'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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.