Music of Canada's Maritimes
Encyclopedia
The music of Canada's Maritime provinces
has included many artists from both the traditional and pop genres. The traditional genre is heavily influenced by the music brought to the region by the European settlers, the most well known of which are the Scots & Irish celt
ic and Acadian
traditions. Successful pop acts from all genres have had degrees of national and international success since the beginning of recorded music period. Performers as diverse as Hank Snow
, Stan Rogers
, Anne Murray
, the Rankin Family
, Barachois
, The Men of the Deeps
and April Wine
have all experienced tremendous success as popular music acts with considerable national and international tours and record sales.
While closely related to the three Maritime provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador
is culturally and politically separate. However, the two areas share a regional awards show, the East Coast Music Awards, and a common musical heritage.
and Irish
settlers on the sound of the regions traditional music. This celtic derived music is most strongly expressed on Cape Breton Island
, which is especially well-known for the Scottish influx in the late 18th century and early 19th century. Scottish-style fiddle
music, sometimes accompanied by the piano
, was popular at the time, and these traditions survive today. In some cases, like Cape Breton Island, Scottish folk traditions are better-maintained than in Scotland itself.
The work of Helen Creighton
and Louise Manny
is particularly noted for documenting the traditional ballads and sea shanties of the region. The Miramichi Folksong Festival
preserves the lyrics and music of northeastern New Brunswick, especially ballads from 19th and early 20th century lumber camps.
The last two decades of the 20th century saw a revival in Maritime (Celtic music), spurred by a wave of similar oots revival]s] in Quebec
and the rest of Canada, Scotland, Ireland and the United States. The first wave of Maritime traditional music was led by folk artist John Allan Cameron
in the 1970s . By the late 1980s, Cape Breton had produced two crossover acts, the multi-platinum selling The Rankins and the less successful but critically acclaimed Barra MacNeils
, Ashley MacIsaac
, Natalie MacMaster
, Lennie Gallant
, and Slainte Mhath
. Other modern performers have continued to add new influences to traditional Maritime music, including Gaelic lyrics in Mary Jane Lamond
's Suas e!, Western classical music in Puirt a Baroque's Bach Meets Cape Breton and Middle Eastern musical influences in Laurel MacDonald's Chroma. New Brunswick
has seen a roots revival of their own Acadian traditions, dating back to before the French settlers of the area were expelled to Louisiana
and became the Cajuns. Barachois
is probably the leading band of this revival, while The Gallants and The Arsenaults are two of the most famous Acadien musical families of the East Coast.
Halifax, Nova Scotia has become a center for black music in the Maritime provinces, both in the continuation of the traditions of the freed slave and loyalist blacks especially gospel music
, and also with music arriving with African immigrants.
, though both New Brunswick
and Prince Edward Island
have made contributions as well.
. Currently, Storch is listed along with The Neptunes, Timbaland, Kanye West and Dr. Dre as the largest, most successful music producers in the US. While Storch found success in the US market, he is a proud East Coast Canadian. Storch is rarely recognized by the east coast music community, despite his vast success. At age 33, his fortune was recently quoted at $70 million+. He has produced music for 50 cent, Fat Joe, Christina Aguilera, Eminem, Lil Wayne, etc. and is known for hits like Candy Shop, Fighter, and Lean Back.
See List of songs produced by Scott Storch
acts with support for the genre especially strong in New Brunswick. Many new acts are of the death metal
/black metal
sub-genres, one example being Obscene Eulogy
, although all styles are represented.
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
has included many artists from both the traditional and pop genres. The traditional genre is heavily influenced by the music brought to the region by the European settlers, the most well known of which are the Scots & Irish celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic and Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
traditions. Successful pop acts from all genres have had degrees of national and international success since the beginning of recorded music period. Performers as diverse as Hank Snow
Hank Snow
Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow was a Canadian-American country music artist. He charted more than 70 singles on the Billboard country charts from 1950 until 1980...
, 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...
, Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
, the Rankin Family
The Rankin Family
The Rankin Family is a Canadian musical family group from Mabou, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The group has won many Canadian music awards, including 15 East Coast Music Awards, six Juno Awards, four SOCAN Awards, three Canadian Country Music Awards and two Big Country Music Awards.- Career...
, Barachois
Barachois (band)
Barachois is a Canadian band from Prince Edward Island that plays traditional Acadian music.The members of the group are:*Albert Arsenault - fiddle, percussion, bass, vocals*Hélène Bergeron - keyboard, guitar, fiddle, vocals...
, The Men of the Deeps
The Men of the Deeps
The Men of the Deeps is a world renowned male choral ensemble composed of coal miners and former miners from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.-History:...
and April Wine
April Wine
April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969. According to the band, they chose the name 'April Wine' simply because members thought the two words sounded good together...
have all experienced tremendous success as popular music acts with considerable national and international tours and record sales.
While closely related to the three Maritime provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
is culturally and politically separate. However, the two areas share a regional awards show, the East Coast Music Awards, and a common musical heritage.
Traditional Music
The Maritime provinces are best known for the strong influence of ScottishScottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
settlers on the sound of the regions traditional music. This celtic derived music is most strongly expressed on Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
, which is especially well-known for the Scottish influx in the late 18th century and early 19th century. Scottish-style fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
music, sometimes accompanied by the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, was popular at the time, and these traditions survive today. In some cases, like Cape Breton Island, Scottish folk traditions are better-maintained than in Scotland itself.
The work of Helen Creighton
Helen Creighton
Mary Helen Creighton, CM was a prominent Canadian folklorist. She collected over 4,000 traditional songs, stories, and myths in a career that spanned several decades, and she published many books and articles on Nova Scotia folk songs and folklore...
and Louise Manny
Louise Manny
Louise Elizabeth Manny was a New Brunswick folklorist and historian. She was born in Gilead, Maine but her family moved to New Brunswick when she was three...
is particularly noted for documenting the traditional ballads and sea shanties of the region. The Miramichi Folksong Festival
Miramichi Folksong Festival
The Miramichi Folksong Festival, the oldest folk music festival in Canada, is held annually in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada.It was established by Louise Manny in response to a request from Lord Beaverbrook that she document the traditional songs of his boyhood home. It is the longest continuous...
preserves the lyrics and music of northeastern New Brunswick, especially ballads from 19th and early 20th century lumber camps.
The last two decades of the 20th century saw a revival in Maritime (Celtic music), spurred by a wave of similar oots revival]s] in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and the rest of Canada, Scotland, Ireland and the United States. The first wave of Maritime traditional music was led by folk artist John Allan Cameron
John Allan Cameron
John Allan Cameron, was a Canadian folk singer, "The Godfather of Celtic Music" in Canada. Noted for performing traditional music on his twelve string guitar, he released his first album in 1968. He released 10 albums during his lifetime and was featured on national television...
in the 1970s . By the late 1980s, Cape Breton had produced two crossover acts, the multi-platinum selling The Rankins and the less successful but critically acclaimed Barra MacNeils
Barra MacNeils
The Barra MacNeils are a Canadian musical group from Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia. The founding members of the group are siblings Sheumas, Kyle, Stewart, and Lucy MacNeil. In 2005 two additional brothers, Ryan and Boyd, joined the band...
, Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac is a Canadian professional fiddler from Cape Breton Island.His album Hi™ How Are You Today?, featuring the hit single "Sleepy Maggie", with vocals in Scottish Gaelic by Mary Jane Lamond was released in 1995...
, Natalie MacMaster
Natalie MacMaster
Natalie MacMaster, CM is an award-winning fiddler from the rural community of Troy in Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada who plays Cape Breton fiddle music....
, Lennie Gallant
Lennie Gallant
Lennie Gallant, CM is a Canadian singer-songwriter. His music crosses into the folk, Celtic, rock and country music genres...
, and Slainte Mhath
Slainte Mhath
Slainte Mhath were a celtic fusion band from Cape Breton Island. The band features traditional instruments associated with Celtic music, intertwined with elements of dance, funk, and electronic music. Slainte Mhath have toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Asia...
