Curtis Hicks Born in the farming community of Midgic, NB in 1915, the eldest of eleven children, Curtis Hicks was five years old when his parents took him to a house dance where he saw and heard a fiddle for the first time. Impressed by the tone of this instrument, he later attempted unsuccessfully to make a fiddle out of a shingle and rabbit wire.
At 17 he bought his first fiddle for the grand sum of five dollars. Unable to afford music lesson and having no access to such modern conveniences as tape recorders and record players, he had to rely solely on memory to learn tunes. At every opportunity he attended house gatherings and dances to hear and watch fiddlers and then went home and applied what he had learned.
Curtis began playing for house dances in his late teens at the same time he started working in the lumber woods where, after a hard day's work, it was usual and relaxing to rosin up the bow and play a few tunes.
He met his future wife, Bessie Lee, at a house dance; they were married in 1937. She accompanied Curtis on Hawaiian guitar at various house functions. During his 37 years with Canadian National Railways (1940-1977), Curtis continued to play the fiddle for community functions, dances and house gatherings.
In July, 1940, Ivan, their only child, was born and before long he was introduced to various music instruments including the fiddle. In the late 40's and 50's, Ivan accompanied Curtis at musical events including those in Baie Verte and in Middle Sackville. Curtis has a great repertoire of tunes, a few of which he recorded in 1981 on “Curtis Hicks: A Portrait of an Old-Time Fiddler.”
Gordie Cole and “The Millers” played their first dances in the early 1950's with the assistance of Fred McKenna playing piano. They continued to play shows and dances in Central and Southern New Brunswick until the mid 1960's.
Gordie and “The Millers' were featured Saturday nights on CFNB with a 30 minute radio show during the fall and winter of 1955-56. In 1959 they began playing with Bud Brown and the Capital Co-Op Jamboree. These shows toured most of New Brunswick. The Millers played the Jamboree until the spring of 1961. They appeared on Radio Atlantic in January, 1963, on the Western Talent Hit Parade.
Gordie played with Al Sherwood and the York County Boys for a number of years. This included Woodstock Old Home Week, July 1967, a Maritime tour with Hank Snow-Wilf Carter Show in September, 1967. After the York County Boys disbanded, Gordie played a number of years with Aubrey Hanson and The Country Ramblers for shows and dances. This included a Maritime Tour with the Wilf Carter Show in 1978. He also played fiddle with Capital City Show Band on the Capital City Jamboree which toured Southern and Central New Brunswick during the years 1983-1984-1985.
Gordie played fiddle for the first Maritime Step Dancing Competition held in Fredericton in 1986. In the winter of 1988, he played fiddle on the New Brunswick Jamboree with Aubrey Hanson and the Country Ramblers. He has been playing every Saturday morning at 6:35am with Aubrey Hanson since 1975.
Gordie was born in 1932 in Fredericton. He married Marie Boone in July, 1955 and together they have raised four sons and still live in Fredericton .
Eugene (Gene) Morris , born in 1921 at Magundy , NB literally grew up to the “sound of music”. His mother taught music and was Church organist and choir director, his father played fiddle and his three sisters sang and played various instruments.
At the age of 12, Gene's Dad introduced him to the mysteries of the fiddle and shortly afterwards he received formal lessons from his mother. However, his first love was country music. Gene recalls Don Messer and Wilf Carter as early influences in his music.
Graduation, marriage to Madeline, a job transfer from Harvey Station to Hampstead, all were interspersed with his music, his guitar, singing and playing at dances, house parties and variety concerts.
He eventually formed his own dance band, the “River Valley Boys” and played most of the better entertainment events from Gagetown to Westfield , while appearing most often on radio, over CFBC's “Music in the Night”. His two sons, Bill and Gary, joined him on stage at an early age among other events, with the original Capital Co-Op Jamboree.
A highlight and perhaps the greatest challenge of his career, was developing and directing the Sussex Town and Country Orchestra, a group of 36 musicians who provided live entertainment throughout southern New Brunswick .
He was awarded the “Don Messer Memorial Award” in 1984. He has released an album of “Fiddling Favorites” and is a featured artist on the Valley Jamboree, as well as being a member of the Fredericton Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association, the Maritime Fiddlers Association, the River Valley Fiddlers, and the leader of the country combo, “The Lamplighters.”
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