Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

is an

Atlantic Canadian Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces and territories of Canada, provinces located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atla ...

province with a folk musical heritage based on the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and Cornish traditions that were brought to its shores centuries ago. Though similar in its

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

influence to neighboring

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

and

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

, Newfoundland and Labrador music is more Irish than Scottish and has more elements imported from English and Cornish music than those provinces. Newfoundland music, while clearly Celtic and seafaring in its orientation, has an identifiable style of its own. Much of the region's music focuses on the strong seafaring tradition in the area, and includes

sea shanties A sea shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large merchant sailing vessels. The term ''shanty'' most accurately refers to a specific ...

and other sailing songs. Modern traditional musicians include

Great Big Sea Great Big Sea was a Canadian folk rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year Irish, Scot ...

, The Ennis Sisters and

Ron Hynes Ron Hynes (December 7, 1950 – November 19, 2015) was a folk singer-songwriter from Newfoundland and Labrador. He was especially known for his composition "Sonny's Dream", which has been recorded worldwide by many artists and was named the 41s ...

History

A bone flute found at

L'Anse Amour L'Anse Amour () is a small village on the Strait of Belle Isle in Labrador, a part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. As of 2006, it had a population of 8 (1996), down from a total of 14 returned five years earlier. The settlem ...

in Labrador is not the first evidence of the presence of music in Newfoundland and Labrador. At the time, native tribes (

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

) lived in the area. Little is known for certain of their musical heritage due to the lack of written records, but the

Beothuk The Beothuk ( or ; also spelled Beothuck) were a group of indigenous people who lived on the island of Newfoundland. Beginning around AD 1500, the Beothuk culture formed. This appeared to be the most recent cultural manifestation of peoples w ...

people are reputed to have sung and danced; few details are known by modern historians.

Inuit music Traditional Inuit music (sometimes Eskimo music, Inuit-Yupik music, Yupik music or Iñupiat music), the music of the Inuit, Yupik, and Iñupiat, has been based on drums used in dance music as far back as can be known, and a vocal style called ''ka ...

, including percussion and so-called mouth-music, is still performed, although with modern influences. The

Innu The Innu / Ilnu ("man", "person") or Innut / Innuat / Ilnuatsh ("people"), formerly called Montagnais from the French colonial period ( French for "mountain people", English pronunciation: ), are the Indigenous inhabitants of territory in the ...

also maintains some historical musical practices.

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

sent many settlers to eastern Canada, and they brought with them instrumental tunes, ballads, and other musical traditions, which were passed down orally through the generations. During this time, traditional songs evolved, and some acquired new lyrics or melodies. Marching and military bands were an important part of traditional Newfoundland and Labrador music. Youth groups like the

Church Lads Brigade The Church Lads' and Church Girls' Brigade is an Anglican youth organisation with branches in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Bermuda, Kenya, South Africa, Barbados, Newfoundland and St Helena. Its origins lie in the formation in 1891 of the Church ...

, fraternal organizations, and other groups supported these bands. Newfoundland's anthem "The

Ode to Newfoundland Ode to Newfoundland is the official provincial anthem of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Originally composed by Governor Sir Cavendish Boyle in 1902 as a four-verse poem titled ''Newfoundland''; it was sung by Frances Daisy Foster at the Cas ...

", was composed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Cavendish Boyle Sir Charles Cavendish Boyle (29 May 1849 – 17 September 1916) was a British civil servant, magistrate, and colonial administrator who served as Colonial Governor of Newfoundland, Mauritius and British Guiana. He wrote the lyrics for the a ...

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...

from Newfoundland and Labrador includes

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

s and other liturgical music. Missionaries such as those with the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...

used music to reach out towards native peoples; a hymn book was published in the

Inuit language The Inuit languages are a closely related group of indigenous American languages traditionally spoken across the North American Arctic and adjacent subarctic, reaching farthest south in Labrador. The related Yupik languages (spoken in weste ...

in 1809. During the 1800s, operas and musical theatre became popular.

