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SI.John'sFIGGY DUFF ANDNEWFOUNDLANDCULTURE

BY

Copyright©UseSaugeres,B.A..MA

A thesissubmittedto the School of GraduateStudies in partial fulfilmentof Ihe requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts

Department of Folklore

MemorialUniversity

ofNewfoundland

Augusl1991

Newrc mdland

11+1

NationalLibrary

of

Canada

BibliolhCqllCnationale

eccaocce

CanadianThesesService Servicedesroeses canaoeooes

The authorhasgrantedanirrevocablenon

of

Canadatoreprco uce.jcen.distributeorsell

copiesofhislherthesisbyanymeansandin any formor tomat.makingthisthesisavailable to interested persons.

The authorretainsownership of thecop yright

in his/her thesis.Neitherthethesis nor substantialextractsfrom itmay be printedor otherwise reproducedwithouthis/herper mission.

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non exclusivepermettentalaBibliolheque nalionatedu Canadadereproduire,prefer. dlatribueruvendredes copiesdesathese dequelquemanlereat sousquelqueforme quece sonpour mettredesexemnt ercsde cettemeseatadispositiondespcrsonncs interessees.

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quiprotegesathese.NiIauresenrdes exeuns eubstentrets de ceae-ct nedaivent Dire imprimesauauuementreorcourtssansson autorisation.

Canada'

ABSTRACT

ThisworkIsastudyoftheartistic use oftraditionalculturein creating a senseofregional identity.Specificallyitwill examinetheNewfoundland folk revivalband.FiggyDUff,as agroupofurbanmusicians,whointhe wereattemptingtoexpress asenseof Newfoundlandidentity.Themembers01

Figgy Duff decided10translate thistraditional

musicinloadifferentidiom by adaptingil totheirurban aesthetics .Thistranslationfromrural 10 urbanculture willbe discussedas asomewhat paradoxical process.Itwillalsobeshownthai it isin this process of translation(hal theurbanartistscreateasense of place rootedin anidealizedfolk culture.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Firstlwould like to thank my supervisorDr.Neil V. Rosenberg whose help andadviceduringboth the researchandwriting stages of thisthesiswere invaluable. twouldlike tothankaUmyinformantsfortheircollaborationwiththis project.

In particularI would

like10give special thanks to Pamela Morganwho was very helpfulduringmyresearch, notonly makingherself availablelor several Interviews,butproviding mewithphone numbersof theFiggy Duffmembers and ex-members,printed documents on the band, and otherlntcrmeuonthatI needed during the various stagesof thiswork.Ialsowould like 10 thankAnita

BeslwhowasequallyveryhF.llpfulduring myresearch.

Thanks to John Parsons andNoelDinn for allowingme to use printed documentsfrom theirowncollections; to DerekPelley whokindly provided me with a copyof the tape of thevery first FiggyDuff concert in1975;to Sandy Morrisand FrankMaherwho allowed me towatch videos of FiggyDuff performances. Iwould alsolike to thank CSC. more particularlyFredMaret from cac Radio, who dubbedfor me atape ofthe Figgy Duff concert at the Arts and Culture Center onNovember6th,1991, as wellas a tape of an interviewmade by CBCwith FiggyDuff.I also thank BrianBest forhis cooperationconcerning the recordingof the concert. Iam grateful toFlip Janeswho made copiesof his recordingsof two olderFiggy Duffperformances,and who alsolet mewatchand recordthevideo of a cacreport onFiggyDuff. Iam also very gratefultoClara Murphywho kindlyletme use hertape recordingsofinterviews as well as herfiles onthe Newfoundland folksong revival.Thanksto Dr.Paul Smith for providingmewithuseful bibliographies on thefolksongrevival. I would like to thank EileenCondonfor drivingmeto some of myinterviewsinTopsailand for proofreading;Marie-Annick Desplanques, CynthiaBoyd andBruceMasonfor proofreading;andValentinaBoldfor her support Ihroughthe computerline.Finally specialthanks10JohnHarrieslorhis precious help andsupport atallthestages ofmy work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract

Acknowledgements

Us! ofIllustrations

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTERI.