. Other modern performers have continued to add new influences to traditional Maritime music, including Gaelic lyrics in Mary Jane Lamond
Mary Jane Lamond
Mary Jane Lamond is a Canadian celtic folk musician who performs traditional Canadian Gaelic folk songs from Cape Breton Island. She was born in 1960 in Kingston, Ontario, graduated from Westmount High School in Montreal and then the Celtic Studies program at St...
's Suas e!, Western classical music in Puirt a Baroque's Bach Meets Cape Breton and Middle Eastern musical influences in Laurel MacDonald's Chroma. New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
has seen a roots revival of their own Acadian traditions, dating back to before the French settlers of the area were expelled to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and became the Cajuns. Barachois
Barachois
A barachois is a term used in Atlantic Canada and Saint Pierre and Miquelon to describe a coastal lagoon separated from the ocean by a sand or shingle bar...
is probably the leading band of this revival, while The Gallants and The Arsenaults are two of the most famous Acadien musical families of the East Coast.
Halifax, Nova Scotia has become a center for black music in the Maritime provinces, both in the continuation of the traditions of the freed slave and loyalist blacks especially gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, and also with music arriving with African immigrants.
Popular Music
The region has made considerable contribution to national and international popular music, primarily by performers from Nova ScotiaMusic of Nova Scotia
Music is a part of the warp and weft of the fabric of Nova Scotia's cultural life. This deep and lasting love of music is expressed through the performance and enjoyment of all types and genres of music...
, though both New Brunswick
Music of New Brunswick
New Brunswick offers a wide range of musical entertainment at many different venues and diverse locations. In this place, you can enjoy everything from a Pow Wow at Bouctouche and Elsipogtog First Nations to Acadian Traditional or Contemporary Style Music around Moncton and the northern regions of...
and Prince Edward Island
Music of Prince Edward Island
One of the Maritime provinces of Canada, Prince Edward Island is known as a home for traditional Celtic music. The island has produced ECMA-award winning fiddlers Richard Wood and J. J. Chaisson as well as the award winning singer-songwritwer, Lennie Gallant...
have made contributions as well.
Superproducer Scott Storch
Halifax was the birthplace music superproducer Scott StorchScott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
. Currently, Storch is listed along with The Neptunes, Timbaland, Kanye West and Dr. Dre as the largest, most successful music producers in the US. While Storch found success in the US market, he is a proud East Coast Canadian. Storch is rarely recognized by the east coast music community, despite his vast success. At age 33, his fortune was recently quoted at $70 million+. He has produced music for 50 cent, Fat Joe, Christina Aguilera, Eminem, Lil Wayne, etc. and is known for hits like Candy Shop, Fighter, and Lean Back.
See List of songs produced by Scott Storch
Heavy Metal
The Maritime provinces are a haven for many heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
acts with support for the genre especially strong in New Brunswick. Many new acts are of the death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
/black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
sub-genres, one example being Obscene Eulogy
Obscene Eulogy
Obscene Eulogy is a death/black metal band from Saint John, New Brunswick, who are most notable for having recorded with Impaled Nazarene's Mika Luttinen on vocals. Their current singer is Tapio Wilska of Finntroll.-Current members:...
, although all styles are represented.
See also
- Music of Nova ScotiaMusic of Nova ScotiaMusic is a part of the warp and weft of the fabric of Nova Scotia's cultural life. This deep and lasting love of music is expressed through the performance and enjoyment of all types and genres of music...
- Music of New BrunswickMusic of New BrunswickNew Brunswick offers a wide range of musical entertainment at many different venues and diverse locations. In this place, you can enjoy everything from a Pow Wow at Bouctouche and Elsipogtog First Nations to Acadian Traditional or Contemporary Style Music around Moncton and the northern regions of...
- Music of Prince Edward IslandMusic of Prince Edward IslandOne of the Maritime provinces of Canada, Prince Edward Island is known as a home for traditional Celtic music. The island has produced ECMA-award winning fiddlers Richard Wood and J. J. Chaisson as well as the award winning singer-songwritwer, Lennie Gallant...
- Cape Breton fiddlingCape Breton fiddlingCape Breton fiddling is a regional violin style which falls within the Celtic music idiom. 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...
- East Coast Music Awards