Annotation:Northern Lights (1)
Back to Northern Lights (1)
NORTHERN LIGHTS [1]. Canadian, Jig. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Jarman): AA'BB' (Miller). The composition is credited to Jim Magill (1902–1954) in Harry E. Jarman's publications (Toronto). Magill was born either in Northern Ireland in 1902, or Montreal in 1905. A contemporary of Don Messer, Magill also made a name for himself through radio broadcasting in the Toronto area, along with his 34 recordings. He had a day job, however, working on the Canadian National Railroad (CNR) with his brother Joe, who played bass in his band The Northern Ramblers.
Source for notated version: Dawson Girdwood (Perth, Ottawa Valley, Ontario) [Bégin].
Printed sources:
Bégin (Fiddle Music in the Ottawa Valley: Dawson Girdwood), 1985; No. 31, p. 44.
Jarman (The Cornhuskers Book of Square Dance Tunes), 1944; p. 10.
Jarman and Hansen (Old Time Dance Tunes), 1951; p. 32.
Miller (Fiddler's Throne), 2004; No. 82, p. 60.
Recorded sources: Banff RBS 1058, Joe Murphy – Barn Dance Music (c. 1950). Brimstone Corner Records, Rodney & Randy Miller – "Castles in the Air" (1976).