Charles Hutton Charles Hutton FRS FRSE LLD (14 August 1737 – 27 January 1823) was a British mathematician and surveyor. He was professor of mathematics at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich from 1773 to 1807. He is remembered for his calculation of th ...

was a well-known performer during the 1880s. Some of these musicians, including

Georgina Stirling Georgina Ann Stirling (April 3, 1867 – April 23, 1935) was a Newfoundland opera singer, known by her stage name Marie Toulinquet. Born in Twillingate, in Newfoundland, she became a world-renowned prima donna soprano who played in opera hous ...

, became known in Europe. In the early 20th century,

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

took the place of opera in Newfoundland. Satirist John Burke was a noted

composer and performer of that era.

Outside influences

Beginning in 1921, music from outside of the region became popular, especially after the advent of films with sound and the popularization of cowboy movies. Among the province's noted

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

musicians was Harry Martin.Susan H. Motherway.
The Globalization of Irish Traditional Song Performance
'. Routledge; 9 March 2016. . p. 117. During the 1920s and 1930s

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and country music arrived in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

, both through local

dance bands (; "dance band"), or in Norwegian and Danish, is a Swedish term for a band that plays ("dance band music"). ' is often danced to in pairs. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. The music is primarily inspired by ...

, radio broadcasts and

phonograph record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

s. These outside musical influences were followed in the 1950s and 1960s by R&B and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

. Because of the presence of US military bases, including

Pepperrell Air Force Base Pepperrell Air Force Base, previously known as Fort Pepperrell, is a decommissioned United States military base located in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada which operated from 1941 to 1961. The base was named in honour of Sir William Pepperr ...

, locals were exposed to mainstream US radio artists in which were not played on local radio. The American radio station VOUS (Voice of the United States) also broadcast out of St. John's, bringing American popular culture to both the soldiers and the Newfoundlanders.

Modern era

In the modern era, many people worked to preserve the province's musical heritage. They focused on traditional songs, but also popularized modern tunes in a traditional style, for example Otto Kelland's 1947 composition "Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary's". The first hit from a native performer was 1943's "Squid-Jiggin' Ground" by Art Scammell. Radio programs such as '' Irene B. Mellon'' and ''The Big Six'', the television shows '' All Around The Circle'' (1964) and ''

Ryan's Fancy Ryan’s Fancy was an Music of Ireland, Irish folk music group active from 1971–1983. The band consisted of multi-instrumentalists Denis Ryan (singer), Denis Ryan, Fergus O'Byrne, and Dermot O'Reilly, all of whom were Ireland, Irish immigra ...

'', collections such as Gerald S. Doyle's ''

Old Time Songs and Poetry of Newfoundland Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

'', musicians including accordionists Ray Walsh, Wilf Doyle, Omar Blondahl, John White and the McNulty family (musicians), and scholars including

Maud Karpeles Maud Karpeles (12 November 1885 – 1 October 1976) was a British collector of folksongs and dance teacher. Early life and education Maud Pauline Karpeles was born at Lancaster Gate in Bayswater, London, in 1885. She was the third of five child ...

also contributed to the preservation of Newfoundland and Labrador music. Expatriates in Ontario, including Harry Hibbs and

Dick Nolan Rick Nolan is a Minnesota politician. Richard Nolan may also refer to *Dick Nolan (American football) (1932–2007), American football player, father of Mike Nolan, former head coach of San Francisco 49ers *Dick Nolan (musician) (1939–2005), Cana ...

also became well-known. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a

roots revival A roots revival (folk revival) is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly composed songs with socially and politically aware ly ...

led by the bands

Figgy Duff Figgy Duff was a Canadian folk-rock band from Newfoundland, Canada. They played a major role in the Newfoundland cultural renaissance of the 1970s and 1980s. Formed in 1976 by Noel Dinn, who named the band after a traditional pudding, Figgy D ...

and The Wonderful Grand Band achieved mainstream success in Newfoundland. Other traditional performers to rise to prominence in this period included Anita Best,

Kelly Russell Kelly Russell (born December 7, 1986) was a Canadian rugby union player, and is a coach for the sport. She captained at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup and was named to the Dream Team. International career Russell has also featured in two R ...

