Music of Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
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. While popular music from many genres has experienced almost two decades of explosive growth and success in Nova Scotia, the province remains best known for its folk
and traditional
based music.
Nova Scotia's folk music is characteristically Scottish
in character, and traditions from Scotland are kept very traditional in form, in some cases more so than in Scotland. This is especially true of the island of Cape Breton
, one of the major international centers for Celtic music
.
Maritime Provinces, or simply, The Maritimes. When combined with Newfoundland and Labrador
the region is known as the Atlantic Provinces, or Atlantic Canada
.
Despite the small population of the province, Nova Scotia's music and culture is influenced by several well established cultural groups, that are sometimes referred to as the "Founding Cultures."
Originally populated by the Mi'kmaq First Nation, the first European settlers were the French, who founded Acadia
in 1604. Nova Scotia was briefly colonized by Scottish settlers in 1620, though by 1624 the Scottish settlers had been removed by treaty and the area was turned over to the French until the mid-18th century. After the defeat of the French and prior expulsion of the Acadians, settlers of English, Irish, Scottish and African descent began arriving on the shores of Nova Scotia.
Settlement was greatly accelerated by the resettlement of Loyalists
(called in Canada United Empire Loyalists) in Nova Scotia during the period following the end of the American Revolutionary War
. It was during this time that a large African Nova Scotian
community took root, populated by freed slaves and Black Loyalist
s and their families, who had fought for the Crown
in exchange for land. This community later grew when the Royal Navy
began intercepting slave ships destined for the United States, and deposited these free slaves on the shores of Nova Scotia.
Later, in the 19th century the Irish Great Hunger and Scottish Highland Clearances
resulted in large influxes of migrants with Celt
ic cultural roots, which helped to define the dominantly celtic character of Cape Breton and the north mainland of the province. This Celtic, or Gaelic culture was so pervasive that at the outset of World War I reporters from London, England were horrified when some of the first regiments to arrive in England from Canada piped
themselves ashore, styled themselves as "Highland Regiments" and spoke Scottish Gaelic as their primary language.
, a mainstream singer whose music did not draw deeply on Celtic traditions. She was followed by Stan Rogers
, who was born in Ontario to a Nova Scotian family, and sang ballads of sea-going Maritimers, though again little reflecting the area's Scottish traditions.
The province is the heart of a vibrant and popular style of Celtic music and dance derived from the influence of its Highland Scottish settlement, concentrated especially on Cape Breton Island. The basic duo of fiddle and piano provide a strongly-accented dance music in small-town church and community halls. Sometimes a guitar is augmented, and Highland bagpipe music is also popular. In many ways the music and dance over two centuries of relative physical isolation provides a snapshot of Scottish music and dance as it was before its European base took other, more "refined" routes, and today Cape Breton fiddle music
has taken a place as a major attraction at Celtic cultural festivals.
The first popular musician who showed Nova Scotia's Celtic heritage to the mainstream world was John Allan Cameron
, a singer and guitarist, and son of legendary fiddle
r Katie Ann Cameron, who was herself the sister of the music collector Dan Rory MacDonald.
More recent performers with a Celtic sound in their music include the pop crooning of Sarah McLachlan
from Halifax
, Mary Jane Lamond
and flautist
Chris Norman.
Cape Breton has a well-known bagpipe tradition, and has produced some well-known pipers, including Angus MacDonald
, Barry Shears and Jamie MacInnes.
It is, however, the fiddling tradition which Nova Scotia and Cape Breton is best known for, and the biggest name in this tradition is Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald from Cape Breton. Also of his generation were a litany of names now known in the international scene, though renown came late for most; these include Joe MacLean, Bill Lamey, Buddy MacMaster
, Alex Francis MacKay, Dan Joe MacInnes, Angus Chisholm
, Dan Hughie MacEachern, Donald Angus Beaton
, Theresa MacLellan, Joe Cormier and Paddy LeBlanc. Many of these were first given distribution outside of the area by American folk label Rounder Records
, which began a Cape Breton unit in the early 1970s.
The Rankin Family
did more than any group to bring Cape Breton folk music to mainstream audiences in Canada and abroad. They had performed as a family since childhood, playing traditional music that gradually became more modern as their fame grew.
