Biography
Arthur R. Scammell was born at Change Islands, Notre Dame Bay on 12 February, 1913 to Archibald and Sarah (Torraville) Scammell. He attended St. Margaret’s school there and in 1930-1931 studied Education at Memorial University College. From 1932 to 1939 he taught at Anglican schools around Newfoundland, including positions at Harbour Deep, Belleoram, Harbour Buffett, Pinchard's Island and Woody Point where he met his future wife, Isabella Aurelia (Rellie) Butt. Scammell graduated from McGill University in Montreal in 1943 and for many years served as Head of the English Department at Mount Royal High School in Mount Royal, Quebec. In 1966 he received an MA from the University of Vermont and returned to his teaching duties in Montreal until he retired in 1970. He then returned to Newfoundland and lectured part-time in junior studies English at Memorial University. After returning to Newfoundland, Scammell received several notable awards and distinctions. In 1977 he received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Memorial University. Also in the 1970s, a school was named in his honour in his home community of Change Islands. During his years in Montreal and the United States, Scammell wrote songs, poetry, short stories and other material describing the traditional Newfoundland way of life. His writings brought him much acclaim, most notably for his penning of the Squid Jiggin’ Ground, which he had written in 1928 while fishing with his father.
In 1988 Arthur Scammell was named to the Order of Canada. Following the death of his wife Isabella in May 1985, he married Carrie (Oake) LeMoine. He died in St. John’s on 28 August, 1995 at the age of 82. His collection of personal papers was donated to the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador on 16 October, 1996.
The Arthur Scammell Collection
The Arthur R. Scammell collection consists of one linear metre of textual records, photographs and sound recordings covering the years 1930-1995. The collection arrived at the Archives as bundles of papers tied with string in three large boxes with no apparent order to the materials. To make it useable for archival research, order was imposed on the collection and a finding aid was prepared. One look at the finding aid reveals a fascinating collection of Newfoundland-related material; nearly all of it related to the province’s music and culture.
As previously mentioned, Arthur Scammell received much recognition for his writing of the Squid Jiggin’ Ground, and his collection contains much material relating to this. It reveals the fact that, although written in 1928, it was not until much later that it became a familiar and popular song. The life of the song and its effect on Scammell’s life is clearly reflected in the collection and will be the primary focus of Part 1 of this article.
According to Scammell’s handwritten chronology (Box 2, File 6), the Squid Jiggin’ Ground first appeared in the 2nd Edition of Gerald S. Doyle’s popular songbook, Old Time Songs of Newfoundland. An Evening Telegram article (8 Dec. 1970), based on an interview between Mary McKim and Scammell, reports that “when Gerald S. Doyle compiled a collection of Newfoundland folk songs which he published, the words were published with a tune that Bob McLeod, a Newfoundland musician had adapted from an Irish jig.” (Author’s note: It is interesting that when the Newfoundland tune “Rollicking Skipper B” is changed to 3/4 time, it is nearly identical to the Squid Jiggin’ Ground.)
How or when Doyle first heard the song performed is unknown, but without written music, it could not have been included in his songbook, and it was after he had secured the written music from Bob McLeod that Doyle included it in his publication. The publicity gained from inclusion in the Doyle songbook and airplay on various radio programs made the song quite popular by the early 1940s, and its familiarity spread far beyond the confines of Change Islands. It was around this time that Scammell recognized the potential appeal of the piece he had written so many years earlier, and considered recording the song for sale and distribution.
The process of recording the Squid Jiggin’ Ground and details about distribution arrangements are well documented in the textual records of the collection. Correspondence between Scammell and the RCA Victor company (Box 1, File 1) indicates that the first commercial contract offer came in September 1942, when RCA offered to make two 10" masters of the recording to get the song on tape, ready for production. These masters were to cost $21.00 each with the manufacturing of 1000 records costing .21 cents each. (A far cry from recording prices today!)
Scammell eventually borrowed the funds to have the song recorded on the RCA Victor label. A receipt in the Scammell papers dated 31 May 1954 could be the receipt for this first actual printing of the song. The recording was marketed in Newfoundland and Eastern Canada and sold over 15,000 copies. While these figures cannot be verified from sources in the archival collection, Scammell writes that between 1942 and 1979, sales of the record and sheet music earned him $35,000 in royalties (Box 2, File 1). It is possible then, to consider this album the first commercially successful recording produced specifically for the Newfoundland and Atlantic-Canadian market.
