J.P Cormier

J.P Cormier

Hailing from Cape Breton, J.P. Cormier is a first-class multi award winning bluegrass/Folk/Celtic singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist

Cormier has previously performed at the Shetland Folk Festival in 1997, 2004, and in 2012 (latterly with the Elliott Brothers) and for the bulk of the 2019 Festival, he will be performing with Tim Edey.  However, for the Voices in Canada concert, we felt we absolutely needed to offer a slot to hear J.P Cormier sing!  

J.P. is an amazing individual who has been bringing his dazzling compositions and finger work to many theatres and festivals across North America and overseas for over 30 years. He began playing guitar at the age of 5 and quickly become immersed in the rich musical heritage of his Cape Breton roots. He moved to the USA for 10 years and performed many memorable nights at the Grand Ole Opry with such notable artists as Waylon Jennings, Marty Stuart and Earl Scruggs to name a few. From winning his first guitar contest at age 9, he has since claimed thirteen East Coast Music Award trophies, 5 Music Nova Scotia Awards and a Canadian Folk Music Award, as well as Juno Award nominations.

In 1997, it was his album Another Morning, that lauched him as a songwriter and a lead singer.    And what a songwriter he turned out to be.  Some of ther performances on that album are literally part of the musical vocabulary today in the East Cost of Canada and we know many Shetlanders who are huge fans of tracks like Kellly's Mountain and The Molly May.

As well as guitar, JP has played a vast list of other instruments on his albums including fiddle, upright bass, banjo, mandolin, drums, percussion, cello and piano. 36 years after stepping on stage as professional union musician for the first time at the tender age of 13, JP is still going, and frighteningly, still getting better.