Glenn Graham (born April 29, 1974) is a Canadian musician, composer, author, and academic from Judique, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. [1]
Graham has received music industry recognition. His second solo release, "Step Outside", garnered nominations for "Male Artist of the Year" and "Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year" at the 2002 ECMAs. In 2006 he received his fifth nomination at the ECMAs for his recording, "Drive", in the Roots/Traditional Solo Recording category. In 2006, he authored The Cape Breton Fiddle, published by the Cape Breton University Press. [2] He and first cousin, the Honourable Rodney MacDonald (an educator and retired politician who served as the 26th Premier of Nova Scotia from 2006–09 and as MLA for the riding of Inverness in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1999 to 2009), formed their own label, GlennRod Music Incorporated. Their 1997 album "Traditionally Rockin'" was nominated for two ECMAs. After MacDonald entered politics, Graham created and recorded on his own label, Bowbeat, but later returned to recording, performing, and marketing independently under his own name. He remains in demand for performances, both solo and as a duo act with MacDonald. [3] Graham's sister, Amy, is also a Cape Breton musician and songwriter who has received radio airplay and music placements on TV shows. [4] [5]
Graham's parents are Gaelic singer Daniel ("Danny" Danny Graham) and pianist Mary (Beaton) Graham. He began performing in public at age seven, when he sang a Gaelic song with his father in a concert in Glendale, Nova Scotia. He began taking fiddle lessons at age ten from his maternal uncle, Kinnon Beaton, a renowned Cape Breton fiddler and prolific composer. Graham's grandfather, Donald Angus Beaton, was a legendary fiddler/composer, and his grandmother, Elizabeth Beaton, was a well-known pianist. Graham and musicians from his mother's side of the family, the Beatons, have been recorded by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. [6] [7] He is also a grand-nephew of the late Alex Francis MacKay, a revered native Gaelic-speaking Cape Breton fiddler. Moreover, Graham is a song-writer and composer. He released a book containing some of his hundreds of fiddle tunes; other artists have recorded some of his compositions while popular TV series and independent films have also featured his music. [8]
Graham studied political science at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish (BA Honours), and obtained his first post-graduate degree (Master of Arts) in Atlantic Canada Studies at Saint Mary's University, Halifax in 2004, with his thesis, Cape Breton Fiddle Music: The Making and Maintenance of a Tradition Archived 2011-08-13 at the Wayback Machine . A revised and widely-cited book version was published in 2006 as "The Cape Breton Fiddle: Making and Maintaining Tradition" with CBU Press and is now with Nimbus Publishing. [9] [10] Graham also earned a PhD in Political Science at Dalhousie University, [11] taught courses there, and taught as an Assistant Professor in Political Science at Saint Francis Xavier University. Graham currently works as an Assistant Professor at Cape Breton University. [12] He has published articles in academic journals such as the Journal of Canadian Studies [13] and Canadian Political Science Review [14] and was a member of Nova Scotia's 2018-19 Electoral Boundaries Commission. [15] [16]
Hugh Alan "Buddy" MacMaster was a Canadian fiddler. He performed and recorded both locally and internationally, and was regarded as an expert on the tradition and lore of Cape Breton fiddle music.
The Gaelic College, formally The Royal Cape Breton Gaelic College, is a non-profit educational institution located in the community of St. Anns, Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island, along the Cabot Trail. Founded in 1938, its focus has been on the perpetuation of Highland Scottish Gaelic culture.
In the province of Nova Scotia in Canada, Celtic music has played a significant role, both in its traditional forms and fused with other musical styles. Nova Scotia's folk music features traditional tunes brought over from the Scottish Highlands in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as well as localized forms such as Cape Breton fiddle music. In recent years, a wide variety of other musical genres have emerged in Nova Scotia, which has produced several country music stars such as Hank Snow, Wilf Carter, Anne Murray, and Rita MacNeil.
Natalie MacMaster is a Canadian fiddler from Troy, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, who plays Cape Breton fiddle music. She has toured with the Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana and Alison Krauss, and has recorded with Yo-Yo Ma. She has appeared at the Celtic Colours festival in Cape Breton, Celtic Connections in Scotland and MerleFest in the United States.
Jerry Holland was a musician and fiddler who lived on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Mary Jane Lamond is a Canadian Celtic folk musician who performs traditional Canadian Gaelic folk songs from Cape Breton Island. Her music combines traditional and contemporary material. Lamond is known as the vocalist on Ashley MacIsaac's 1995 hit single "Sleepy Maggie", and for her solo Top 40 hit "Horo Ghoid thu Nighean", the first single from her 1997 album Suas e!. Her 2012 collaboration with fiddler Wendy MacIsaac, Seinn, was named one of the top 10 folk and americana albums of 2012 by National Public Radio in the United States.
Cape Breton fiddling is a regional violin style which falls within the Celtic music idiom. The more predominant style in Cape Breton Island's fiddle music was brought to North America by Scottish immigrants during the Highland Clearances. These Scottish immigrants were primarily from Gaelic-speaking regions in the Scottish Highlands and the Outer Hebrides. Although fiddling has changed considerably since this time in Scotland, it is widely held that the tradition of Scottish fiddle music has been better preserved in Cape Breton. While there is a similar tradition from the Irish-style fiddling, that style is largely overlooked as a result of the strong Scottish presence in the area.
Dan Rory MacDonald was a Canadian fiddler who lived in Cape Breton. He is notable for his composition of many fiddle tunes.
Mabou is an unincorporated settlement in the Municipality of the County of Inverness on the west coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. The population in 2011 was 1,207 residents. It is the site of The Red Shoe pub, Beinn Mhàbu, the An Drochaid Museum, and Glenora Distillers.
Rodney Joseph MacDonald is a Canadian politician, educator and musician who served as the 26th premier of Nova Scotia from 2006 to 2009 and as MLA for the riding of Inverness in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1999 to 2009.
Donald Angus Beaton (1912–1981) was a Canadian blacksmith and a Cape Breton-style fiddler.
Kinnon Beaton is a Canadian musician from Mabou, Nova Scotia. He is the son of Donald Angus Beaton and Elizabeth MacEachen, plays the fiddle in the Scottish music genre famous on Cape Breton Island and wrote a book of violin music called The Beaton Collection.
Brenda Stubbert is a Cape Breton fiddler and composer from Point Aconi, Nova Scotia, Canada. She comes from a musical family, as her father, Robert, and uncle, Lauchie, were both well-known fiddlers. Brenda began step dancing and playing the piano at age five, and started playing fiddle at age eight.
Hugh Alexander “Sandy” MacIntyre (1935–2021) was one of the most respected artists in the tradition of Cape Breton fiddle music.
William Hugh Lamey (1914–1991) was a renowned and influential Cape Breton fiddler. He was a pioneer in recorded performances of the music. As an avid collector of rare tunes, he amassed one of the most comprehensive and valuable collections of written Scottish violin music.
The Red Shoe Pub is a restaurant located in Mabou, Nova Scotia. Open seasonally, it has been operated by Canadian musical group The Rankin Family since May 2005, and is a regular host to both local and visiting Celtic musicians. Artists such as Buddy MacMaster, Glenn Graham (fiddler), Mac Morin and Gerry Deveau have played at the Red Shoe in recent years.
Heather Elaine Rankin is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actor. She is most well known as a member of the multi-platinum selling musical group The Rankin Family.
Lee Cremo was a Mi'kmaq fiddler from Cape Breton Island, Canada.
Còig is a Canadian folk music quartet from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The group consists of Darren McMullen, Rachel Davis, Jason Roach and Chrissy Crowley.
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