Friends of Fiddler's Green
Encyclopedia
Friends of Fiddler's Green is a Canadian folk music
group based in Toronto
. The original members of the group for its first recording, The Road to Mandalay, were Grit Laskin
, Tam Kearney, Ian Robb
, Laurence Stevenson, David Parry
, Alistair Brown and Jeff McClintock on keyboards. Jeff McClintock was later replaced by Cherie Whalen.
The name of the group is derived from Fiddler's Green
, a mythical place of dancing and happiness. Founding member Tam Kearney emigrated from Scotland to Toronto in the late 1960s. Jim Strickland (also from Scotland) and Tam founded Fiddler's Green Folk Club on Eglinton Avenue, behind the YMCA. Gradually a nucleus of musicians developed, initially doing warm-ups at the club, and performing as a group. Ian Robb
arrived from England, in the 1980s. The arrival of other singers gave the group a distinctly Scottish flavor. David Parry was an enthusiast for mumming and brought a dragon's costume to the mix. At festival performances, the members may present English Mummers Plays, Morris Dancing or Scottish country dancing. The Vancouver Folk Music Festival documented a reviewer who claimed that Friends of Fiddler's Green were among the best British bands touring North America
Although they are not typically a touring band, they have also performed in the United States.
In the folklore of folk music, they are known as the inspiration for the Stan Rogers
' song, Barrett's Privateers
.
In 2003 they were given the "Estelle Klein Achievement Award" at the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals. A former keyboardist for the group, Jeff McClintock, was arrested by the religious police in Saudi Arabia
, probably in connection with his work with an otherwise all-female fiddle ensemble, the Frillyknickers.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
group based in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. The original members of the group for its first recording, The Road to Mandalay, were Grit Laskin
William Laskin
William "Grit" Laskin is a Canadian luthier, musician and guitar maker, particularly notable for his high-quality instruments, acoustic guitar innovations and for his skill in the art of inlay...
, Tam Kearney, Ian Robb
Ian Robb
Ian Robb is a well-known English-born folk singer, currently based in Ottawa, Ontario. He was a founding member of Friends of Fiddler's Green, and a columnist for Sing Out!. He is also a member of the Canadian folk trio Finest Kind....
, Laurence Stevenson, David Parry
David Parry (folk musician)
David Parry was a Canadian folk musician, storyteller, actor, stage director, and teacher. He was an important presence in the Canadian folk music scene from the mid 1970s up until his death in 1995. He worked both as a solo artist and as a member of the Friends of Fiddler's Green, a Toronto-based...
, Alistair Brown and Jeff McClintock on keyboards. Jeff McClintock was later replaced by Cherie Whalen.
The name of the group is derived from Fiddler's Green
Fiddler's Green
Fiddler's Green is a legendary imagined afterlife, where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle that never stops playing, and dancers who never tire...
, a mythical place of dancing and happiness. Founding member Tam Kearney emigrated from Scotland to Toronto in the late 1960s. Jim Strickland (also from Scotland) and Tam founded Fiddler's Green Folk Club on Eglinton Avenue, behind the YMCA. Gradually a nucleus of musicians developed, initially doing warm-ups at the club, and performing as a group. Ian Robb
Ian Robb
Ian Robb is a well-known English-born folk singer, currently based in Ottawa, Ontario. He was a founding member of Friends of Fiddler's Green, and a columnist for Sing Out!. He is also a member of the Canadian folk trio Finest Kind....
arrived from England, in the 1980s. The arrival of other singers gave the group a distinctly Scottish flavor. David Parry was an enthusiast for mumming and brought a dragon's costume to the mix. At festival performances, the members may present English Mummers Plays, Morris Dancing or Scottish country dancing. The Vancouver Folk Music Festival documented a reviewer who claimed that Friends of Fiddler's Green were among the best British bands touring North America
Although they are not typically a touring band, they have also performed in the United States.
In the folklore of folk music, they are known as the inspiration for the Stan Rogers
Stan Rogers
Stanley Allison "Stan" Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his finely crafted, traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing...
' song, Barrett's Privateers
Barrett's Privateers
"Barrett's Privateers" is a folk song in the style of a sea shanty, written and performed by Canadian musician Stan Rogers, having been inspired after a song session with the Friends of Fiddler's Green at the Northern Lights Festival Boréal in Sudbury, Ontario...
.
In 2003 they were given the "Estelle Klein Achievement Award" at the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals. A former keyboardist for the group, Jeff McClintock, was arrested by the religious police in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, probably in connection with his work with an otherwise all-female fiddle ensemble, the Frillyknickers.