Minnie White (1916 – 2002) was a traditional Newfoundland musician who became known as the "First Lady of the

Accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

" in the 1960s and 1970s.

Biography

White was born Mary Agnes Hoskins, in St. Alban's,

Bay d'Espoir Bay d'Espoir ( ) is an arm of Hermitage Bay in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, located on the south coast of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland. Communities in Bay d'Espoir include: Milltown-Head of Bay d'Espoir, Morrisville, St. Alban's, Newfoundlan ...

, on the southeast coast of what was then the

Dominion of Newfoundland Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It included the island of Newfoundland, and Labrador on the continental mainland. Newfoundland was one of the orig ...

. She was introduced to music by her father, Samuel Hoskins, who played mouth organ, fiddle and accordion. White could play the accordion by the time she was 8 years old, and at 16, when her family moved to the

Codroy Valley The Codroy Valley is a valley in the southwestern part of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Codroy Valley is a glacial valley formed in the Anguille Mountains, a sub-range of the Long Range ...

, she played piano to accompany fiddlers at community dances. In 1937, she married Richard White and they settled in the community of Tompkins. After starting a family, White gave up regular performing for many years. She played piano and organ, but it wasn't until the 1960s that she returned to the accordion. In addition to playing the tunes she'd learned as a child, she began to compose her own songs, and for 13 years played a regular Sunday afternoon gig at the Starlite Lounge in Tompkins. White composed and arranged music, hired backing bands, and performed on accordion and mandolin. In 1973, Minnie White recorded her first album, ''Newfoundland's First Lady of the Accordion''. She toured Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and made television appearances on shows such as '' The Root Seller'' and ''

Canadian Express ''Canadian Express'' was a Canadian variety television series which aired on CBC Television between September 22, 1977, and September 12, 1980. The show was hosted by Ryan's Fancy in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Gabrielle in Edmonton, Al ...

'', becoming part of the Newfoundland traditional music revival of the 1960s and 1970s. She recorded four albums, including ''Newfoundland Accordion & Mandolin Favourites'' (1974), ''Homestead Reels'' (1978) and ''The Hills of Home'' (1994). White was awarded the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 1993. In 1994 she was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Hall of Honour, and in 1995 nominated for Instrumental Artist of the Year at the

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 ...

. During the summer of 1998 the community of Upper Ferry declared "Minnie White Day" in her honour. White continued performing at festivals and special events until her death in 2002.

References

* Cuff, Robert and Poole, Cyril F., eds. ''Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, volume 5''. St. John's: Harry Cuff Publications Ltd., 1994
Available
through Memorial University of Newfoundland Digital Archives Initiative. * Maynard, Lara.
Traditional Instrumental Music
' from Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador, 2001. * ArtsNL Hall of Honour - List of Past Inductees

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Minnie 1916 births 2002 deaths Musicians from Newfoundland and Labrador Women in Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian accordionists Canadian women accordionists 20th-century Canadian women musicians Members of the Order of Canada 20th-century accordionists