Biography

[Joe]

The Cottars' biography
by Joe S
October 2006

work-in-progress

RAISED in the Cape Breton Island town of Marion Bridge, a community filled with history, tradition and song, Ciarán learned how to play the piano at the age of 5. His sister Fiona learned the tin whistle quite young as well. No doubt the MacGillivray kids' earliest performances were done in front of their parents. Allister MacGillivray is an acclaimed author and composer. Canadians first glimpsed Fiona and Ciarán on a feature on the "Pit Pony" TV series. Soon after the pair performed for the Governor-General of Canada, and appeared on the Barra MacNeils' Christmas Special.

Jimmy and Roseanne MacKenzie, from Baddeck, also grew up in the music and stories of Cape Breton Island. The MacKenzies and MacGillivrays met in early 2000 while playing on the same bill at a music festival in Iona, NS. Six months later, while performing alongside each other at a club, a DJ suggested they perform together. Allister was particularly impressed with the fiddling performance of Roseanne. Jimmy was noted for his intricate guitar stylings. The youngsters (aged ten to thirteen) worked up a Christmas presentation entitled "A Child's Celtic Christmas" that successfully played in Cape Breton.

The term "cottars" was the subject of a history project that Fiona was working on as part of her Grade 6 classwork. A cottar is Scots slang for a farm labourer who resides in a cottage on tenant land. Between 1793 and 1840, over twenty-five thousand Scots were forced out of the country in what became known as the Highland Clearances. Many made their way to North America and found work in Nova Scotia's bustling coal mining industry. Soon after, a large number of Irish immigrants also sailed east towards America and Canada.

Now as The Cottars, the foursome performed in front of an audience of 3,000 at a festival in Sydney, NS, with celebrated Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster.

In late 2001, The Cottars caught the attention of Canadian singer John McDermott while he was in Cape Breton filming the PBS-TV special "A Time to Remember". He wanted some local children to perform with him, and the quartet was brought in. McDermott then invited them to open for him in America. Also that year, the two brother and sister pairs performed at a concert for ice hockey legend Wayne Gretsky.

The Cottars' debut CD "Made in Cape Breton" was recorded in February 2002 and released in Canada on McDermott's label 'Bunnygee Music' in April. The foursome landed a Saint Patrick's Day concert for US Senator Edward Kennedy and his family in Massachusetts. Later that year the group appeared at various folk and Celtic festivals, did a Borders Books and Music tour. The Cottars also signed on as national spokespersons for the Children's Miracle Network in Canada.

The Cottars began 2003 by walking away with Best New Artist honors at the annual East Coast Music Awards (ECMAs). broadcast on national TV. They, in fact, stole the show by performing "The Briar and the Rose" and drawing a standing ovation from the audience of 10,000. The group travelled to Denmark for the Tonder Festival and appeared at dozens of venues in Canada and the US; most prominent were Symphony Hall in Boston and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC in August. In November 2003, The Cottars toured Japan to support the release of their first CD to Asian markets.

In early 2004, The Cottars released "On Fire!", their second CD, on their own Sea-Cape Music label in Canada; and on JVC Victor in Japan. On Canada Day, a half-hour TV special titled "The Cottars" was broadcast. Later that summer the group opened for Natalie MacMaster. Legendary Irish group The Chieftains approached the quartet and asked them to appear on their CBC-TV special, which premiered in September. The Cottars returned to Japan for a private performance for the Canadian Ambassador and Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado. The Japan tour culminated with Christmas concert with Celtic group Altan.

The year 2005 was exceptional for The Cottars. They won their second ECMA award, this time for Best Roots/Traditional album. The group spent much of the year performing at nearly 80 venues across the US and Canada. In the autumn, The Cottars received an invitation from Paddy Moloney and The Chieftains to join them on their 2006 tour of the US. Shortly afterward, The Cottars reached an agreement with independent American label Rounder Records and began work on their third album, enlisting fellow Cape Bretoner Gordie Sampson as co-producer. Ciarán and Roseanne even arranged a few pieces. Jimmy is now profient on the banjo. The MacGillivray family spend the Christmas holiday in Italy.

In the first three months on 2006, Cottars fans saw the release of a third CD, "Forerunner", and a 24-US city tour accompanying The Chieftains, complete with a Saint Patrick's Day performance at renowned Carnegie Call. The Cottars have also appeared at several festivals throughout the late spring and summer months.

Unfortunately, a series of events has occured that caused Jimmy and Roseanne to part ways with the group. Two very able musicians, Bruce Timmons and Claire Petit, have "stepped in" and have completed the touring season with The Cottars. Bruce and Claire have brought their own music and flair to many new songs introduced to The Cottars' ever-growing fans.