Donald Angus Beaton (1912–1981) 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 ...

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

and a

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

-style

fiddler A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Although in many ...

Early life

Beaton was the son of Angus R. Beaton (Aonghas Raonuill) and Annie Belle Campbell.

Career

Beaton performed traditional fiddle tunes, as well as more than 50 of his own compositions. He was well known as a dance fiddler. He often played and recorded with family members. The albums ''The Beatons Of Mabou - Marches, Jigs, Strathspeys & Reels of the Highland Scot'' and ''Cape Breton Fiddle and Piano Music, The Beaton Family of Mabou'' feature his compositions played by his family. He also published a book of his tunes.

Discography

*''The Beatons Of Mabou - Marches, Jigs, Strathspeys & Reels of the Highland Scot ''. Rounder LP 7011 Rounder Lps
The Smithsonian Folkways Recordings *''Cape Breton Fiddle and Piano Music, The Beaton Family of Mabou'' Smithsonian Folkways 40507 *''Live at the House''

Publications

*''Donald Angus Beaton's Cape Breton Scottish Violin Music''. Cranford Publishers. Englishtown, Nova Scotia. 1987.

Personal life

His son is the

fiddler

Kinnon Beaton Kinnon Beaton (born March 26, 1956) is a Canadian musician from Mabou, Nova Scotia. He is the son of Donald Angus Beaton and Elizabeth MacEachen. He plays the fiddle in the Scottish genre famous throughout Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Is ...

. Andrea Beaton, Kinnon's daughter is also a fiddler.

References

1912 births 1981 deaths Canadian male violinists and fiddlers Musicians from Nova Scotia Cape Breton fiddlers 20th-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers 20th-century Canadian male musicians {{Canada-musician-stub