'It's very humbling': Sask. fiddler inducted into hall of fame
Growing up in Lintlaw, fiddler JJ Guy never thought he would make enough noise to grab the attention of people in New York.
On Thursday Guy was inducted into the North American Fiddlers' Hall of Fame (HOF) and Museum in Redfield, New York.
"It was a shock for sure," said Guy. "It's very humbling and very, very prestigious."
Every year the HOF inducts one fiddler from the state of New York and one from the rest of North America.
"I hardly feel old enough to be in the Hall of Fame. I feel like I have a big career left in front of me."
The committee had several applicants to sift through, searching for the best applicant who promotes, perpetuates and preserves old time fiddling.
“When you're inducted, you're one of less than 50 people that are considered worthy of that within the whole entire North America,” said Jackie Hobbs, president of the New York State Old Time Fiddlers Association.
Fiddling has been part of Guy's life since the age of seven and currently, it's his full-time occupation. During the COVID-19 pandemic he performed online, launching his "Jamming with JJ" page.
"It took off and gathered people from a whole bunch of different communities," said Guy.
He says between his Jamming with JJ page, touring within his duet Twin Fiddlers and other workshops, his name has become more known in the fiddling community, helping him get to the HOF. For him, fiddling has always been his passion.
"It's an expression of a wide variety of emotions. You have tunes that can tug on your heartstrings and tunes that can make you want to get up and dance, make you happy, and I just love it," Guy told CTV News.
Guy joins the other half of the Twin Fiddlers, Gordon Stobbe who was inducted into the HOF in 2019. Stobbe also has roots in Saskatchewan growing up in Mayfair and Melfort.
"He's a stalwart in the fiddle community, he's actually has received the Order of Canada for his work up north (with fiddling)."
The two are currently on tour throughout Western Canada. Guy plans to back in Saskatoon to play at the John Arcand Fiddle Festival held on August 13.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.
1 killed, 3 injured including toddler, after Hwy. 417 crash in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.