FIGGYDUFF:A HISTORY

vii

CHAPlEAU.

NEWFOUNDLANDIDENTITY46

CHAPTERIII.

FOLKSONG REVIVAL80

CHAPTER IV,

THE ROLEOF FIGGYDUFFINTHE NEWFOUNDLAND

FOLKSONGREVIVAL115

CHAPTERV.

REPERTOIRE,PERFORMANCEANDAUDIENCE

PERCEPTIONSOF FIGGVDUFF154

CONCLUSION219

BIBLIOGRAPHY222

DISCOGRAPHY249

APPENDIXI:

FOLKSONGANNOTATION250

APPENDIXII;

USTOF FIGGYDUFFSONGSAND TUNESON

COMMERCIALRECORDINGS254

APPENDIXIII:

QUESTIONNAIREONFIGGYDUFF257

APPENDIXIV:

TAPE UST AND

APPENDIXV;

USTOF BAAS AND HALLSMENTIONED

258
262
vii

LISTOFILLUSTRATIONS

FIGGYDUFFAT THE LOFT,13APRlL1991

FIGGYDUFF ATTHELOFT,13 APRIL1991

FIGGYDUFFATTHE LOFT,13APRIL1991151

152
153

INTRODUCTION

Thisthesisis aboutFiggyDuff,a wellknown Newfoundland folk revival band.Itconsidershow FiggyDuff was influencedbythe Newfoundlandnativist ideology and how theythemselvestookpari in this nativistmovementthrough the folksongrevivalinNewfoundland. The firstchapterisa reconstructionof thehistoryof the bandwithits main events andchanges.Chapter twoinparticularfocuses onIhe useoftradition10 createapositiveregional identity.Indeed theFiggy Duffmembers, likeother Newfoundlandnativists inthe 19705, turnedtothe traditional cultureoftheir region and selectedttas a symbol ofthe uniquenessofNewfoundland.Also describedis the process bywhichurbanpeople,whowere netsauafleowith urbanvaluesand the urbanculture,decided to reinvent abetter cultureby incorporatingelementslromrural life into their urbanculture.Thethesis also examines howFiggyDuff combinedtraditionalwith electricmusic,andthus adaptedmusicfromthe folk cultureof lheirregiontotheirurbanaesthetics,ina searchto createapositive regionalidentity. In chapterthreeFiggy Duff areshown10 be theinheritors of a conslant revivalisttraditionbothoutsideandwithinNewfoundland. TheNewfoundland folksongrevival,whichthebandwas part of,didrootstartinthe 19705but was itselfpartof ongoinginternational andNewfoundlandrevivals. I will showhow FiggyDuff andtheother Newfoundlandrevivalistsincorporatedallthese various influencesinto their owr:revival ofNewfoundlandfolksongs. Inchapter fourItake anemicperspective to establishtheideological frameworkby which theFiggy Duffmembers conceiveissues ofregionalidentity andtheir ownrole as artists inconstructingand maintaining thisidentity.In chapter fiveFiggyDuff'sperformance is also examinedas theenactmentoftheir ownideology.Performanceis seen asatext whichconveysa meaning, interpreteddifferentlyby different audiences. Bytooking at how the FiggyDuff members themselves perceivetheresponses of their audiences inrural Newfoundland, 51. John's,andoutside Newfoundland,how thepressperceives FiggyDuff,and how peoplesurveyedin5t. John'sperceivethe band,this thesis finallyshowshowthese variousaudiences interpretdifferentlythestatementof Newfoundlandidentity conveyed byFiggyDuff's performance. Mosl of myfieldwork consisted of tape-recordedinterviews with fourteen members and ex-membersofFiggyDuff and the band ex-manager JoM Parsons.Pamela Morgan,oneof the keymembers, wasinterviewed fourtimes. For the mostpart the members andex-memberswereeasilyapproachable, but I didencountera few difficulties.Thefounderand leader of Figgy Duff,NoelDinn, who hadinitially givenme hispermissiontodo this researchwas verydifficultto get hord 01 forinterviews. MyoriginalintentiontointerviewbothDinn and Morganextensivelydid notmaterializeas Ionly succeededin obtainingone tape-recorded interview with Dinnand another interview withhimwhichconsisted only of a few questions during a party. Two ex-members refusedtobeinterviewed: Art Stoyles,animportantFiggy Duff ex-member,andDaveVivianwho playedwithFiggyDuff forabout a year.I alsohad intendedto interviewIhe ex-Lukey'vBoat members butI succeededin interviewing onlythree.Lukey'a Baalwasa band which existedprior10Figgy Duff,andwhichNoelDinn was part of.An importantfigurein the Newfoundland folksongrevival, laverneSquires,an ex-Lukey'e Boat member,refusedto be interviewed,butanswereda fewquestionsinformally.Other Lukey'e Boat ex members,likeRonTilley,alsorefusedto be tntervlewed andNetsBoland and AI

