Two score and 10 years ago I began my musical career in a New York City elementary school playing the tonette, a sort of plastic recorder, in grade 2. By grade 3 I'd settled on trumpet as my weapon of choice, in part because my friend Steve played one and also The Lonely Bull was topping the charts. In elementry school I played in school orchestra, but once puberty and the Beatles appeared, I quit the trumpet and joined a local rock band playing electric bass. High school and college and The Grateful Dead edged me toward acoustic guitar and mandolin. I played in a few fun folk groups after relocating to Vancouver, BC. I earned enough money playing to keep my nose under water so I decided to acually study music at Capilano College and UBC.

I'm now a multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, teacher, producer & engineer. I have performed music in styles ranging from Celtic fiddle to electric guitar with a Trinidadian steel drum band and many in between. I toured for 19 years as accompanist to children's singer Charlotte Diamond, traveling coast to coast in Canada and the US with three trips to Costa Rica. My great love is to play for dancers. As a producer I have over three dozen albums to my credit, one of which received a Juno award and five of which received nominations.

I can't stop writing fiddle tunes (over 225). I love getting letters from all over the world and having folks tell me they are playing one of my tunes and loving it. It makes my day! I'm happy to know I'm leaving something for generations to come for them to enjoy and to inspire them to write tunes that are current for themselves.

These compositions are published, performed and recorded by several groups. See PUBLISHED WORKS. My own publications include four books of original tunes: GIBLITZ FANCY, HUNTERS AND GATHERERS, ANNA'S SMILE, and THE FOOL'S JOURNEY many of which are featured on his first album "TO HAVE AND TO HOLD" You can buy on line or send me a check. See Product page to order.

BACKGROUND

My recording career began at age 11 when my dad brought home a reel to reel tape recorder. This was a endlessly facinating tool. I purchased my first "sound on sound" tape recorder in 1973 and quickly jumped into multitrack recording with the first cassette based home studio setups in the 80's. At the same time I was making demos in a more professional studio and learning the ropes that prepared me to produce Charlotte Diamond's first Juno-award-winning album in '86. I setup my own studio in the 90's gaining valuable experience as an engineer and producer.

WORK HISTORY

• Member of Dragon Stash, English ballad band 1972-1973
• Member of Hot Corn, jugband 1973-1974
• Member of Slapchord, fiddle tunes 1974-1975
• Member of Sodbusters, country rock 1975
• Member of Bargin at Half the Price, folk ensemble 1980-1981
• Member of Frosty Mountain String Band1981 - 1985
• Member of Under the Moss, Celtic music ensemble 1981- 1983
• Accompanist and producer for Charlotte Diamond 1985-2010
• Music director for Gateway Theater production of Lulu Revamps Steveston 1986.
• Actor and musician in John Gray's Don Messer's Jubilee 1986.
• Actor and musician in Barkerville Royal Theater 1986.
• Member of The Soul Survivors, steel drum band 1994-97.
• Member of Whiplash, contra dance band 1997-2005.
• Member of The Westerlies, folk song and tune trio with Brian Robertson and Ellen van der Hoeven 2005
• Member of Giblitz Fancy, contra dance band 2006-10
• Member of Tunefully Yours, duo with Trish Claire-Peck. 2009-10 We play Contra Dances, Host Sessions, Perform House Concerts, Play Weddings etc...
• Member of Capering Fools duo with Guy Langois. 2009-10 We play Farmers Markets, Contra Dances, Elder Care Facilities, etc..
• Fiddle Teacher at the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music 2009-10
• String program teacher at The Sunrise Waldorf School 2010
• Member of Skewlines 2010

I have played in too many groups to list - with musical styles including Old English Ballads, Irish Dance Music, Reggae, Soca, African, Gypsy, Arabic, Klezmer, Country, Swing, Rock, Bluegrass and American Appalachian.

In 1996 I opened a multi-track recording studio, and have done much of the later listed recordings there as well as demo sessions for various other local performers and groups.

Currently I perform on Fiddle, Mandolin, Octave Mandolin, Guitar (acoustic and electric) and Tenor Banjo.

PUBLISHED WORKS

My own books of compositions.