Perhaps the most well-known modern Cape Breton fiddler is Natalie MacMaster
, who comes from a line of musicians that includes Buddy MacMaster, Wendy MacIsaac and Ashley MacIsaac
. Her cousin, Ashley MacIsaac, is notable for having achieved success playing both traditional music and radical musical fusions, exemplified by his Hi™ How Are You Today?
(1995), a landmark recording.
To the south of Cape Breton, on the north mainland, due to the many Irish settlements, Irish influenced traditional music is often heard in the rural villages of Guysborough County and Antigonish County. Although fiddle and singing are popular, it is not uncommon to hear an accordion
(often locally referred to as a squeezebox). Spoons, guitars and sometimes a bodhran
are also used for rhythmic drive.
experience for visitors to Nova Scotia, the province also has a long history of producing successful popular music acts. Many notable, internationally known artists are from Nova Scotia, in a wide variety of genres.
, born and raised in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, was signed to RCA Records
in 1936, but became famous in 1950 when he was invited to appear at the Grand Ole Opry. That was also the year he released "I'm Movin' On," his first massive hit single.
Portia White
of Truro, Nova Scotia
, one of the greatest contralto voices in the history of Canadian classical music, made her stage debut in 1941. White went on to become an internationally known and respected performer.
In 1966 The Men of the Deeps
, the coal miners of Cape Breton began, and tour all over North America to this day
native Anne Murray
. She had a series of top 10 hits worldwide starting with "Snowbird" in 1970, and continues to be a major concert performer. Possibly the most famous rock band from the 1970s was progressive rockers April Wine
, but other bands such as Peppertree, Dutch Mason
, Matt Minglewood
and Stan Crawford Band which became the JETZ enjoyed a great degree of national and international success.
As the music scene in Nova Scotia started to coalesce around Halifax and its emerging underground scene, new sounds and new styles of music started to be heard. Both the punk
and New Wave
movements found fertile ground in Halifax, the latter producing a band whose lead singer, Sarah McLachlan, would be snapped up in the 1980s and moved to Vancouver, to later become a huge international star.
It was toward the end of the 1980s that the music scene in Nova Scotia seemed to truly become an industry, with Nova Scotians leading the creation of the East Coast Music Awards as well as establishing the Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia. Performers as diverse as rock band Blackpool, hip hop artists MC G and Cool J, and celtic pop darlings the Rankin Family all achieved national radio & video play, major label record deals, and national media recognition.
, Eric's Trip
, Jale
, Thrush Hermit
and Newfoundland émigrés The Hardship Post
obtain international recognition and recording deals with labels such as DGC
and Sub Pop
. Matt Mays & El Torpedo are also a popular band who are from Cole Harbour
, across the water from Halifax, they have toured around Canada and part of the United States, they have released 3 albums as of 2007. It was during this time that the internationally known Halifax Pop Explosion
music festival was founded (in 1993).
Though the initial excitement generated during this time has abated, Nova Scotia remains at the forefront of the internationally successful Canadian music wave, with artists who came out of that era, such as Joel Plaskett
, and hip hop hero Buck 65
continuing to gain worldwide respect and attention. Other acts such as Antigonish's The Trews
, and Halifax based Jimmy Swift Band have all experienced considerable success nationally.
In the past decade, a number of independent record label
s, have emerged to support the growth of the indie rock
. Dependent Music
publishes music by popular acts such as Wintersleep
, Brian Borcherdt, Jill Barber
, and Holy Fuck. BelowMeMusic promotes the Jimmy Swift Band, Slowcoaster
, and Grand Theft Bus
.
In the 1990s and early 21st century, many artists have achieved national success. Buck 65, from Mount Uniacke
, has released several well received records internationally. Sixtoo
is signed to and released several records on Montreal label Ninjatune. Universal Soul
have seen considerable national exposure since being nominated for two MuchMusic Video Awards in 2003. Classified
is an MC and producer nominated for a 2004 CUMA. The Goods, with members Kunga 219 and Gordski, have successfully toured across North America. Kaleb Simmonds achieved a national reputation after a showing in the Top Ten on the first season of Canadian Idol
. Scratch Bastid came in second in the 2004 Canadian DMC finals in Winnipeg and won the 2004 Scribble Jam in Cincinnati.
DJ IV, DJ Lap One and Y Rush are some of the city's current hip hop djs who mix using old school, contemporary, and underground hip hop.
