My first experience with Newfoundland people was in the late 1960s in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. I was in high school, and my family was hosting one of the "Young Voyageurs" from Newfoundland ("Young Voyageurs" was a great exchange program that was run during the 1960s) , so I got to accompany the whole crew on the various day trips and tours in and around Prince Albert. It was great getting to know Newfoundlanders, but it didn't quite hit me until the evening of the wiener roast. You know what they say about campfires and Canadians-: "You put one in front of a fire and they begin to sing!" Well, I had considered myself to be a little bit versed in folk songs, but until that evening I had no idea of my ignorance! The music that came from this group of high school students amazed me! It was an extensive sing to be sure!

Several years later, in 1976, I spent the month of November living in a house on Military Road in St. John's, auditing some classes in the Folklore Department and taking in the musical life. At that time there were two thriving folk clubs, as well as decent music at the pubs, and many special concerts happening, including "The Chieftains" performing at the University. It was a memorable stay in Newfoundland, and I knew that I wanted to return someday. It was definitely the only place in Canada where I ever comfortably sang in a pub (and won a bottle of Screech)!

One more memory of Newfoundland music comes to me: in the 1980s I was part of an hour-long show called "Newfoundland Soiree" which followed the play "Salt Water Moon", presented by Saskatoon's Persephone Theatre. For two months I was immersed in the music and poetry of Newfoundland along with three other musicians and two actors.

I greeted my invitation to perform at this year's Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival with open arms, and a with a mix of apprehension and excitement at returning to this part of the world. I have been performing for more than two decades, but I've never returned to eastern Canada to do any concerts. I'd always hoped that the traditional music that I sing would be of interest to people in Newfoundland and the Maritime provinces.

On August 1st, a long journey by air from Saskatoon returned me to St. John's. I arrived at the airport in the late afternoon, settled in at The Roses B&B, and there was still enough daylight to go for a bit of a walk down on Duckworth Street to look for a bite to eat. The memories of being in St. John's flooded back to me as I climbed the steep hills, smelled the salt air, and enjoyed the amazing Victorian architecture that surrounded me. There were definitely some changes: I missed the old Newfoundland Hotel that had stood at the end of Military Road on my previous visit, and I was sure there must be some new buildings, both townhouses and high-rises, but the general feel of the place was much the same. And on the first day of the Folk Festival when the music began, it was great to hear the sound of Jim Payne singing The Ode to Newfoundland that I had sung with the "Soiree" company so many years before.

I was delighted to be partnered with Pamela Morgan and Anita Best as part of the "Common Ground" program at the festival. We arranged to meet during the weekend to decide on some common songs that we could perform together on our Sunday evening concert. This was a pleasure and a privilege for me, as I have been familiar with Anita and Pamela's music for many years. We settled on Lowlands Away and Island Spinning Song to sing together at the end of our respective sets. There is only one thing I enjoy more than singing harmony with others, and that is having other people sing harmony with me!

I am humbled by the vast body of folk songs and tunes in Newfoundland, and by the amazing musicianship that thrives here. As a Prairie person who is descended from British Isles parentage, I have great esteem for Newfoundlanders, who seem to know who they are and where they are coming from. My repertoire, like my background, is mainly songs and ballads from the British Isles, yet I live on the Prairies and feel a bond with the land and people here; I sing some songs expressing that attachment. Many years ago when I began my recording company, I named it "Prairie Druid Music" to symbolize that juxtaposition of two worlds. In the same way, I feel that although Saskatchewan and Newfoundland are widely separated geographically, as working people we share a common bond with the earth and our dependence on it. It was an honour to be invited to sing at your splendid festival!


- Patty Tutty

http://www.prairiedruid.net