Page 82 - A Visit with Ray "Mac" MacDonald: In Honour of the 50th Year of CJFX Radio

ISSUE : Issue 64

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1993/8/1

big happy family and keep everyone happy. He was concerned about the purity but I didn't have those kinds of concerns. I felt the music was in good hands. But he was quite an affable fellow. His daughter (Barbara Mac? Donald Magone) is a great piano player. (She is quite outspok? en, too. I remember the interview you did with her a few years ago.) Ray Mac's March Brenda Stubbert Yeah! She is! But she said some things that needed to be said. The pianos some of the ac? companists are asked to play on are not the best. She made the point and it's a valid point. Another valid point that was made by Est- wood Davidson. He mentioned that sometimes the accompanist is not even mentioned on the records. So sometimes you don't know and sometimes they even have the accompa? nists wrong or the tunes wrong, you know. So I guess I'm trying to say, without cop? ping out, that the information is just not always available, it's not a deliberate snub. But we try to overcome it. (At the CJFX station, you had a big room For a FREE Ground Swell Records catalogue of Atlantic Canadian music, including Rawlins Cross, The Rose Vaughan Trio, Natalie MacMaster and Men of the Deeps 1-800-563-SWELL ( I -800-563-7953) Or send your name and address to Ground Swell Records PO Box 245, Central Station Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2N7 CANADA This tune was transcribed from Brenda Stubbert's first LP, "Tamerack 'er Down. with a nice piano and musicians used to come there and tape their music. Were they still doing that when you first came there?) Yes. There was a fair amount of that going on then. Elmer Briand played live there. When people came home from the States, they would come up. The Beatons used to come. They always played at all of our anniversaries live. Donald Angus, Elizabeth and Joey, and of course Kinnon. The Beatons were very, very loyal and I love their Mabou Coal Mining style which is so distinctive. I love John Campbell and Teresa (MacLellan) and I like Dan Joe's music. So I think all of the fiddlers have made their contribution. There are some you'll find who play a cer? tain tune better than anyone else. I think the depth comes in when you get into the Buddys and Chisholms and Lameys and There? sa (MacLellan) and Carl (MacKenzie). (Carl has a tremendous repertoire.) Carl, I think, is tremendously underrated. Another outstanding fiddler--who, in Stan Chapman's opinion, is also underrated--is Kyle MacNeil. Kyle is one of the very best. Stan himself is an excellent fiddler, espe? cially on slow airs. But his contribution 16th Annual DOWNEAST OLDTIME SPECIAL GUEST LEE CREMO HOST: AL HOLLINGSWORTH August 20th & 21st at 7:00p.m. at the Sackville & District Community Arena First Lake Drive, Sackville, Nova Scotia. Come join us for some toe tapping famUy fun. Tickets available at the Sackville Sports Stadium, Hali&x; Folklore Centre, and Metro Area Tourism Association outlets: Bedford & Sackville. Visa purchases available at the Sports Stadium. For information call 864-2700 'J J

Cape Breton's Magazine