Quick Facts
Biography
Natalie MacMaster, CM (born June 13, 1972) is an award-winning fiddler from the rural community of Troy in Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada who plays Cape Breton fiddle music.
MacMaster has toured with the Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana and Alison Krauss, and has recorded with Yo-Yo Ma. She has appeared at the Celtic Colours festival in Cape Breton, Celtic Connections in Scotland, and MerleFest in the United States.
Background
MacMaster is the daughter of Alex and Minnie (née Beaton) MacMaster and the sister of Kevin and David MacMaster. She is the niece of the late renowned Cape Breton fiddler Buddy MacMaster and the cousin of two other fiddlers, Ashley MacIsaac and Andrea Beaton. She is also distantly related to Jack White.
In 2002, she married fiddler Donnell Leahy of the Leahy family band, and moved to Lakefield, Ontario. Leahy and MacMaster have six children, and have performed and recorded together as a duo.
Musical career
MacMaster began playing the fiddle at the age of nine, and made her performing debut the same year at a square dance in Glencoe Mills, Nova Scotia. When she was sixteen she released her first album, Four on the Floor, and a second album, Road to the Isle, followed in 1991. Her first album was self-produced, while her second was co-produced by John Morris Rankin (The Rankin Family) and Tom O'Keefe (as per original cassette jacket). Both albums were initially released only on cassette, but Rounder Records omitted a few tracks and re-released as A Compilation in 1998. In recent years she has expanded her musical repertoire, mixing her Cape Breton roots with music from Scotland and Ireland, as well as American bluegrass.
In 2004, MacMaster appeared on Sharon, Lois & Bram's 25th Anniversary Concert special titled "25 Years of Skinnamarink" that aired on CBC on January 1, 2004 at 7:00pm. She performed two songs with the trio: "C-H-I-C-K-E-N" and "Grandpa's Farm".
Awards
She has received a number of Canadian music awards, including several "Artist of the Year" awards from the East Coast Music Association, two Juno Awards for best instrumental album, and "Fiddler of the Year" from the Canadian Country Music Association. MacMaster was also awarded an honorary doctorate from Niagara University in New York in 2006. In 2006, she was made a member of the Order of Canada.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | US Heat | US Indie | US Folk | US Grass | |||
| Four on the Floor |
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| Road to the Isle |
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| Fit as a Fiddle |
| — | — | — | — | — |
|
| A Compilation |
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| No Boundaries |
| — | — | — | — | — |
|
| In My Hands |
| 32 | — | — | — | — |
|
| My Roots Are Showing |
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| Live |
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| Blueprint |
| — | — | — | — | 6 | |
| Yours Truly |
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| Cape Breton Girl |
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| One (with Donnell Leahy) |
| 23 | 4 | 15 | 6 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN AC | |||
| 1996 | "Catharsis" | — | No Boundaries |
| 1997 | "Fiddle and Bow" (with Bruce Guthro) | — | |
| "The Drunken Piper" (with Cookie Rankin) | — | ||
| 1999 | "In My Hands" | 18 | In My Hands |
| "Get Me Through December" (with Alison Krauss) | 40 | ||
| 2004 | "Appropriate Dipstick" | — | Blueprint |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Catharsis" | |
| 1997 | "Fiddle and Bow" (with Bruce Guthro) | Andrew MacNaughtan |
| "The Drunken Piper" (with Cookie Rankin) | ||
| 1999 | "In My Hands" | Christopher Mills |
| "Get Me Through December" (with Alison Krauss) | Mark Hesselink | |
| 2004 | "Appropriate Dipstick" | |
| 2014 | "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (with Johnny Reid and The Rankins) | Margaret Malandrucco |
Other appearances
- Traditional Music From Cape Breton Island, Nimbus NI5383, 1993 (two tracks)
- Celtic Colours – The Road Home, 1997 (one track)
- Celtic Colours – The Second Wave, 1998 (one track)
- Celtic Colours – Forgotten Roots, 1999 (one track)
- Roots Music: An American Journey, Rounder 0501, 2001 (one track)
- Songs for the Savoy, 2001 (one track)
- Celtic Colours — The Colours of Cape Breton, 2002 (one track)
- Celtic Colours — Volume VII, 2003 (one track)
- The Rough Guide to the Music of Canada, 2005 (one track)
- Yo-Yo Ma & Friends: Songs of Joy and Peace; Songs:A Christmas Jig/Mouth of the Tobique Reel; 2008 (Sony BMG)
- Thomas Dolby: Amerikana EP, Songs:Toad Lickers and 17 Hills, 2010 (Lost Toy People, Inc)