The emerge of hip hop is still evolving with independent musicians J Wildd consistently putting out good music, produced by MC J. The latest production "Too Hot To Chill" is a representation on hip hop emerging on the east coast.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
is a part of the warp and weft of the fabric of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
's cultural life. This deep and lasting love of music is expressed through the performance and enjoyment of all types and genres of music. While popular music from many genres has experienced almost two decades of explosive growth and success in Nova Scotia, the province remains best known for its folk
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....
and traditional
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
based music.
Nova Scotia's folk music is characteristically Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in character, and traditions from Scotland are kept very traditional in form, in some cases more so than in Scotland. This is especially true of the island of Cape Breton
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....
, one of the major international centers for Celtic music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
.
Founding cultures
Nova Scotia is one of three CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Maritime Provinces, or simply, The Maritimes. When combined with 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...
the region is known as the Atlantic Provinces, or Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
.
Despite the small population of the province, Nova Scotia's music and culture is influenced by several well established cultural groups, that are sometimes referred to as the "Founding Cultures."
Originally populated by the Mi'kmaq First Nation, the first European settlers were the French, who founded Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
in 1604. Nova Scotia was briefly colonized by Scottish settlers in 1620, though by 1624 the Scottish settlers had been removed by treaty and the area was turned over to the French until the mid-18th century. After the defeat of the French and prior expulsion of the Acadians, settlers of English, Irish, Scottish and African descent began arriving on the shores of Nova Scotia.
Settlement was greatly accelerated by the resettlement of Loyalists
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
(called in Canada United Empire Loyalists) in Nova Scotia during the period following the end of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. It was during this time that a large African Nova Scotian
Black Nova Scotians
Black Nova Scotians are people of Black African descent whose ancestors fled Colonial America as slaves or freemen to settle in Nova Scotia, Canada during the 18th and 19th centuries. According to the 2006 Census of Canada, there are 19,230 black people currently living in Nova Scotia, most of whom...
community took root, populated by freed slaves and Black Loyalist
Black Loyalist
A Black Loyalist was an inhabitant of British America of African descent who joined British colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War...
s and their families, who had fought for the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
in exchange for land. This community later grew when the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
began intercepting slave ships destined for the United States, and deposited these free slaves on the shores of Nova Scotia.
Later, in the 19th century the Irish Great Hunger and Scottish Highland Clearances
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
resulted in large influxes of migrants with 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 cultural roots, which helped to define the dominantly celtic character of Cape Breton and the north mainland of the province. This Celtic, or Gaelic culture was so pervasive that at the outset of World War I reporters from London, England were horrified when some of the first regiments to arrive in England from Canada piped
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
themselves ashore, styled themselves as "Highland Regiments" and spoke Scottish Gaelic as their primary language.
Traditional music in the modern era
Scottish traditional music has remained vibrant on Cape Breton into the 21st century, and has produced several performers of international renown. The first major musician from the island was Rita MacNeilRita MacNeil
Rita MacNeil, CM, ONS is a Canadian country and folk singer from the community of Big Pond on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. Her biggest hit, "Flying On Your Own", was a crossover Top 40 hit in 1987 and was covered by Anne Murray the following year, although she has had hits on the country...
, a mainstream singer whose music did not draw deeply on Celtic traditions. She was followed by 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...
, who was born in Ontario to a Nova Scotian family, and sang ballads of sea-going Maritimers, though again little reflecting the area's Scottish traditions.
The province is the heart of a vibrant and popular style of Celtic music and dance derived from the influence of its Highland Scottish settlement, concentrated especially on Cape Breton Island. The basic duo of fiddle and piano provide a strongly-accented dance music in small-town church and community halls. Sometimes a guitar is augmented, and Highland bagpipe music is also popular. In many ways the music and dance over two centuries of relative physical isolation provides a snapshot of Scottish music and dance as it was before its European base took other, more "refined" routes, and today Cape Breton fiddle music
Cape Breton fiddling
Cape 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...
has taken a place as a major attraction at Celtic cultural festivals.
The first popular musician who showed Nova Scotia's Celtic heritage to the mainstream world was 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...
, a singer and guitarist, and son of legendary 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...
r Katie Ann Cameron, who was herself the sister of the music collector Dan Rory MacDonald.