Smithcould not

becontacted.AnotherimportantFiggy Duffex-member,Geoff Butler,who liveson the mainland of Canada,could not

00found.Iwas ableto

find thephone numbersof JaimieSnider,livinginToronto,and NellBishop living in Stephenville.Following Phil Dinn's suggestion,Icalledboth Sniderand

Bishop enqutnnqjf they would be

willingtoanswera few questionsontape, if I senttheman emplycassette andalistof questions.In both casestheresult was positive. Supplementingtheinterview material , recorded several tapes from interviews withsome oftheFiggyDuff members oncaeradioandCBC television.ClaraMurphy alsoallowedmeto use hor recorded tapesofinlervi&ws withs9Vera!membersof the artisticcommunity and her filesontho Newfoundlandfolksong revival. Ialso used interviewsfoundinvarious printod documents,particularlythose withNoel

Dinn..Someof theseprinteddocuments

were provided to me byDinn, Morganand Parsons.wh;leotherswere found in

TheCenter For Newfound!:mdStudies.

Another slgniflcanlpart of Ihisfieldwork was

10observeseveralFi99YDull

liveperformances,during most ofwhichI look notes.Theperformance which tookplace atthe Arts andCulture Centeron November6th, 1990 wasalso recordedon tape,dubbed forme byFredMare:trom CSC.Older recordings01 Figgy Duff performances were made availableto:""ebyFlip Janes. DerekPolley and FredMaret from CBC.Iwas also able(0Halchafew videorecordings of Figgy DuffperformancesthankstoSandy MorrisandFrankMaher.Photographs ofthe Figgy Duff performanceat theLoft,HaymarketSquare.onApril13th.1991 were alsotaken.

In 51.John's a questionnaire was given 10

thirtypeopleandtenotherpeople weredirectly approached, twoofwhomwereactuallytape recorded, inorder to geta senseof howFiggyDuffwas perceivedby people inNewfoundland.

By ilsnature,no scholarship that deals wilh

livingartistscan beconsicerec complete.FiggyDuff arestill together,recording,touringand changing.Even if theirhistory was complete,there couldbe no tote!understanding01FiggyDuff.

My analysis

isofwordsandmusic thatareonlya partialreflectionoftho band membors' memories,experiencesand achievements.Butwithinthese limitations,thisstudy Isstill,I believe, trueto the meaningof the band and their relationshIpwiththe culture thaiwas, 10them,botha source offrustrationand inspiralion.

