Jerry Holland | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1955-02-23)February 23, 1955 Brockton, Massachusetts |
| Died | July 16, 2009(2009-07-16) (aged 54) |
| Occupations | Musician,fiddler |
| Instrument | Fiddle |
Jerry Holland (February 23, 1955 – July 16, 2009) was a musician andfiddler[2] who lived onCape Breton Island inNova Scotia, Canada.
He was born inBrockton, Massachusetts, United States to Canadian parents – his father was fromNew Brunswick and his mother was fromQuebec. During his childhood, Holland was exposed to themusic of the large Cape Breton expatriate community in Boston. He began to play the fiddle andstep-dance at the age of five, and played at his firstsquare dance at the age of six. He made his television debut in 1962 on the Canadian programDon Messer's Jubilee. 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 theCape Breton Symphony, a group of fiddlers that includedWinston "Scotty" Fitzgerald,Angus Chisholm,Joe Cormier,Wilfred Gillis andJohn Donald Cameron. The group appeared regularly onCBC television onThe 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 ofCape 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.[citation needed] Accompanied byDave MacIsaac on guitar andHilda 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 asHowie MacDonald.
Holland released thirteen albums and appeared as a guest musician on over 25 more.[3] He published two collections of fiddle tunes:Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes andJerry Holland's Second Collection of Fiddle Tunes, both edited byPaul Cranford. He was also noted as a composer of fiddle tunes, most famously "Brenda Stubbert's Reel" (named for his friend and fellow Cape Breton fiddlerBrenda Stubbert) and "My Cape Breton Home".
Holland died on July 16, 2009, from cancer.[4]
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