More recent performers with a Celtic sound in their music include the pop crooning of Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
from Halifax
Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Regional Municipality had a 2006 census population of 372,679, while the metropolitan area had a 2010 estimated population of 403,188, and the urban area of Halifax had a population of 282,924...
, 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...
and flautist
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
Chris Norman.
Cape Breton has a well-known bagpipe tradition, and has produced some well-known pipers, including Angus MacDonald
Angus MacDonald
Angus MacDonald was elected a Scottish National Party Councillor to Falkirk Council on 16 December 2004, with 56% of the vote. A former Falkirk District Councillor and Justice of the Peace from 1992 until 1996, he sits on various committees in his role as a councillor...
, Barry Shears and Jamie MacInnes.
It is, however, the fiddling tradition which Nova Scotia and Cape Breton is best known for, and the biggest name in this tradition is Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald from Cape Breton. Also of his generation were a litany of names now known in the international scene, though renown came late for most; these include Joe MacLean, Bill Lamey, Buddy MacMaster
Buddy MacMaster
Hugh Alan "Buddy" MacMaster, is one of the most renowned artists in the tradition of Cape Breton fiddle music.-Early life:...
, Alex Francis MacKay, Dan Joe MacInnes, Angus Chisholm
Angus Chisholm
Angus Chisholm was a Cape Breton fiddler. He was the son of Archie Chisholm and Isabel MacLennan.He was one of the first fiddlers from the island to record a commercially available album...
, Dan Hughie MacEachern, Donald Angus Beaton
Donald Angus Beaton
Donald Angus Beaton was a blacksmith and a fiddler. He was the son of Angus R. Beaton and Annie Belle Campbell.He composed for the violin and his work may be heard on the Rounder LP 7011 The Beatons Of Mabou - Marches, Jigs, Strathspeys & Reels of the Highland Scot ...
, Theresa MacLellan, Joe Cormier and Paddy LeBlanc. Many of these were first given distribution outside of the area by American folk label Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
, which began a Cape Breton unit in the early 1970s.
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...
did more than any group to bring Cape Breton folk music to mainstream audiences in Canada and abroad. They had performed as a family since childhood, playing traditional music that gradually became more modern as their fame grew.
Perhaps the most well-known modern Cape Breton fiddler is 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....
, who comes from a line of musicians that includes Buddy MacMaster, Wendy MacIsaac and 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...
. Her cousin, Ashley MacIsaac, is notable for having achieved success playing both traditional music and radical musical fusions, exemplified by his Hi™ How Are You Today?
Hi™ How Are You Today?
Hi™ How Are You Today? is an album by Ashley MacIsaac, released in 1995 on A&M Records' Ancient Music imprint. MacIsaac's major label debut and his most commercially successful album, it spawned the Canadian Top 40 hit "Sleepy Maggie"....
(1995), a landmark recording.
To the south of Cape Breton, on the north mainland, due to the many Irish settlements, Irish influenced traditional music is often heard in the rural villages of Guysborough County and Antigonish County. Although fiddle and singing are popular, it is not uncommon to hear an accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
(often locally referred to as a squeezebox). Spoons, guitars and sometimes a bodhran
Bodhrán
The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
are also used for rhythmic drive.
Popular music of Nova Scotia
Despite the dominance of traditional based music, both as a form of cultural expression, and as a means to brand the tourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
experience for visitors to Nova Scotia, the province also has a long history of producing successful popular music acts. Many notable, internationally known artists are from Nova Scotia, in a wide variety of genres.
The early years
As early as the 1930s the music of Nova Scotia was entertaining the world. Hank SnowHank 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...
, born and raised in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, was signed to RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
in 1936, but became famous in 1950 when he was invited to appear at the Grand Ole Opry. That was also the year he released "I'm Movin' On," his first massive hit single.
Portia White
Portia White
Portia May White , was a singer who achieved international fame because of her voice and stage presence. As a Black Canadian, her popularity helped to open previously closed doors for talented blacks who followed....
of Truro, Nova Scotia
Truro, Nova Scotia
-Education:Truro has one high school, Cobequid Educational Centre. Post-secondary options include a campus of the Nova Scotia Community College, as well as the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in the neighboring town of Bible Hill.- Sports :...
, one of the greatest contralto voices in the history of Canadian classical music, made her stage debut in 1941. White went on to become an internationally known and respected performer.
