Newfoundlands Son

The second night on my journey through the best music St. John's has to offer throws me into a landmark. Me and Harv was shall we say not really in the mood to drink after the first night. But there was one man that had the power to draw us down to the famous Rose and Thistle Pub on Water St. If anyone ever wants to seek out great music on any given night you really gotta check out this pub. Its a regular for great singer/songwriters of Newfoundland and with its dingy charm and tight quarters you can really get personal with the artist. This certain night gave us the one and only Ron Hynes. Ron is a true Newfoundland artist, most famous for his song Sonny's Dream which has been covered by everyone from Emmylou Harris to Christy Moore. The song has taken on its own fame and is considered one of Canada's greatest songs ever written. If you ever have the chance to see Ron perform live don't pass it up. He will give you the performance of a lifetime no matter if its in front of thousands or tens. Then after he performs he will step offstage and drink a beer with you and chat about music like the both of you were friends from long ago. After the show we left the Rose and Thistle and decided to take in another show at the Fat Cat. As we were walking down George St. , famous for its array of pubs and clubs, we couldn't help but hear a familiar voice filling the cold nights air like snowflakes falling. It was apparently coming from Rob Roys just across the street from the Fat Cat. We decided to check out and see if this was who we thought it was and as soon as we walked in the door to our surprise it was. That voice was that of Fred Jorgenson of Newfoundlands favorite sons The Navigators. I remember first hearing The Navigators about 13 years ago after friending his younger brother Kev. Since then i've been listneing to their songs and covers of great long ago sea shanties that has been lost but not forgotten. Freds voice can't be missed and you would understand if you ever heard it before. Its as raw as Newfoundlands sea coast and as deep as its oceans. The man was born with gravel in his throat and hes been spiting it out at listeners ever since. That night we only caught the bare end of the show unfortunately but even though, Fred with Arthur O'Brian on guitar and backup vocals gave us and the crowd watching and enjoying the show a good time. They easily drew people out on the small stage dancing around kicking their feet to jigs, knees up and heals down. There was no shortage of entertainment that night.