The Flummies
Encyclopedia
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
music group from the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Their name comes from a traditional Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
trappers’ bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
. The group was founded in 1978 from members of the Best White Band. They have released several albums of traditional music.
Flummies (flum`-meez`) n. - traditional Labrador trappers’ bread using a mixture of flour, salt and baking powder
The Flummies are a five (5) piece aboriginal music group which are home-based in the Central Labrador community of Happy Valley - Goose Bay. The Flummies are prominently known for recording and preserving the historical, cultural and traditional songs of Labrador. The indigenous influences of the Innu, Inuit and Métis people have been intertwined over the last 250 years, to produce songs which tell stories of the people who have survived hard times and have seen all the beauty the Labrador landscape has to offer.
Popular Labrador recording artists, The Flummies, will release their third album in 14 years, entitled "Labradorimiut", on their own label Kenamu Records. Including the famed title song, this album contains new and old classic songs of Labrador, depicting the life and the culture of the people.
Since their 1988 release of their second album, "Songs of Labrador", The Flummies have sold thousands of albums and have performed around the province of Newfoundland and Labrador at many festivals and conferences. Included in their touring was a five show performance in Germany in 1989 and twenty-eight shows at the base of the CN Tower in June 1999.
Members
- Alton Best on vocals, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Richard Dyson on accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and percussion - Tunker Campbell on acoustic and electricElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
lead guitars and vocals - Leander Baikie on acoustic guitar and vocals
- Simeon Asivak on bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Discography
- Four Songs from Labrador (1986)
- Songs of Labrador (1989))
- Labradorimiut (2000)
- Way Back Then (2001)
- 25th Anniversary Album (2003)
- Songs for Christmas (2003)
- This is the Life For Me (2008)
- The River (2010)
Awards and nominations
- 2000 nomination: Aboriginal Artist/Group of the Year (Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador)
- 2001 nomination: Aboriginal Artist/Group of the Year (East Coast Music Awards)
- 2002 winner: Aboriginal Artist/Group of the Year (Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador)
- 2003 nomination: Aboriginal Artist/Group of the Year (East Coast Music Awards)
- 2009 winner: Aboriginal Recording of the Year (East Coast Music Awards)