While it has been confirmed that the band has officially retired, former members Alan Doyle and Séan McCann have continued performing in their own solo careers typically including music from Great Big Sea in their setlists.
The band played its first official concert on March 11, 1993, opening for The Irish Descendants at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland. The founding band members included Alan Doyle (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Séan McCann (vocals, bodhrán, guitar, tin whistle), Darrell Power (vocals, bass, guitar, bones), and Bob Hallett (vocals, fiddle, accordion, mandolin, concertina, bouzouki, whistles, bagpipes).
Power, McCann and Hallett had already been playing together in another band. In the winter of 1989, the band, a six-piece with guitar, bass, fiddle, accordion and mandolin played its first show at the Memorial University's winter carnival talent show under the name "Newfoundland Republican Army" or NRA, and won first prize. The band's only other appearance as NRA was later that winter at the university "Grad House". The band then dropped the fiddler, accordion player and the name.
The band found its new name as original bassist Jeff Scott rented an apartment on Rankin Street, St. John's, where the members first met and discussed the formation of the band. As a four-piece, the band first appeared as "Rankin Street" at a little pub in downtown St. John's called "The Rose and Thistle", playing for $100 and beer. They played through Sean McCann's stereo system, as renting a PA would have cost more than the night's earnings. Susan Hickey (guitar and vocals) left the band months later to attend school in Halifax and was replaced by Darrell Power. The band gained much popularity playing such local pubs as Bridget's and Greensleeves. In 1991 Jeff Scott was replaced by Jackie St. Croix on bass. The band released one recording on cassette titled "Rankin Street".
In 1997, the band reached the top ten of the Canadian RPM pop chart with "When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)", a cover of a song by the British folk group Oysterband. They performed at the 1999 Stardust Picnic festival at Historic Fort York, Toronto.
The band won the Entertainer of the Year award at the East Coast Music Awards for every year between 1996 and 2000. In 2001, they decided not to submit their name for nomination in order to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated for several Juno Awards, including Group of the Year in 1998, 2005, 2009, and 2011.
Darrell Power retired from Great Big Sea in 2003 to spend more time with his family and friends. Supporting members of the band include Canadian freelance drummer Kris MacFarlane (2002) (drums, accordion, guitar, backing vocals) and Murray Foster (2003, formerly of the band Moxy Früvous) (bass, backing vocals).
In late 2005, the band released its long-awaited "traditional" album, The Hard and the Easy, on which they recorded their favourite Newfoundland party songs. The title of the album comes from a line of the song "Tickle Cove Pond", one of two songs on the album about a horse falling through ice.
On June 13, 2007, the band announced they would return to the studio with producer Hawksley Workman. On March 14, 2008, the band announced that the title of the new album would be Fortune's Favour, borrowing a phrase from one of the songs on the album, "England". The album was officially released on June 24, 2008 across all of North America.
On February 23, 2010, band member Séan McCann released his debut solo album Lullabies for Bloodshot Eyes to pleasing critical success.
On July 13, 2010, Great Big Sea released their new album Safe Upon the Shore in North America. Alan's "From the Road" blog on the band's website, originally confirmed its production in an April posting, speaking also of the album's subsequent release in July. "Nothing But A Song" was the first single off the bands' ninth studio recording, with a subsequent tour kicking off at the end of the summer 2010.
Great Big Sea announced a 'greatest hits' album titled "XX" in October 2012, accompanied by a 20th anniversary tour with 32 dates in 28 cities across the US and Canada which kicked off on March 5, 2013 in Los Angeles and finished in St. John's on April 23, 2013.
In 2013, McCann announced that he would be leaving the band at the end of the XX tour, much to the dismay of his bandmates. Struggling to maintain his new sobriety, he told his bandmates in January of 2013 that XX would be his last tour with the band, but the rest of the band and its management refused to announce this publicly. Finally, in November 2013 with XX almost over, McCann announced his departure himself in a tweet, feeling that the fans needed to know. While largely vilified by Great Big Sea fans with little said by the band or management to counter this view, McCann claims he was devastated by how Great Big Sea ended and wishes it could have gone differently.
Following McCann's departure, the remaining band members spent a year or so trying to find an amicable way that they could continue without him. Eventually coming to the realization that they didn’t want to go on like that, and happily retiring the band.
BLack Rum
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to find the courage to talk to one
I asked her for a dance
Not a second glance
My night had just begun
Well I drink to the father and the holy ghost
I'm kneeling at the alter of my nightly post
Come join me in this toast
[Chorus:]
Because the old black rum's got a hold on me
Like a dog wrapped round my leg
And the old black rum's got a hold on me
Will I live for another day?
