JJ Guy will be one of five fiddle players on stage Monday night at the EA Rawlinson Centre. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Community events

Prince Albert readies for toe tapping good time

Feb 14, 2022 | 5:00 PM

The fiddle show has long been a staple of the Prince Albert Winter Festival, and Monday night will make its return to the E.A. Rawlinson Centre.

Among the featured performer is JJ Guy, who makes his return to the city after a five year absence. He told paNOW Prince Albert has always been a fiddle hub for him.

“Like even as a kid growing up the fiddle contests here used to be huge. I remember you used to have to fight for a place to sit,” he said.

Recalling the opportunity as a young boy to watch some of his own heroes perform in Prince Albert including Graham Townsend, Reg Bouvette and Calvin Vollrath, Guy said he sort of feels like he’s come full circle.

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Like many other musicians, unable to perform for a live audience the last two years, Guy has been forced to think outside the box. His online jam sessions will as of this week been running for 88 weeks. Guy explained it’s a unique and fun way to connect to a fiddle community, adding his own amazement at how big his audience grew to.

“It’s actually been quite astonishing like I have people from every province in Canada and New York state, Vermont, California and even Australian and Scotland joining in,” he said.

The idea to do the online shows was pitched to Guy’s close friends who had seen something similar done in Scotland. She thought Guy could do the same with Canadian tunes.

“I thought who is going to join in and play along with me on a fiddle on a live stream and the response has been amazing,” he said.

Kerri English produced Monday night’s show and is also performing on stage.

“The fiddle is an integral part of the winter festival’s history so for us to be able to keep that going in the form of a show is kind of an honour,” she said.

English has been playing since she was 12, taught by another local fiddle legend in Dean Bernier.

“I had wanted to play fiddle since I was four years old and we went to a Metis fall festival show and Dean was there playing, and it got lined up that I finally got my fiddle lessons,” she said.

The show Monday night starts at 7 p.m. Admission is $15 and guests will also need to be wearing a winter festival button.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell