Jerry Holland (February 23, 1955 – July 16, 2009) was a musician and

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

r who lived on

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, Canada. He was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, United States to Canadian parents – his father was from

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

and his mother was from

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. During his childhood, Holland was exposed to the music of the large Cape Breton expatriate community in Boston. He began to play the fiddle and step-dance at the age of five, and played at his first

square dance A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances are part of a broad spectrum of dances known by various names: country dan ...

at the age of six. He made his television debut in 1962 on the Canadian program ''

Don Messer's Jubilee ''Don Messer's Jubilee'' was a Canadian folk musical variety show first broadcast on radio and later on television. The radio version aired from produced from 1939 to 1958 in Charlottetown for CBC Radio. The Television version show shot at the st ...

''. By the time he was ten years old, he was playing regularly at dances in the Boston area. Holland's family made annual summer trips to Cape Breton, and he moved there permanently in 1975. In his early 20s, Holland performed with the

Cape Breton Symphony A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used thr ...

, a group of fiddlers that included

Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald (1914–1987) was a 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. Bio Fitzgerald was born on Februar ...

, Angus Chisholm,

Joe Cormier Joseph Daily Cormier (born May 3, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker and tight end for the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Early life Cormier was born ...

, Wilfred Gillis and

John Donald Cameron John Donald Cameron (September 18, 1858 – March 26, 1923) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Manitoba. He represented Winnipeg South from 1892 to 1899 in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba ( ...

. The group appeared regularly on

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

television on ''The John Allan Cameron Show'' and other programs. From playing with these much older and more experienced musicians, Holland gained an appreciation for the traditional style of Cape Breton fiddle music, as well as a repertoire of over a thousand fiddle tunes. Holland released his first, self-titled album in 1976. It was his second album, ''Master Cape Breton Fiddler'' (1982, re-released on CD in 2001), that made his reputation as a ground-breaking musician. Accompanied by Dave MacIsaac on guitar and Hilda Chiasson on piano, Holland pioneered a new, more modern sound for Cape Breton music on this album, while still remaining firmly within the Cape Breton tradition. ''Master Cape Breton Fiddler'' was a major influence on younger Cape Breton fiddlers such as

Howie MacDonald Howie MacDonald (born March 9, 1965) is a Canadian fiddler and entertainer from Westmount, Cape Breton Island. His lively Cape Breton style of fiddling has entertained audiences all over the world while travelling with The Rankin Family. He has re ...

. Holland released thirteen albums and appeared as a guest musician on over 25 more. He published two collections of fiddle tunes: ''Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes'' and ''Jerry Holland's Second Collection of Fiddle Tunes'', both edited by

Paul Cranford Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo P ...

. He was also noted as a composer of fiddle tunes, most famously "Brenda Stubbert's Reel" (named for his friend and fellow Cape Breton fiddler Brenda Stubbert) and "My Cape Breton Home". Holland died on July 16, 2009, from cancer.Cbc.ca
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Discography

* ''Jerry Holland'' (1976) * ''Master Cape Breton Fiddler'' (1982) * ''Lively Steps'' (1987) * ''Jerry Holland Solo'' (1988) * ''The New Fiddle'' (1990) * ''A Session With Jerry Holland'' (1990) * ''Fathers and Sons'' (1992) * ''The Fiddlesticks Collection'' (1995) * ''Fiddler's Choice'' (1998) * ''Crystal Clear'' (2000) * ''Parlor Music'' (2005) * ''Helping Hands'' (2009) * ''Jerry Holland and Friends'' (2010)

References

External links

Jerry Holland official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Jerry 1955 births 2009 deaths American emigrants to Canada American people of Canadian descent Musicians from Nova Scotia Musicians from Boston People from Cape Breton Island Cape Breton fiddlers Canadian male violinists and fiddlers 20th-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers 20th-century Canadian male musicians 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American violinists