Hey, Will I live for another day?
Well the queen of George street just went walking on by
Walking on by with some guy who don't care
That she stood in line
Since half past nine
And spent three hours on her hair (On her hair!)
Well her friend is looking at me with an evil grin
I think the bloody racket might soon begin
I must have said some thing
To the George street queen
The boys are joining in!
[Chorus:]
So I drank all of my money
And I slept out in the rain
Everyday is different but the nights they're all the same
You never see the sun on the old black rum
But I know I'm gonna do it again!
[Chorus:] 2x
The Great Big Sea's song, The Black Rum, tells a story of a man who drinks excessively to muster up the courage to talk to a woman. The lyrics narrate the singer's attempt to ask a woman for a dance after having chugged sixteen doubles for the price of one. Unfortunately, his efforts do not pay off, as the woman refuses his request, and he is left to continue drinking to forget his sorrows. The lyrics are written in a playful tone, with the chorus expressing the hold that the black rum has on the singer. The song's narrative continues with the singer's night on George Street, where he meets the Queen of George Street, who walks by with another man, and her friend looks at him with an evil grin. The night escalates with the boys joining in, ultimately leading to the singer drinking all of his money and sleeping in the rain.
The song's chorus highlights the addiction that the singer has to the black rum, stating, "Because the old black rum's got a hold on me, Like a dog wrapped round my leg." The song depicts the singer's struggle to break free from the hold that the black rum has on him, as he continues to drink despite the negative consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
I drank sixteen doubles for the price of one
I consumed a lot of alcohol at an affordable price to boost my confidence and approach someone
Trying to find the courage to talk to one
I was searching for the bravery to speak to a person I was interested in
I asked her for a dance
I requested a dance from her
Not a second glance
She did not even look at me twice
My night had just begun
Despite her rejection, I was not ready to give up on the night's potential
Well I drink to the father and the holy ghost
I offer a toast to the Holy Trinity
I'm kneeling at the alter of my nightly post
I am metaphorically praying to the bar as my place of worship
So I'll raise a glass, not the first nor last
I will lift a drink, and it will not be the first or last for the night
Come join me in this toast
I am inviting others to partake in the moment with me
Because the old black rum's got a hold on me
I am addicted to drinking the dark-colored rum
Like a dog wrapped round my leg
The hold the rum has on me is as strong as a dog clinging onto my leg
Will I live for another day?
I wonder if I will survive another night of heavy drinking
Well the queen of George street just went walking on by
The popular girl of the area just passed by me
Walking on by with some guy who don't care
She walked past me with an indifferent companion
That she stood in line
She waited in line
Since half past nine
She waited in line from 9:30 PM
And spent three hours on her hair (On her hair!)
She spent three hours styling her hair
Well her friend is looking at me with an evil grin
The queen's friend stares at me with an ominous smile
I think the bloody racket might soon begin
I suspect there could be a commotion or fight starting soon
I must have said some thing
I probably said something that drew attention to myself
To the George street queen
I must have said something to the queen of George street
The boys are joining in!
Other people are starting to get involved in the situation
So I drank all of my money
I spent all my money on alcohol
And I slept out in the rain
I had to sleep in the rain due to being out of money
Everyday is different but the nights they're all the same
Each day brings something new, but each night feels the same due to my drinking habit
You never see the sun on the old black rum
I only drink at night, and the dark rum is all I consume
But I know I'm gonna do it again!
Despite the consequences, I know I will continue my drinking habit
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BOB HALLETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danaroy8596
Saw Sean McCann recently. He played this song. Everyone sang along. Given his troubles with alcohol, he mentioned he felt safe with his wife's support and the love and appreciation of the fan. It was amazing. A fan favorite. So infectious and fun. Solo or with the whole group.
@bradmcdonald6559
I heard this song and i can't get it out of my head. Extremely catchy and i sing it every now and then. I love all of their songs!
@dogamusprime1123
These guys were our theme band on deployments in the navy.
@canadatrap9217
Can't help but think of screech when I hear this song hahah also happens to be my choice of drink for the night! Cheres to you lot!
@c.j.stanbridge4560
When I watched this video, there was an ad for the "Newfoundland 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line" beside it. That's funny.
@odinfromcentr2
Dear YouTube,
Well played.
Love,
Everyone with a sense of humour
@SarahBennett86
C.J. Stanbridge
@mattheick4429
when karma is drunk
@Pax-id8eu
Hey
@woowoo2235
Ive been listening to these guys my whole life mostly cuz of my dad but I love these songs so much