Anita Best was born on the island of Merasheen in Placentia Bay. When she was a child, television had not yet taken over as the primary source of entertainment, and in fact many homes on the island did not have electricity. Anita grew up in such a house. Singing, playing and storytelling were the main forms of recreation, and were an important part of community life. Most of the music that Anita remembers happened during the late fall and winter. People were too busy with the fishery to socialize very much during the spring and summer, but when the nights grew longer and colder and the fishing season was over, people would gather in each others homes for a a "drop" and they would entertain each other with songs and stories. Anita has vivid memories of these parties.

"The men would usually dominate at these events. They would sit and sing together, and sometimes hold each others hands, moving them around through the air to the rhythm of the music. Women=s singing was different stylistically from that of the men. They sang in a more lyrical fashion, and, as male singers often "took over" at the parties, women would sing in gatherings that tended to revolve around domestic situations such as weddings and showers."

Anita's family moved to St. John's prior to the resettlement that destroyed their community. After they left Merasheen, her mother didn't sing as much, and Anita's interest in music moved to more contemporary artists like Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.

When her father passed away in 1973, Anita started to feel that there was something 'missing' from her life. Her interest in traditional singing blossomed anew, and she returned to Placentia Bay to live. She settled in the community of Southeast Bight, and in 1977 she married Pius Power Jr., a fisherman and a fine traditional singer. Young Pius had learned many of his tunes from his father, Pius Sr., who was also an exceptional singer with a large repertoire of songs. Anita was employed as a teacher during this time, and in 1979, she gave birth to her daughter Kate.

The late 70's saw the inception of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival in St. John's. Anita's career in public performance took off, and she started to build a following province-wide. It was also at this time that she befriended a young rock and roll drummer by the name of Noel Dinn. She convinced him (with a little help from Neil Murray) that he should form a band that specialized in Newfoundland folk music. Noel went on to form Lukey's Boat with lead singer Laverne Squires. Hot on the heels of that band came Figgy Duff. Anita was actually the lead singer of that group before Pamela Morgan stepped in the following year.

In the early eighties, Anita teamed up with Pamela Morgan and Genevieve Lehr to publish a collection of Newfoundland folk songs entitled Come and I Will Sing You. Anita and Pamela had also started performing as a duo, and in 1990 released the The Colour of Amber which won roots/traditional album at the ECMAs that year). Anita has also appeared on the following albums: All the Best (various artists), Another Time (various artists), Rock Within the Sea (The NF Symphony Youth Choir), Lately Come Over (Bristol's Hope), Eleven-Eleven (songs by Ron and Connie Hynes), Amber Christmas (with Pamela Morgan), and of course, her first solo recording Crosshanded.

Crosshanded is an unusual CD in this day and age as all of the songs were recorded without any instrumental accompaniment. Anita felt the Newfoundland that she knew as a girl had never really been properly documented, so she wanted to do a recording that represented the way people sang in the days when she was growing up. It is a beautiful and compelling album which successfully draws the listener into a world of days long past.

Anita has plans to do other CDs eventually, but she is currently channeling much of her energies into her new production company Newfoundland Voices Inc. Through this setup she sponsors events such as Voices from Cape Spear, (a summer concert series which takes place out in the bunkers at Cape Spear) Amber House Concerts, (Want to have Anita come to your house and serenade you? Contact her and ask her how it's done!), and a music/poetry series at Finnigan's Wake on Duckworth St.

You can reach Anita at 738-3945, or email her at abest@nfld.com