• GIBLITZ FANCY 92 original fiddle tunes.
• HUNTERS AND GATHERERS 30 original tunes.
• ANNA'S SMILE 30 original tunes.
• THE FOOL'S JOURNEY 55 original tunes.

• 141 BRAND NEW OLD TIME FIDDLE TUNES VOL 2 edited by Vivian Williams
• 169 BRAND NEW OLD TIME FIDDLE TUNES VOL 3 edited by Vivian Williams
• CANADIAN FIDDLE MUSIC VOL I Compiled by Ed Whitcomb
• CANADIAN FIDDLE MUSIC VOL II Compiled by Ed Whitcomb
• SONGS OF THE TIGER Collected and edited by Marlene and Robert McCracken
• SMALL WORLD by Gordon Stobbe
• The PORTLAND COLLECTION VOL 2 edited by Clyde Curley and Susan Songer

Discography

• Flying Home to Shelley - Recorded by:
  • David DiGiuseppe's on "Welcome to Heaven"
  • The Elftones on "The Moon and the Sun"
  • String Beings on "Being Reel"
  • Rodney Miller on "Flying On Home"
  • Lift Ticket on "New Balance"
  • Heathen Creek on "24 Hrs"
  • Skeeziks on "Portrait of Eldvig"
  • Laura Cortese on "even the lost creek" and "Blow the Candle Out".
  • The Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club on "A Long Way From Home".
  • Lisa & Heather Malyuk on "13 Tunes".
  • Paul's CD "TO HAVE AND TO HOLD"
  • Pratie Heads on "We Did It! Songs of People Behaving Badly".
  • The AM Stringband on "Take Root"
• Journey to the Point - Recorded by Elvie Miller and Rodney Miller on "Spyglass Waltzes".
• Patty's Journey Home - Recorded by Rodney Miller on "Airdance" and by Peninsula Scottish Fiddlers on "Peninsula Scottish Fiddlers and Friends LIVE"
• New Potato - Recorded by The Privy Tippers on "Straddling the Muffin-Biscuit Line". and recorded with lyrics by Charlotte Diamond as New Potato Polka on "Charlotte Diamond's World"
• The Last Minute Polka - Recorded by Gordon Stobbe on his 2002 album "Small World".
• Mistress Moon - Recorded by Charlotte Diamond on "Diamonds and Daydreams"
• Hello Winter - Recorded by Charlotte Diamond on "Diamonds and Dragons"
• Bonjour l'hiver - Recorded by Charlotte Diamond on "Bonjour l'hiver"
• Diamonds and Dragons - Recorded by Charlotte Diamond on "Diamonds and Dragons"
• Slimey the Slug - Recorded by Charlotte Diamond on "Diamonds and Dragons"
• Procrastination - Recorded by Charlotte Diamond on "My Bear Gruff"
• Splishin and Splashin' - Recorded by Charlotte Diamond on "Charlotte Diamond's World"
• Snuggle with your Puppy - Recorded by Charlotte Diamond on "Charlotte Diamond's World"
• Giddyup Pony - Recorded by Charlotte Diamond on "Charlotte Diamond's World"
• Scare Away the Night - Recorded for McCracken Educational Services on "Melodies of the Farm"
• The Little Yellow Duck - Recorded for McCracken on "Melodies of the Farm"
• Alphabet Rap - Recorded by McCracken on "Melodies of the Farm"
• Bill Grogan's Goat - Recorded for McCracken on "Melodies of the Farm" and "Songs of the Tiger"
• The Little Red Hen - Recorded for McCracken on "Melodies of the Farm" and "The Gingerbread Man"
• The Big Red Apple - Recorded for McCracken on "Melodies of the Farm"
• One, Two Rap - Recorded for McCracken on "Melodies of the Farm"
• How Do You Say Hello To A Ghost - Recorded for McCracken on "Songs of the Tiger" and "The Tiger Sings on CD"
• Harold Horatio Hercules Hobb - Recorded for McCracken on "Songs of the Tiger" and "The Tiger Sings on CD"
• The Gingerbread Man - Recorded for McCracken on "The Gingerbread Man"
• The Giggles - Recorded for McCracken on "The Gingerbread Man"
• The Knight of Naught - Recorded for McCracken on "The Gingerbread Man"
• Teddy Bear - Recorded for McCracken on "The Gingerbread Man"

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