Richard Francis Nolan (February 4, 1939 – December 13, 2005)
["Corner Brook honours Dick Nolan"](_blank)
''The Compass'', Jul 13, 2018 was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
musician, from
Newfoundland. Nolan was known for performing Newfoundland
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
night clubs. During his 50-year career he released more than 40 albums and recorded over 300 tracks. He is particularly known for his song "
Aunt Martha's Sheep ''Aunt Martha's Sheep'' is a song written by Terrence White and Arthur Butt of Perry's Cove and later re-written by Ellis Coles and performed by Dick Nolan. It was primarily viewed as a slight on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police the police force ...
".
Early life
Nolan was born in
Corner Brook.
Media Sense: The Folklore-popular Culture Continuum
'. Popular Press; 1986. . p. 77. As a teenager he performed in a local band, the Blue Valley Boys, and sang on a Corner Brook radio show.
["The Legendary Dick Nolan"]
''ownhome Magazine'', Mar 26, 2008 Priscilla Boutcher, the former Mayor of Corner Brook, was Nolan's sister.
Career
In the 1950s Nolan moved to Toronto, where he played with local bands and worked at several jobs. He began to record albums of the music of Johnny Cash and other country songs, earning him the nickname "The
Johnny Cash of Newfoundland".
His Blue Valley Boys, which included Corner Brook native Roy Penney, performed regularly at the Horseshoe Tavern, backing up visiting country singers.
In the 1960s he switched his focus to
traditional Newfoundland music and released many albums.
One album, ''Fisherman's Boy'', contained Nolan's signature song ''Aunt Martha's Sheep''
and went platinum in just three months. Another signature song of his was ''
I's the B'y''.
Two more gold albums followed, and in 1972 he had a hit song, "Home Again This Year".
[Glenn David Colton. ]
Newfoundland Rhapsody: Frederick R. Emerson and the Musical Culture of the Island
'. MQUP; March 2014. . p. 162. That year he was the editor for the folk song collection ''Newfoundland Songs'', published by the Bennett Brewing Company.
Newfoundland songs and ballads in print, 1842-1974: a title and first-line index
'. Memorial University of Newfoundland; 1979. p. 41. He continued to release albums of country music and Newfoundland folk songs regularly for many years.
"Singing legend Nolan dead at 66"
''CBC News'', Dec 13, 2005
Nolan appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and national television programs, was nominated for a Juno Award, hosted his own television series and in November 2005, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In 2009 Dick Nolan was posthumously awarded the Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award by the East Coast Music Association
The East Coast Music Association is a non-profit association that hosts an annual awards ceremony based in Atlantic Canada for music appreciation on the East Coast of Canada. Its mission is to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian mus ...
.
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
External links
Official Website
Dick Nolan
at The Canadian Encyclopedia
''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage.
Available f ...
, accessed August 31, 2019
*http://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/arts/dick-nolan.php
*http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/cns_enl/id/4199
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, Dick
1939 births
2005 deaths
People from Corner Brook
Musicians from Newfoundland and Labrador
Canadian country singer-songwriters
20th-century Canadian male singers