Throughout his life, Scammell witnessed and enjoyed the popularity of all his songs and works, but his archival collection especially reveals the interest in and appreciation for his little ditty about squidding. This is evidenced by the letters and information packages from dozens of publishing houses, television program producers, university glee clubs, businesses, filmmakers, hospitals, government agencies, school groups, choirs, etc., all wanting to use the words/music for the Squid Jiggin’ Ground. These include letters from the National Film Board, BMI Music Canada, CBC, two American publishing houses, Memorial University Choral groups and even the Girl Guides of Canada.
Many artists wanted to record the song as well. Two of the most notable examples include Hank Snow and the Irish Rovers. Hank Snow, who at one time fished in Newfoundland waters out of Liverpool and Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, recorded the song in 1967. He released it first in Canada where it quickly became one of RCA Victor’s top ten releases across the country. (Released on HANK SNOW: Squid Jiggin’ Ground/My Nova Scotia Home RCA Camden Label CAL-2186 - circa 1968). In the early 1970s the Irish Rovers recorded the song, boldly altering its structure
to use a verse as a chorus (presumably because, like many other Newfoundland songs, it had no catchy chorus or refrain). It appears it was never a hit for the Irish Rovers and it is interesting to note that no mention of the Irish Rovers recording can be found in the Scammell collection. Remarkably though, the original Hank Snow version may still be heard on radio waves to this day — Radio Newfoundland 930 AM plays it regularly.
The Scammell papers at the Provincial Archives also reveal insight into the reasons for the success of the Squid Jiggin’ Ground, mostly through Scammell’s own words and writings. In one article Scammell guesses that the song first caught on in Change Islands because “everything in it was true.” The names were all based on real people and the description of the activity of jigging squids was so true to life that the authenticity of the song contributed to its popularity. In a news clipping in the files, an unidentified writer discussing the song explains that its catchy tune and colourful lyrics offered listeners a “lively, simple glance back at the traditional way of life” and that it appealed to people seeking “a release from the pressures of everyday life and post-war gloom.” Simply put, he felt the song made people forget about their troubles and look back to a simpler time. Whatever the reason for its success, the Squid Jiggin’ Ground caught on very quickly and soon the management and pursuit of royalties created by sales and performances of the piece became a very important task for the Scammell family.
With regards to copyright and revenue for this and other songs, Scammell’s archival materials tell an interesting story. Although he had wisely retained copyright and intellectual ownership of the song, many of the song’s users (singers, filmmakers, radio stations, etc.) did not honour the copyright. In most cases this was unintentional, resulting from people being unaware that the song had a living author. One of the best examples of this from the collection relates to the use of the song in a documentary film prepared by the United Nations on Atlantic Air Defence and Military Bases. The Copenhagen-based company who prepared the piece used it in their film without a thought of royalties. The result for Scammell was four years of writing the company to seek compensation for their use of the song. Eventually, the company sent him a royalty cheque for 47 Kroner, equal at the time to $7.46. The problems with royalty rights began to disappear soon after Scammell asked BMI music to handle such matters on his behalf. Royalty returns improved and eventually he began to profit from the song and its recordings whenever and wherever commercial releases of it appeared.
In addition to making financial gains, Scammell earned a reputation as somewhat of a “squid expert” as a result of the song. It even landed him in scientific circles on occasion, most notably through his guest-speaker appearances at symposiums and conferences on the giant squid, held during the 1960s and 1970s. Scientific knowledge about the giant squid was growing during this period, largely as a result of increased occurrences of specimens turning up around the world. Scammell was often invited to speak at special events at Memorial University, sharing with the scientific community his knowledge of the squid fishery and the culture and tradition around it. In 1992, Scammell published an article entitled “Reminiscences of a Former Squidder” in the Journal of Cephalopod Biology (Vol.2, Issue 1), published by the University of Honolulu, Hawaii. The article and other speaking and research notes are housed in five large files in the collection and reveal how Scammell combined local knowledge and science in his speaking engagements. The files also contain copies of speeches used at his many appearances before community groups, schools, historical societies and even a ball hockey team banquet.
It is ironic, given the popularity of the song and the recognition it brought Scammell throughout his lifetime, that many people still do not know the name Arthur Scammell or the story of how a 15-year-old boy from a small fishing outport created one of Newfoundland’s most popular songs. This is only one of many tales that can be extricated from the Arthur Scammell collection, thanks to his presence of mind to save and preserve the documentation of his work and his life. End of Part 1
Editor’s Note: See Squid Jiggin’ Asides for some interesting fallout from this article before publication!
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