, Jim Payne,

Émile Benoît Émile Joseph Benoît (March 24, 1913 – September 3, 1992) was a Canadian fiddler who became known for popularizing Franco-Newfoundlander folk music traditions.

Rufus Guinchard Rufus is a masculine given name, a surname, an Ancient Roman cognomen and a nickname (from Latin ''rufus'', "red"). Notable people with the name include: Given name Politicians * Rufus Ada George (born 1940), Nigerian politician * Rufus A ...

, The Bay Boys and

Minnie White Minnie White was a Storyville brothel proprietor in the early part of the twentieth century. She operated out of a large mansion at 221 North Basin Street, in New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, heavy metal,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and other styles developed their own scenes in the region. The province's first

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band Da Slyme formed in 1977. The

Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra The Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra is a prominent orchestra from the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. History Though evidence suggests that an orchestra may have existed in St. John’s as early as 1850, the St. John’s Sym ...

rose to prominence in this period, and

performers such as the Jeff Johnston Trio were also well known. In the early 1990s,

Young Saints Young Saints were a Canadian hard rock band of the early 1990s."From puddle to the pond band finds success west". ''Halifax Daily News'', August 2, 1991. Although they recorded only one album before breaking up, they are most noted for garnering ...

and Thomas Trio and the Red Albino became the first mainstream popular music bands from the province to attract attention outside the province. The exception to this decline in traditional music's popularity was the Belloram-based group

Simani Simani (''pronounced "Sim 'n' I"'') was a Newfoundland and Labrador musical duet considered the cornerstone of traditional Newfoundland music. Formed in 1977 by Bud Davidge and Sim Savory (November 29, 1946 – March 16, 2010), in Belleoram, ...

, composed of Bud Davidge and Sim Savory. They recorded a total of 12 albums from 1977 to 1997 and enjoyed success throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. The advent of the

East Coast Music Awards 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 ...

helped stimulate the Atlantic Canadian music scene, and was accompanied by the rise of Ron Hynes,

Buddy Wasisname Kevin Luke Blackmore, who performs under the stage name Buddy Wasisname, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, comedian, and dramatist from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Blackmore is best known as leader of the band Buddy Wasisname and the Other ...

, The Irish Descendants, Thomas Trio, and The Red Albino, while

, The Navigators, and

The Punters ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

have also become well known for their mixture of traditional and popular music. A resurgence of traditional Newfoundland music is evidenced by the creation of several popular compilation CDs such as ''The Christmas Wish: Newfoundland Yuletide Favourites'', the ''Downhomer Presents...'' series, and the ''Homebrew'' series (which has sold over 50,000 copies). In 2008, the

Atlantis Music Prize The Atlantis Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length album from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, based only on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales or record label. The award, established in 2008 by St. John's- ...

was established by '' The Scope'', and is to be awarded annually to the best new album from Newfoundland and Labrador. The first winning album was ''Another Month'' by Mercy, the Sexton. In the late 2000s, the local rap group Gazeebow Unit was noted for its use, whether parodic or metaparodic, of

Newfoundland English Newfoundland English is a term referring to any of several accents and dialects of Atlantic Canadian English found in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Most of these differ substantially from the English commonly spoken elsewhere in ...

in rap music. Notable newcomers bringing national and international recognition to the province include

Hey Rosetta! Hey Rosetta! is a Canadian seven-piece indie rock band from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and led by singer/songwriter Tim Baker. Known for their energized live shows, the band created a large, layered sound by incorporating piano, viol ...

