Canadian Fiddle Country
tagStarted 1940sPeak 1950s-1970sLast big hit 1980sFrom Canada
Located in 1 route
The 'down-east' old-time fiddle country of the Maritimes and Ontario: brisk reels, jigs and waltzes over a steady country backbeat, piano and guitar accompaniment. Clean, bouncy bowing built for kitchen parties and step-dancing, the instrumental backbone of mid-century Canadian rural radio and TV.
History
Don Messer and His Islanders defined the down-east style on CBC radio and on 'Don Messer's Jubilee' (1959-69), one of Canada's most-watched programs. Ontario fiddlers Graham and Eleanor Townsend recorded prolifically in the Messer mold from the late 1940s, and Maritime fiddle contests from 1950 sustained the tradition for generations.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: Don Messer and His Islanders
- Wikipedia: Canadian fiddle
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: Fiddling