In 1966 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:...
, the coal miners of Cape Breton began, and tour all over North America to this day
The 1970s & 1980s
The pop and country sounds of the 1970s were exemplified by Springhill, Nova ScotiaSpringhill, Nova Scotia
-Coal mining:The first industrial coal mining in the area took place in the 1870s after a rail connection was built by the Springhill and Parrsboro Coal and Railway Company to the newly completed Intercolonial Railway at neighbouring Springhill Junction....
native 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....
. She had a series of top 10 hits worldwide starting with "Snowbird" in 1970, and continues to be a major concert performer. Possibly the most famous rock band from the 1970s was progressive rockers 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...
, but other bands such as Peppertree, Dutch Mason
Dutch Mason
Dutch Mason, CM was a Canadian musician from Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was inducted into the Canadian Jazz and Blues Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2005.-Career:...
, Matt Minglewood
Matt Minglewood
Matt Minglewood is a Canadian musician whose style can be described as a blend of country, blues, folk, roots and rock.-Career:...
and Stan Crawford Band which became the JETZ enjoyed a great degree of national and international success.
As the music scene in Nova Scotia started to coalesce around Halifax and its emerging underground scene, new sounds and new styles of music started to be heard. Both the punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
movements found fertile ground in Halifax, the latter producing a band whose lead singer, Sarah McLachlan, would be snapped up in the 1980s and moved to Vancouver, to later become a huge international star.
It was toward the end of the 1980s that the music scene in Nova Scotia seemed to truly become an industry, with Nova Scotians leading the creation of the East Coast Music Awards as well as establishing the Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia. Performers as diverse as rock band Blackpool, hip hop artists MC G and Cool J, and celtic pop darlings the Rankin Family all achieved national radio & video play, major label record deals, and national media recognition.
1990s and beyond
This was followed by the Halifax music explosion of the 1990s, which saw bands such as SloanSloan (band)
Sloan is a Toronto-based alternative rock quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Throughout their 20-year tenure Sloan has released 10 LPs , two EPs, a live album, a "best of" collection and no less than thirty singles...
, Eric's Trip
Eric's Trip
Eric's Trip is a Canadian indie rock band from Moncton, New Brunswick. Eric's Trip achieved prominence as the first Canadian band to be signed to Seattle's flagship grunge label Sub Pop in the early 1990s...
, Jale
Jale
Jale was an indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. Contemporaries of Sloan and The Super Friendz, they were formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1996...
, Thrush Hermit
Thrush Hermit
-History:Thrush Hermit was formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1992 by Joel Plaskett , Rob Benvie , Ian McGettigan , and Michael Catano...
and Newfoundland émigrés The Hardship Post
The Hardship Post
Hardship Post was an alternative rock band that formed in Newfoundland and moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, during the Halifax Pop Explosion of the early 1990s...
obtain international recognition and recording deals with labels such as DGC
DGC
DGC can refer to:*Discontinuous Gas Exchange Cycles*Geffen Records*DGC Records*Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chronometrie*DARPA Grand Challenge*Digital gold currency*Di Gi Charat*Distributed Garbage Collection*Durban Girls' College...
and Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
. Matt Mays & El Torpedo are also a popular band who are from Cole Harbour
Cole Harbour
Cole Harbour is the name for a natural harbour located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.It is located in central Halifax County, with the mouth of the harbour located 6 kilometres northeast of Halifax Harbour....
, across the water from Halifax, they have toured around Canada and part of the United States, they have released 3 albums as of 2007. It was during this time that the internationally known Halifax Pop Explosion
Halifax Pop Explosion
The Halifax Pop Explosion is a music festival that takes place every fall, two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada.-History:...
music festival was founded (in 1993).
Though the initial excitement generated during this time has abated, Nova Scotia remains at the forefront of the internationally successful Canadian music wave, with artists who came out of that era, such as Joel Plaskett
Joel Plaskett
Joel Plaskett is a Canadian rock musician originally from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. He grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia and now resides across the harbour in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia...
, and hip hop hero Buck 65
Buck 65
Richard Terfry , who uses the stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian experimental artist, MC and turntablist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country, rock, folk and avant garde influences.Terfry is also a radio host,...
continuing to gain worldwide respect and attention. Other acts such as Antigonish's The Trews
The Trews
The Trews are a Canadian rock band from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, consisting of vocalist Colin MacDonald, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald, bassist Jack Syperek, and drummer Sean Dalton...