CHAPTER I.FIGGYDUFF:A HISTORY

In order toreconstrucl the historyof Figgy Duff,with itsmaineventsand chanqes. itisnecessaryto go back earlier thantheacnrat beginningsof the band.The founderof FiggyDuffwas Noel Dinn,a St. John's musicianwho has rernained a central forcein Ihe band. His personalbackground, musical,and politicallnsuences all played a rote in the formation of FiggyDuff. In the same waythe othermembers'personaland musical backgrounds have broughl differentinfluences intothe band whichareimportant to consider. NoelDinn,born in1947, grew up in 51. John's.His fatherwas a mechanic and a plumber. His father and all his uncles used to sing,and his father also playedthe fiddle athouse parties.As Di n"grew uphe would listen to music radioprograms like"The Big Six",whichconsistedmainly of Irish Newfoundland music, and at the sametimehe wouldalso listen 10the American rhythm and blueswhich could be heard onthe American base StationVOUSIn

51.John's.

Althoughhe wasinfluenced by both musicalgenres,he particularlyliked rhythm and blues and rock 'n'roll which had arhythm and blues base. Noelcomments in enarttcle: My leaningtowardsthe blues.Iguess,was an instinctive recognitionof that folk eiement•. a reatress about themusic,as opposedto mostpop musicof the day(Murray, 'Profile:NoelDinn"12). Amongthe musiciansDinnheard on theradio he preferredthe black musicians !ikeSolomonBurkeand JimmyAeed but he also likedthe Beatles and the RollingStones.Locally he was influenced by a rhythmand blues band called TheRavens,and by Ihe playing style of the band's drummer,Rocky Wiseman.

NoelDinn started

toplaydrums at an early age. He choseto playdrums becausebythe timehe grew up therewereno instruments inhis parents'house, andhe did not need to have a set of drumsin orderto learn how to play, "you just hadto getthe coordinationworked out"(Dinn,lape no 1). He startedto learn drums byusinghis hands,kniUingneedlesandanything else hecoulduse, before siltingdownathis firstset ofdrumswhenhe was fifteen.Then hissister brought a piano tohis parents'houseand Dinnstartedtolearn it byhimself.

Later on

healso learnedthe bodhranandhammered dulcimer.When Noel was inhigh schoolhe was amember ofaband cattedthe San-nets.They were playing straightrock'n' roll although the singer,Basil Conneley,would occasionallyplaythe accordionwhentheywereperforminginrural

Newfoundland.The San-Dalsdisbanded

in1966·67 when NoelDinn started to attendMemorialUniversityinSI. John's.In 1967,Noel Dinngot logetherwith twomusicianshehadknownfromhis highschooldays atBrotherRice,Sandy Morrisand Brian Hennessey. Two othermusicians,Derek PelleyandWayne Bracejoined themtoformthe PhiladelphiaCreamCheeze Band.

SandyMorris, born in 1948,from

SI.John's gal hisfirslguilarwhenhe was

fifteenyearsold.Hisgrandfatherwas amusician butMorris never knew him. Hisparentswerenot musical.SandyMorris is a sert-tauqht musician.Besides the guitar healso learnedto playpiano,percussion, banjo,mandolin,andbass. SandyMorris's mainmusical influenceswere rhythmandblues,then lhe Bealles andthe Rolling Stones(Morris, tapeno10.1). DerekPelley was bornin 1950in51.John's.Hegrewup ina verymusical atmosphere.Hismother sangandprayed the piano andeveryone inthefamily sangorplayed some instrument. Pelley startedto learnthe guitarwhen he was eleven. Thefirst styleofmusiche played ontheguitarwascountryandwestern, taught to him byacountryandwestern musicianfromrural Newfoundlandwho livedat hisparents'housefor awhile.Later on hewas influencedbyrock music, The Beatles forinstance,andby traditional rock groupslikeFairportConvention. Derek Pelleymet Brian HennesseyandSandy Morrisat apartyand they startedto play together.At that point Pelleybegan10play bass.Thethreeof themjoined Dlnn andWayne Braceal,dtogelher dida concertat the Artsand

CultureCenter in

SI.John'sasanopening actforlocal performerMary Lou Collins.Derek Pelleytells how the Philadelphia CreamOheezewasformed as theresultof thisparticularconcert, whichgenerated negative publicity: we justgot togethera buncnof songsandplayed andthe whole thing caused quitea furor in the papermainlybecauseof Ray Guy.. .he was totallyappalledbyourstagepresence, turningourbacktothe audienceon my God, therewas a certainamountofbad publicityaboutthai..sowe kept goingandthisunitbecamethe

