The Red River Ramblers

Métis fiddle musicians

The Red River Ramblers are a band in the Canadian province of Manitoba that performs Métis fiddle music. The band was founded in 2019 by Métis musician Douglas Richard Sinclair, a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation.[1]

The band's first record, "Metis Fiddle Music", features banjo renditions of traditional Métis fiddle tunes. The band recorded the entire record live off the floor at Lincoln County Social Club, a recording studio owned by John Dinsmore in Toronto, Ontario.[2] Métis poet Katherena Vermette collaborated with the band to produce a video for Historica Canada, that details the life of Pierre Falcon, a Métis poet and music composer. Sinclair provided the narration for the video, as well as an instrumental arrangement of Pierre Falcon's song La Chanson de la Grenouillère.[3][4]

Sinclair composed original Métis fiddle compositions and released them on his record titled "Reverie", on January 8, 2023. The band received a Juno Award nomination for Traditional Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2024.[5][6] The band performed at The Honouring Ceremony for the 2024 Juno Awards.[7]

## References

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1. ^ "Burning a new path for Métis fiddle music with The Red River Ramblers on Made in Manitoba". DiscoverWestman. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
2. ^ "Banjofest proves a popular addition to Midland music scene (5 photos)". MidlandToday.ca. 2020-03-08. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
3. ^ "Douglas Sinclair". Manitoba Métis Federation. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
4. ^ Pierre Falcon: The songwriter who helped forge a Métis identity. Historica Canada. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
5. ^ "Douglas Sinclair". Manitoba Métis Federation. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
6. ^ "2024 Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year | The Red River Ramblers". The Juno Awards. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
7. ^ McRae, Sheldon (2024-03-25). "Destination Indigenous Sponsors Contemporary Indigenous Artist/Group of the Year at 2024 Juno Awards - Indigenous Tourism Industry News". Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. Retrieved 2024-12-01.