Natalie MacMaster | |
|---|---|
 MacMaster performing in Centralville, Massachusetts, 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Natalie Ann MacMaster |
| Born | (1972-06-13)June 13, 1972 (age 53) Troy, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Genres | Cape Breton fiddle music |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Fiddle, piano, vocals |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels | Rounder Records |
| Website | NatalieMacMaster.com |
Natalie MacMasterCMONS (born June 13, 1972) is a Canadianfiddler from Troy,Inverness County,Nova Scotia, who playsCape Breton fiddle music. She has toured withthe Chieftains,Faith Hill,Carlos Santana andAlison Krauss, and has recorded withYo-Yo Ma. She has appeared at theCeltic Colours festival inCape Breton,Celtic Connections in Scotland andMerleFest in the United States.
MacMaster is the daughter of Alex and Minnie (née Beaton) MacMaster and the sister of Kevin and David MacMaster. She is the niece of the late renowned Cape Breton fiddlerBuddy MacMaster and the cousin of two other fiddlers,Ashley MacIsaac and Andrea Beaton. She is also distantly related toJack White.[1]
In 2002, she married the fiddler Donnell Leahy of theLeahy family band, and moved toLakefield, Ontario. They have seven children, and have performed and recorded together as a duo, and occasionally include their children, who also play fiddle, in their performances.[2]
MacMaster began playing the fiddle at the age of nine,[3] and made her performing debut the same year at a square dance in Glencoe Mills, Nova Scotia.[citation needed] When she was 16, she released her first album,Four on the Floor, and a second album,Road to the Isle, followed in 1991. Her first album was self-produced,[3] while her second was co-produced by John Morris Rankin (The Rankin Family) and Tom O'Keefe.[4] Both albums were initially released only on cassette, butRounder Records omitted a few tracks and re-released them asA Compilation in 1998. In 1999, she performed at the Juno Awards show in Hamilton.[5]
In recent years she has expanded her musical repertoire, mixing herCape Breton roots with music fromScotland and Ireland, as well as Americanbluegrass.[6]
In 2004, MacMaster appeared onSharon, Lois & Bram's 25th Anniversary Concert special titled25 Years of Skinnamarink that was broadcast onCBC on January 1, 2004, at 7:00pm. She performed two songs with the trio, "C-H-I-C-K-E-N" and "Grandpa's Farm".
MacMaster has received a number of Canadian music awards, including several "Artist of the Year" awards from theEast Coast Music Association, twoJuno Awards for best instrumental album, and "Fiddler of the Year" from theCanadian Country Music Association. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate fromNiagara University in New York in 2006. In 2006, she was made a member of theOrder of Canada and, in 2020, she was made a member of theOrder of Nova Scotia.[7] In 2023, she was inducted into the Canadian Fiddle Hall of Honour at the 2023Canadian Grand Masters event in Truro, Nova Scotia.[8]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | US Heat | US Indie | US Folk | US Grass | US World | |||
| Four on the Floor |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Road to the Isle |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Fit as a Fiddle |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
|
| A Compilation |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| No Boundaries |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
|
| In My Hands |
| 32 | — | — | — | — | 6 |
|
| My Roots Are Showing |
| — | — | — | — | — | 4 | |
| Live |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Blueprint |
| — | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | |
| Natalie & Buddy MacMaster: Traditional Music from Cape Breton Island |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Yours Truly |
| — | — | — | — | — | 10 | |
| Cape Breton Girl |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| One(withDonnell Leahy) |
| 23 | 4 | 15 | 6 | — | 1 | |
| A Celtic Family Christmas(withDonnell Leahy) |
| 49 | — | — | — | 10 | — | |
| Sketches |
| — | — | — | — | 9 | — | |
| Canvas(withDonnell Leahy) |
| — | — | — | — | 7 | — | |
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN AC | |||
| 1996 | "Catharsis" | — | No Boundaries |
| 1997 | "Fiddle and Bow"(withBruce Guthro) | — | |
| "The Drunken Piper"(withCookie Rankin) | — | ||
| 1999 | "In My Hands" | 18 | In My Hands |
| "Get Me Through December"(withAlison Krauss) | 40 | ||
| 2004 | "Appropriate Dipstick" | — | Blueprint |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Catharsis" | |
| 1997 | "Fiddle and Bow"(withBruce Guthro) | Andrew MacNaughtan |
| "The Drunken Piper"(withCookie Rankin) | ||
| 1999 | "In My Hands" | Christopher Mills |
| "Get Me Through December"(withAlison Krauss) | Mark Hesselink | |
| 2004 | "Appropriate Dipstick" | |
| 2014 | "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (withJohnny Reid andThe Rankins) | Margaret Malandrucco |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
