professor O'Donnell has published widely on the subject of coal mining songs in Canada including an anthology And Now The Fields Are Green: A Collection of Coal Mining Songs in Canada (CBU Press, 1992).