, Amelia Curran, The Mountains & the Trees, Sherman Downey, Adam Baxter, AE Bridger, Andrew James O'Brian, Don Brownrigg, Damhnait Doyle, Kat McLevey, The Novaks, and Soap Opera. Since 2013 the musical,

Come From Away ''Come from Away'' is a Canadian musical, with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying a ...

has been a major contributing factor in promoting the province and its people. While the score is mostly original music, the song "Heave Away" is prominently featured in one of the numbers.

Radio play

Newfoundland music can be heard on

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of Ca ...

's local programming. VOCM's '' Irish Newfoundland Show with Greg Smith'' Saturday mornings, Sunday mornings on OZFM's ''Jigs and Reels with Danielle Butt'', or K-ROCK's ''Homebrew with Sam Whiffen''.

Memorial University Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and i ...

's campus station, CHMR Radio has several shows dedicated entirely to Newfoundland and Labrador music, including ''Jiggs Dinner with Roland Skinner''. Other stations playing local music are ''Southern Shore Sounds'' (Ferryland), ''Voice of Bonne Bay'' (VOBB), chmr.ca, Mun Radio, Chmr 93.5 FM (Aliant 787 & Rogers 942), Radio Bell Island, and Bay Of Islands Radio BOIR.ca Radio Dial 100.1 CKVB FM (Corner Brook). More Celtic and local music can be heard on ''Celtic Wake Up with Zach Snow.'' and ''NewFound Records - Vinyl records by Newfoundland & Labrador's pioneer recording artists'', hosted by Wayne Tucker.

Noted artists

Modern Newfoundland & Labrador musicians include

, folk group The Flummies, rock musician David Penashue of Tipatchimun (who sings

Innu language Innu-aimun or Montagnais is an Algonquian language spoken by over 10,000 Innu in Labrador and Quebec in Eastern Canada. It is a member of the Cree–Montagnais–Naskapi dialect continuum and is spoken in various dialects depending on the commu ...

rock),"Labrador and Aboriginal Music"
''Heritage Newfoundland & Labrador'', 2001, Jamie Fitzpatrick Canadian folk-rock band

, and a Canadian a folk trio

The Once The Once is a folk trio based in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. The group features Geraldine Hollett on lead vocals and vocalist-instrumentalists Phil Churchill and Andrew Dale playing a variety of instruments. The group performs a mix of ori ...

. *

Duane Andrews Duane Andrews (born November 30, 1972 in Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador is a Canadian guitarist. He combines traditional Newfoundland folk music with jazz similar to the way that guitarist Django Reinhardt infused jazz with Manouche influ ...

* Tim Baker * Anita Best *

D'Arcy Broderick D'Arcy Broderick is a Newfoundland musician who plays Musical styles (violin)#Fiddle, fiddle, guitar, mandola, banjo, accordion and mandolin. He is best known as a former member of the popular Irish-Newfoundland bands The Irish Descendants and Th ...

Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers (sometimes stylized as "Buddy Wasisname & The Other Fellers", though the official name does not contain the "&" symbol) is a musical and comedy trio from Newfoundland and Labrador, founded in 1983 and composed ...

* Matthew Byrne * Amelia Curran * The Dardanelles *

Alan Doyle Alan Thomas Doyle (born May 17, 1969) is a Canadian musician and actor, best known as the lead singer of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea. Life and career Alan Doyle was born and raised in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, in a Roman Cath ...

* Dahmnait Doyle * Ennis Sisters * The Fables *Jim Fidler *

* The Flummies *Fortunate Ones *Bob Hallett, Bob Hallet *

* Harry Hibbs *

*Séan McCann *Alan Mills (music), Alan Mills *Patrick Moran (musician), Patrick Moran *Joan Morrissey *

*Fergus O'Byrne *

* Jim Payne *Darrell Power *Tom Power (musician), Tom Power * Rum Ragged *Kelly Russell (musician), Kelly Russell *

*Arthur Scammell, Art Scammel *

*Kim Stockwood *Ken Tizzard *Wonderful Grand Band

References

External links

Discography of Newfoundland and LabradorGEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador (Archive)
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Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society – Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival
{{Music topics Newfoundland and Labrador music,