Winston Fitzgerald
Encyclopedia
Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald (1914–1987) was a renowned Cape Breton fiddler
. He was a pioneer in recorded performances of the music, and has heavily influenced the style and repertoire of later generations of players.
Fitzgerald was born on February 16, 1914 at White Point, Victoria County, Nova Scotia
, a remote fishing village on the northeastern tip of Cape Breton Island
. His parents were of Irish-French descent. Both his father and older brother played the violin, and Winston began to take an interest in playing at age eight. His first public performance was at a picnic at age twelve. The Fitzgeralds worked as fishermen in the summer, and in the 1930s Winston also worked at the shipyards in Halifax
in the winter. During this time, Winston played radio shows and tours with Hank Snow
for about two and a half years.
Winston served a stint in the army during World War II
, then settled in Sydney
after the war. He took a correspondence course from the U.S. School of Music, learning a lot of useful bowing techniques. In 1947, he formed a group called the "Radio Entertainers" with Beattie Wallace (piano) and Estwood Davidson (guitar). The group recorded numerous 78s, as well as four LPs. As he became better known, Winston also got exposure playing on the "Cliff MacKay" and "Don Messer" shows. Later, he played as part of the Cape Breton Symphony on The John Allan Cameron Show. Never a full-time musician, he worked at a variety of jobs, including cooking, carpentry, and aluminum work.
Many of Winston's recordings are out of print, but a selection culled from his albums has been reissued as Classic Cuts by Breton Books & Music. A significant portion of his repertoire has been preserved in a book called Winston Fitzgerald: A Collection of Fiddle Tunes, issued by Cranford Publications.
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...
. He was a pioneer in recorded performances of the music, and has heavily influenced the style and repertoire of later generations of players.
Fitzgerald was born on February 16, 1914 at White Point, Victoria County, Nova Scotia
Victoria County, Nova Scotia
Victoria County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.The shire town and largest municipality is the village of Baddeck.-History:Named after Queen Victoria, it was established by statute in 1851...
, a remote fishing village on the northeastern tip of 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....
. His parents were of Irish-French descent. Both his father and older brother played the violin, and Winston began to take an interest in playing at age eight. His first public performance was at a picnic at age twelve. The Fitzgeralds worked as fishermen in the summer, and in the 1930s Winston also worked at the shipyards in Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
in the winter. During this time, Winston played radio shows and tours with 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...
for about two and a half years.
Winston served a stint in the army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, then settled in Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
after the war. He took a correspondence course from the U.S. School of Music, learning a lot of useful bowing techniques. In 1947, he formed a group called the "Radio Entertainers" with Beattie Wallace (piano) and Estwood Davidson (guitar). The group recorded numerous 78s, as well as four LPs. As he became better known, Winston also got exposure playing on the "Cliff MacKay" and "Don Messer" shows. Later, he played as part of the Cape Breton Symphony on The John Allan Cameron Show. Never a full-time musician, he worked at a variety of jobs, including cooking, carpentry, and aluminum work.
Many of Winston's recordings are out of print, but a selection culled from his albums has been reissued as Classic Cuts by Breton Books & Music. A significant portion of his repertoire has been preserved in a book called Winston Fitzgerald: A Collection of Fiddle Tunes, issued by Cranford Publications.