Placide Odo

Placide Odo, also known as P'tit Placide, was a very well respected fiddler from Chéticamp. Although he could not read a note of music, he played the fiddler very well and was often called upon to play for weddings and gatherings such as La Chandeleur. He was a contemporary of Joseph Larade and his brother Jacques (Jim) Odo was also a fiddler as well as a violon maker. There's a great article about the Odo fiddlers that appeared in the April/May 2007 issue of the Participaper (volume 28 #2), an Inverness County paper. 

Joseph Larade

Joseph Athanase Larade was a fiddler, singer and brawler from Chéticamp Nova Scotia. He had a unique style of singing while playing the fiddle and was a contemporary of Placide Odo, also from Chéticamp. There are several recordings available of his playing at the Centre D'études Acadiennes Anselme Chisasson at the University of Moncton, as well as a cassette that is sold through the cultural center of Les Trois Pignons in Chéticamp.

Photo of a young Joseph Larade playing for a dance

There are more songs and tunes with sheet music and words by Joseph Larade at the Beaton Institute.

Alcide Aucoin

Alcide Aucoin was from Chéticamp and when not playing fiddle he worked as an electric welder. He moved south to Boston to find work and joined forces with Alex Gillis from Margaree to form the Inverness Serenaders and together they made some of the earliest recordings of Cape Breton music for Decca records. They also had a radio show on WYFX in Boston.

Alcide Aucoin recordings

Arthur Muise

Joe Cormier

Joe Cormier was born March 19th, 1927 in Chéticamp, an Acadian settlement in Cape Breton Nova Scotia. He grew up speaking French and was from a musical family, but the musical tradition around him was mostly Scottish. His father played Irish and Scottish tunes and Joe started performing as early as 9 years old and by age 14 was playing for dances at the parish halls. He was a protégé of Angus Chisolm and Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald, adopting the Cape Breton repertoire. Another import an influence was Placide Odo. who played more the French style of fiddling. According to Joe Cormier "French fiddling is more free-flowing and Scottish fiddling is more pronounced and better for step dancing". He later moved to Waltham, Massachusetts in the 1960's to work as an electrical engineer and played often for the dances at the French American Victory club. There is a brief appearance of Joe Cormier playing at the club on the 1989 John Bishop documentary called New England Dances.  Joe recorded two albums for Rounder records in the 1970's. These early recordings have been remastered and re-released in a compilation CD from Rounder called The Dances Down Home. 

Sources:

http://www.backtothesugarcamp.com/C2.htm#cormier

http://arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/joseph-cormier

Robert Deveaux

Acadian fiddler, pianist, and singer Robert Deveau grew up in St-Joseph-du-Moine, just south of Chéticamp on Cape Breton Island. His influences as a fiddler include Arthur Muise and Donnie LeBlanc. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from St. Francis Xavier University and worked as a fiddler and guide at the Fortress of Louisbourg Historical Site. He has revived the unique style of playing fiddle and singing of Joseph Athanase Larade and is a respected researcher and collector of Acadian songs. He can be heard playing fiddle on the album Pure Celtic Hearts Volume 2 by Cape Breton pianist Maybelle Chisholm McQueen. Click on the link for a great review of Robert's playing on the CD https://www.mail-archive.com/scots-l@argyll.wisemagic.com/msg03938.html