, and Halifax based Jimmy Swift Band have all experienced considerable success nationally.
In the past decade, a number of independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
s, have emerged to support the growth of the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
. Dependent Music
Dependent Music
Dependent Music was a Canadian independent record label, owned and operated by the artists that were a part of the collective. Dependent Music was formed by Brian Borcherdt in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1994...
publishes music by popular acts such as Wintersleep
Wintersleep
Wintersleep is a Canadian indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia.-Background:Wintersleep formed in 2001 and released two albums with Dependent Music, a music label and artists' collective that began in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1994....
, Brian Borcherdt, Jill Barber
Jill Barber
Jill Barber is a Canadian singer-songwriter formerly based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, now based in Vancouver, British Columbia.-Biography:Born and raised in Toronto, she is sister to singer-songwriter Matthew Barber...
, and Holy Fuck. BelowMeMusic promotes the Jimmy Swift Band, Slowcoaster
Slowcoaster
Slowcoaster is a Canadian indie rock band from Sydney, Nova Scotia.The band's sound is essentially rock-based, with strong influences of reggae, ska, folk and jazz, combined with pop hooks and improvisation.-History:...
, and Grand Theft Bus
Grand Theft Bus
Grand Theft Bus is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2000 from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. They are known for their live shows, playing about 150 shows across Canada, and occasionally touring festivals in the United States.-History:...
.
Emergence of hip hop
While historically isolated from the Toronto-centric Canadian hip hop scene, Nova Scotia has an increasing number of nationally known acts. In the 1980s, bands such as Down By Law, MC G and Cool J, and Hip Club Groove experienced degrees of national success.In the 1990s and early 21st century, many artists have achieved national success. Buck 65, from Mount Uniacke
Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia
Mount Uniacke is an unincorporated community in Hants County, Nova Scotia Canada. It lies about 40 km to the north of Halifax. , there were about 3,500 residents in the community ....
, has released several well received records internationally. Sixtoo
Sixtoo
Sixtoo was the main project of a Canadian hip hop DJ, MC and producer Vaughn Robert Squire between 1996-2007. He has since retired the Sixtoo name pursuing other directions in electronic music, with a large genre shift from experimental hip hop to deeper club sounds of various temposSquire rose to...
is signed to and released several records on Montreal label Ninjatune. Universal Soul
Universal Soul
Universal Soul is a Halifax based hip hop ensemble who have been a part of the Halifax scene since 1985. Its members have inspired and mentored other hip hop artists Such as Classified, Buck 65, Sixtoo and Trobiz, and they have had numerous collaborations with artists as diverse as The Jimmy Swift...
have seen considerable national exposure since being nominated for two MuchMusic Video Awards in 2003. Classified
Classified (rapper)
Luke Boyd , professionally known as Classified, is a Canadian rapper and producer from Enfield, Nova Scotia.-Career:...
is an MC and producer nominated for a 2004 CUMA. The Goods, with members Kunga 219 and Gordski, have successfully toured across North America. Kaleb Simmonds achieved a national reputation after a showing in the Top Ten on the first season of Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show Pop Idol. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons...
. Scratch Bastid came in second in the 2004 Canadian DMC finals in Winnipeg and won the 2004 Scribble Jam in Cincinnati.
DJ IV, DJ Lap One and Y Rush are some of the city's current hip hop djs who mix using old school, contemporary, and underground hip hop.
The emerge of hip hop is still evolving with independent musicians J Wildd consistently putting out good music, produced by MC J. The latest production "Too Hot To Chill" is a representation on hip hop emerging on the east coast.
See also
- 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...
- Nova Scotian Songwriter Andrew Tremaine Performs 'Ode to the Lighthouse Keeper'
- Halifax Pop ExplosionHalifax Pop ExplosionThe Halifax Pop Explosion is a music festival that takes place every fall, two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada.-History:...
- Dan R. MacDonaldDan R. MacDonaldDan Rory MacDonald was born February 2, 1911 in southwest Port Hood, at the home of Angus MacDonald . Raised in Judique, Inverness County on Cape Breton Island, he was a composer of fiddle tunes....