Dick Nolan (musician)

Richard Francis Nolan (February 4, 1939 – December 13, 2005)[1] was a Canadian musician, from Newfoundland. Nolan was known for performing Newfoundland folk music in Toronto night clubs. During his 50-year career he released more than 40 albums and recorded over 300 tracks. He is particularly known for his song "Aunt Martha's Sheep".

Dick Nolan
Birth nameRichard Francis Nolan
Born(1939-02-04)February 4, 1939
Corner Brook, Newfoundland
DiedDecember 13, 2005(2005-12-13) (aged 66)
Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Occupation(s)Singer, Musician, Songwriter
InstrumentsGuitar
Websitewww.dicknolan.com

Early life

Nolan was born in Corner Brook. [2] As a teenager he performed in a local band, the Blue Valley Boys, and sang on a Corner Brook radio show.[3] Priscilla Boutcher, the former Mayor of Corner Brook, was Nolan's sister.[4]

Career

In the 1950s Nolan moved to Toronto, where he played with local bands and worked at several jobs. He began to record albums of the music of Johnny Cash and other country songs, earning him the nickname "The Johnny Cash of Newfoundland".[3] His Blue Valley Boys, which included Corner Brook native Roy Penney, performed regularly at the Horseshoe Tavern, backing up visiting country singers.[3]

In the 1960s he switched his focus to traditional Newfoundland music and released many albums.[2][5] One album, Fisherman's Boy, contained Nolan's signature song Aunt Martha's Sheep[2] and went platinum in just three months. Another signature song of his was I's the B'y.

Two more gold albums followed, and in 1972 he had a hit song, "Home Again This Year".[6] That year he was the editor for the folk song collection Newfoundland Songs, published by the Bennett Brewing Company.[7] He continued to release albums of country music and Newfoundland folk songs regularly for many years.[8]

Nolan appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and national television programs, was nominated for a Juno Award, hosted his own television series and in November 2005, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2009 Dick Nolan was posthumously awarded the Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award by the East Coast Music Association.

Discography

Albums
Year Album
1962 I Walk the Line
Home of the Blues
Dick Nolan Sings
On Stage at the Drake
Echoes of the Atlantic
Atlantic Lullaby
1964 Truck Driving Man
1966 I'se the B'y What Catches Da Fish
1967 Atlantic Christmas
Moving Out
1968 I Want to Live
Be True Newfoundlanders
Folsom Prison and Other Johnny Cash Songs
Lukey's Boat
Newfie Hits
1970 Country
Duet
1972 Fisherman's Boy
Home Again This Year
1973 Happy Newfoundlanders
1974 Happy Anniversary Newfoundland
Folk Songs of Newfoundland
1975 Dick Nolan
1976 A Country Song
1977 Best of Dick Nolan
1980 Side by Each
Dick Nolan's Greatest Hits of Newfoundland
1984 Welcome Aboard

Singles
Year Single CAN Country Album
1965 "Golden Rocket" 2 Truck Driving Man
1967 "The Fool" 5 Moving Out
1972 "Home Again This Year" 9 Home Again This Year
1973 "Me and Brother Bill" 88 Happy Newfoundlanders

References
  1. "Corner Brook honours Dick Nolan". The Compass, Jul 13, 2018
  2. Media Sense: The Folklore-popular Culture Continuum. Popular Press; 1986. ISBN 978-0-87972-343-9. p. 77.
  3. "The Legendary Dick Nolan". ownhome Magazine, Mar 26, 2008
  4. "Corner Brook honours Dick Nolan". The Compass, Jul 13, 2018
  5. Last Post. Vol. 5. Canadian Journalism Foundation.; 1975. p. 44–45.
  6. Glenn David Colton. Newfoundland Rhapsody: Frederick R. Emerson and the Musical Culture of the Island. MQUP; March 2014. ISBN 978-0-7735-8937-7. p. 162.
  7. Newfoundland songs and ballads in print, 1842-1974: a title and first-line index. Memorial University of Newfoundland; 1979. p. 41.
  8. "Singing legend Nolan dead at 66". CBC News, Dec 13, 2005
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