PhiladelphiaCreamCheeze band..."(Pelley,

tapeno 16). ThePhiladelphiaCream Cheezewas,according to Noel Dinn,"arock'n' rollprogressive band"andaccordingto Derek Pelley "a rhythmandblues'band. Their performances includeda lightshow whichwas totallynew in Newfoundland.The band also began to adapta fewNewfoundl andtraditional songstorock music.Although thePhiladelphiaCreamCheeze lasted foronly sixmonths, itwasimportant because itwas thefirst bandinNewfoundlandto have donewhatis nowknown as 't-ad-rock'orcombiningfolkmusic and rock music.NoelDinn was introducedto Newfoundland traditionalsongsby SI. John'ssingerLaverneSquires.Before thathewas only familiar withthe traditionalBritishandAmerican balladspopularized byJoanBaez buthewas not awarethat there weresuchballadsin Newfoundland, ashe explains: .•thebeautyof thoseballadsyouknow,the first...folksongs I everheard that Ireallyliked,that wasJoan Baez,on herfirstalbum tthink whereshe was singingthese oldAppalachianballads,justthe beauty of them,the waythe melody was andthesort ofinnocenceor thesongslike thatalwaysreally affectedme.Inever realizedthat there weresongs likethatin Newfoundland tilt Iheard Laverne SquiresSinging,when Iheard them,Jesuslike,we were playingotherkinds ofmusic,Isaid'wenwhy can'twe do these you know?' (Dinn,tapeno1). LaverneSquires was born inthelate1940sinHermitageBay butgrewup in St.John's.Shesanginasmallchoralgroup called"The Canterbury Singers· under thedirection of EileenStanbury.Squireslearned classicalandartsinging fromStanbury.Squireshadbeentaught afew Newfoundland traditional songs byher musicteacher whenshewasstillIn high school butshe was lntroducedto thefolksong collectionsof Kenneth Peacock,Greenleafand Mansfield, and Maud Karpeles byNeil Murray. She couldnotread musicbutshe would ask her musicteacher 10play for herthesongsthatshe likedin thecollection(Interview with LaverneSquires). BrianHennesseywasthelead singer ofThePhiladelphia CreamOreezc but lavernewouldoccasionallysingwiththem.Whensheperformedwith the band shewouldsingsongsfromtherepertoire01contemporaryrock bandslike JeffersonAirplane,TheDoorsandCream,aswellasNewfound land traditional songs such t2atured on thesoundtrackofChildrenofFogo,aMemor ial UniversityExtension documentaryaboutresettlement.

Atabout thesame time,NoelDimwas also

introduced toBritish traditionalrock bandsthroughamanwhohad influenced Squires inlearning Newfoundlandfolksongsand who wasto beagreatinfluence on Dinn andothermusicia ns:Neil Murray.Dinn mel MurrayIhroughSquires. Neil Murray was born in 1943 in Dorset, England,lntcamiddle class family.His fatherwas aNewfoundlander whowas stancneo asasoldier inDorset and his mother was fromEngland.The familymovedtoSI.John'sin

1945andNeilwent

to schoolthere untilgrade six.Hewent10highschoolinEngland,buthe returned to Newfoun dlandand didaB.A.and M.A.inEnglishat Memorial

University.

Thenhewentonto Oxford UniversityasaRhodesscholar.Neil

Murraydid not playany

back.to Newfound landonvacation,between'969and1971,hebrought with him recordsofBritish traditional-rockbandsthat wereonthe scene atthetime,as

NeilMurrayexplainedIn a

You knowLaverneSquires,Iwasfriendlywithher,andshewasthefirstore shewaslearningthem fromtheprintedcollections andthenshegot together withNoelDinnand tithermusicians,Derek PelleyandSandyMorrisandolherquotesdbs_dbs26.pdfusesText_32

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