français bio

A born musician, singer/composer/multi-instrumentalist, Jim Fidler lives on the north atlantic island of Newfoundland. In his childhood he studied classical piano and music theory at the Maritime Conservatory of Music In Halifax, Nova Scotia as an honours student and his been involved in various musical projects since playing and producing everything from bluegrass to reggae; but, his main passion has always been Newfoundland and Labrador; her people and her culture.

As an independent recording artist, his first completely self-written, self-produced solo effort, GYPSY, on which Jim sings and plays twelve different instruments, has won awards for Album of the Year and Independent Album of the Year in Newfoundland And Labrador, a nomination for an East Coast Music award in the category "roots/traditional", and CBC Radio's national program Roots and Wings selected GYPSY as one of the top 25 albums from around the world in the fall of 1996. In 1997 after hearing the album, Iona Records President, Ronnie Simpson signed Jim to a European record deal, the first for a solo Newfoundland artist.

Mark Vaughan Jackson of the Evening Telegram writes: There is no musical genre or label that fits this album. There are influences from Newfoundland, Jamaica, North Africa, Portugal and Spain, Ireland, the Gypsy tradition, folk and others. But they are not just Fidler's versions of these musical styles - he has taken them, interpreted them and then used some of their influences to flavour music that seemingly comes straight from his soul.

At the risk of sounding politically incorrect, I wonder if a part of this album's power comes from the fact that Fidler is Blind. I obviously know nothing of what life is like for a blind person and can only guess that it is largely based on sound. If this is indeed true perhaps that explains the wonderful tones, depths, textures and vivid pictures that Fidler's music paint for the listener.  read more