Jim Payne (born c.1955) is a Newfoundland folk singer, best known for performing and recording many of the traditional sea shanties of Newfoundland culture, such as "Wave over Wave", and for the record label which he founded, "SingSong, Inc." Newfoundland (French: Terre-Neuve; Irish: Talamh an Éisc; Latin: Terra Nova) is a large island off the northeast coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... Sea shanties (singular shanty, also spelled chantey; derived from the French word chanter, to sing) were shipboard working songs. ...

Biography

Payne was born in Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland. He plays guitar, accordion, mandolin, tin whistle, and violin, and is a singer, storyteller, actor, writer, stepdancer, and teacher of traditional Newfoundland set and square dances. A guitar is a stringed musical instrument. ... A button accordion An accordion is a musical instrument of the handheld bellows-driven free reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as squeezeboxes. ... The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view. ... Tin whistles in a variety of makes and keys The tin whistle, also called the whistle, pennywhistle, Irish whistle, or, anachronously, the flageolet, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. ... The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart, the lowest being the G just below middle C. It is the smallest and highest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello. ...

Payne is also one half of the musical comedy duo, "Sods'n Rhymes."

He has directed, composed, and performed music, as well as creating soundtracks for plays, documentaries and videos. He has performed on radio and television in Canada and abroad, and has toured throughout Canada, the US, Europe, Japan and Australia.

His recordings range from original solo efforts, to contributions to anthologies of Newfoundland music. He also owns a recording company, "SingSong Inc.", which provides support and production work for recordings by other Newfoundland artists.

SingSong, Inc.

Started in 1989, the label is dedicated to traditional and contemporary music, story, song and dance that reflect the Newfoundland experience. As of 2005, the label has fourteen currently available titles, making it the largest traditional music label in the province of Newfoundland. Newfoundland (French: Terre-Neuve; Irish: Talamh an Éisc; Latin: Terra Nova) is a large island off the northeast coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ...

The company also works in conjunction with the Newfoundland Museum and the Historic Resources Division of the Department of Tourism and Culture to produce music at various music festivals. The series was developed by SingSong and presents Sunday afternoon concerts throughout the summer by performers of Newfoundland traditional folk music.

SingSong is also a sponsor of the Newfoundland Folk Music Club, a regular performance event in St. John's produced by The St. John's Folk Arts Council.

SingSong recordings are distributed in Canada by Tidemark Music and Distribution and by Camsco Music in the USA.

Jim Payne discography

• A Crowd of Bold Sharemen
• Wave over Wave
• Sods 'N Rhymes
• Empty Nets
• State of the Nation
• Southern Cross

Awards

• 1997 ECMA, "Roots/Traditional Artist Nominee", Wave over Wave
• 1999 MIA, "Instrumental Album of the Year", Motion Potion (label owner, and backing vocal)
• 1998 MIA , "Album of the Year", Battery Included (label owner, and mixer)

References

• Official Jim Payne bio
• (French) Canadian-English folk music

External links

• Jim Payne - website about Payne's participation with an expedition to circumnavigate Newfoundland in 2002 (includes MP3s of his singing)