Biography:Grandy Fagnan
Grandy Fagnan
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|---|---|
| Given name: | Grandy |
| Middle name: | |
| Family name: | Fagnan |
| Place of birth: | Camperville, Manitoba |
| Place of death: | Camperville, Manitoba |
| Year of birth: | c. 1902 |
| Year of death: | 1986 |
| Profile: | Musician |
| Source of information: | https://grandyproject.ca/about-grandy/ |
Biographical notes
GRANDY FAGNAN (1902-1986) was a Métis (Native American) fiddler who lived all his life in Camperville, Manitoba. According to researcher Anne Lederman, who interviewed Fagnan and recorded him extensively, his grandfather was Mexican, his father was of French extraction (born 40 miles north of Regina), and his mother, Charlotte Wakitakamikowinen, was Cree. Grandy claimed to speak ten languages: Cree, Saulteaux, Swampy, English, French, "Mexican" (Sp.), Icelandic, German, Polish and Ukranian, all of which he picked up from people close to him, relatives or workmates. He was untutored as a child, as there were no schools in Camperville in the early 20th century, but he taught himself to read and write. He was also a student of local lore and folklore, including medicine and husbandry. He learned to play the fiddle at age 13, first from his uncle Michel Chartrand who had some classical trainng, but renewed his interest in his early 20's when he began to pay attention to other local fiddlers. Later influences and tune sources were his cousin Charlie Chartrand, and from Albert Beauchamp, Johnny Asham, John Genaille and Joe Contois. He married a woman named either Virginia or Jean who accompanied him on guitar, and they had one daughter.
For more information, see Anne Lederman's "About Grandy" page at her The Grandy Project [1], and the liner notes to Falcon 287, "Old Native And Métis Fiddling in Manitoba, Vol. 2" (1987) [2].