Lee Cremo (30 December 1938 – 10 October 1999) was a

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

fiddler from

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 ...

, Canada.

Early life

He was born on 30 December 1938 in

Barra Head Barra Head, also known as Berneray (), is the southernmost island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. Within the Outer Hebrides, it forms part of the Barra Isles archipelago. Originally, Barra Head only referred to the southernmost headland ...

, Richmond County, Cape Breton Island. His family moved to

Eskasoni The Eskasoni Mi'kmaw Nation () is a band government of the Mi'kmaq First Nations, located in Unama'ki (Cape Breton), Nova Scotia, Canada. As of 2021, Eskasoni has a membership of 4,675. Of this population, 3,973 live on-Reserve, and 667 live of ...

, Cape Breton when he was four. Cremo learned fiddling from his father, Simon Peter Cremo, and Wilfred Prosper, and noted Prosper and

Buddy MacMaster Hugh Alan "Buddy" MacMaster (October 18, 1924 – August 20, 2014) was a Canadian fiddler. He performed and recorded both locally and internationally, and was regarded as an expert on the tradition and lore of Cape Breton fiddle music. Early ...

as an influences. He used to play all night with Prosper, learning tunes and passing on ones he learned to Prosper. His first fiddle was a hand-me-down from his great grandfather, who reportedly received it from a Scottish settler. Cremo had a lengthy career as a fiddler performing and recording around Canada. He also went to school for carpentry, and worked as a carpenter before becoming a full time fiddler. He was a member of the

Eskasoni First Nation The Eskasoni Mi'kmaw Nation () is a band government of the Mi'kmaq First Nations, located in Unama'ki (Cape Breton), Nova Scotia, Canada. As of 2021, Eskasoni has a membership of 4,675. Of this population, 3,973 live on-Reserve, and 667 live of ...

Career

He primarily worked through the Cape Breton style of fiddle playing, performing many traditional pieces, but he also composed his own works including: 'Shubenacadie Reserve Reel,' 'Cactus Polka,' 'Irish Fiddler,' and 'Constitution Breakdown.' His music was recording as part of several

Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was f ...

recordings, including: Indigenous North American music, Creation's Journey (Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40410, 1994) and Wood That Sings: Indian Fiddle Music of the Americas (Smithsonian/Folkways 40472 1998). In 1967, Cremo performed at

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Quebec. In 1996, a short documentary called "Arm of Gold" was made about Cremo's trip to Tennessee to compete in the World Fiddling Championships. In 1999, Cremo performed at the launch of the

Aboriginal People's Television Network Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) is a group of Canadian specialty television channels based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The channels broadcast programming produced by or highlighting Indigenous peoples in Canada, including arts, cultura ...

. Cremo was also an active representative of the Cape Breton Mi'kmaq community. The Porcupine Awards for folk music offer the Lee Cremo Award for Native Artists. His tunes have been recorded by numerous contemporary fiddlers, including

Sierra Noble Sierra Dawn Sky Noble (born February 20, 1990) is a non-binary Canadian singer-songwriter, and fiddle player. Theirfirst album was instrumental, they played a traditional fiddle and followed up with a vocal album in 2008. They have won numer ...

and

Ashley MacIsaac Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac (born February 24, 1975) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and actor from Cape Breton Island. He has received three Juno Awards, winning for Best New Solo Artist and Best Roots & Traditional Album – Solo at th ...

. Among Cremo's music students are renowned fiddlers Natalie McMaster and

. Cremo died on 10 October 1999.

Awards

Cremo won numerous awards during his career. He won the Maritime Old Time Fiddling Championship six times, holding the record for most wins in the Open Class. By the mid-1990s, Cremo had won over 80 fiddling competitions. * 1966-1968; 1976-1977: Maritime Old Time Fiddling Championship Open Class, Nova Scotia * 1996: "Best First Nations recording,"

East Coast Music Awards The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is a non-profit association purposed towards supporting the music industry in the Canadian east coast, i.e., Atlantic Canada. The ECMA hosts the annual East Coast Music Awards (formerly the Maritime Music A ...

"Lee Cremo, a gentle talented man"
''Winnipeg Free Press'', November 07, 1999 - Page 27 * Best Bow Arm in the World, World Fiddling Championships, Nashville, Tennessee * Canadian Champion, Alberta Tar Sands Competition

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cremo, Lee 1938 births 1999 deaths 20th-century First Nations musicians 20th-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers Cape Breton fiddlers Mi'kmaq musicians Canadian Mi'kmaq people 20th-century Canadian male musicians Musicians from Nova Scotia Canadian male violinists and fiddlers Eskasoni First Nation people