Don Messcr and The lslanders

Art took sick and by Ray Simmons for many years. Don Tremaine announced the program on television from Halifax. Ray was always a member of the band and did the Outports Program on CFCY. but pcr- haps he is best known as a clarinetist with Don and was loved and respected by his many fans.

Don knew what his audiences wanted to hear and on quick, rec— ognizable and danceable tunes, he built his enormous popularity.

Folklorists Dorothy & Homar Hogan credit him with influencing other fiddlers with a style as clean, straight-ahead and neat as a well- tended farm and marked by “down—to—earth” simplicity.

The band had made 18 tours by 1969 and a Centennial trip for Festival Canada in 1967 lasted three months and covered sixty—one centres. More than thirty—five 78’s were recorded by Apex, mostly compositions of Don Messer.

Composer at work. Don Messer, who once fiddled all night for 35 cents, wrote all the arrangements for his shows.

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