The last week of
2009, between Christmas and the New Year, Cape Breton
fiddler Dougie MacDonald died in a car accident. He was
only 41 years old. Over the years, Dougie released four
albums and published a book of original fiddletunes. His
music travelled the globe and his compositions have been
played by such notables as Jerry Holland, Sharon Shannon,
Howie MacDonald, The Barra MacNeils, Solas, Rodney
Miller, Otis Tomas, Liz Doherty and Maire O'Keeffe.
Though not a full time professional musician Dougie did
have the opportunity to perform in Ireland, Scotland,
Canada and the US. A frequent participant of the annual
Celtic Colours International Festival, plans were already
underway for him to be featured there next year. At the
time of his death he was working on a new
recording.
As a child in the
Queensville, Inverness County area of Cape Breton, the
famous fiddler-composer Dan Hughie MacEachern was
Dougie's neighbour, mentor and close family friend. Dan
R. MacDonald was another fiddler-composer who encouraged
Dougie in those early years. Later, as a teenager, Dougie
started visiting Jerry Holland to learn and share music.
They remained close friends for remaining years of
Jerry's life. Both as a composer and as a fiddler Dougie
was highly original. Jerry and Dan Hughie were
undoubtedly proud of his accomplishments.
A devoted family man,
rather than make a tentative income from music, Dougie
made his living from mining. In recent years he worked in
the diamond mines of The Northwest Territories. Isolation
didn't stop his camaraderie with Cape Breton musicians.
Ever passionate about his new tunes, friends would get
long distance phone calls when Dougie wanted to debut his
latest creation.
During his precious
time home, Dougie still managed to be generous to his
local community, both with his time and with his music.
In his home parish he helped organize the annual Broad
Cove Concert. Around the island he played for benefit
concerts and at nursing homes and as well he made
frequent impromptu visits to friends - simply playing
solo in the kitchen for appreciative householders. The
intensity of his music was phenomenal. His bowing and
fingering were unmatched. He was truly a fiddler's
fiddler.
published
in Fiddler
Magazine
(spring 2010)
