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.
Jakey
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I met with a body down in Logy Bay
We went out in a weather
We wore out our shoes,
And up Kingsway road for a drink or two
[Chorus]
Drink 'er up boys its well after ten. [Repeat]
Some people say that the pinky is fine
Others will swear by a drop of moonshine
But as for myself I'm a bottle of each,
Mixed in with a gallon of dipper or screech
[Chorus]
Its the old shavin' lotion that's made me this way
Sweeter than Pepsi and stronger than tea
And when in the evening when we're feeling fine
We'll stop into Jakey's for icon and shine
[Chorus]
Its the old shavin' lotion that's made me this way
Sweeter than Pepsi and stronger than tea
And when in the morning when I'm feeling rough
I curse, ol' Jakey who sold me this stuff
[Chorus:Repeat x2]
The song "Jakey" by Great Big Sea is a jovial and lively tune that tells the story of a young man who has fallen under the influence of alcohol. The song begins with the singer recounting how he was led astray when he was young after meeting a body down in Logy Bay. The two then embark on a night out, walking all the way up Kingsway road to a nearby bar for a drink or two. As the song progresses, the chorus repeats the phrase "Drink 'er up boys its well after ten," urging the listeners to indulge in their vices and enjoy themselves.
The lyrics of "Jakey" are upbeat and humorous, with a focus on the singer's love for alcohol. The verse "Some people say that the pinky is fine, Others will swear by a drop of moonshine, But as for myself I'm a bottle of each, Mixed in with a gallon of dipper or screech" highlights the singer's preference for mixing different types of alcohol together to create his unique concoction. The chorus repeats the phrase "Drink 'er up boys its well after ten," reminding listeners that it's time to let loose and have some fun.
In the end, the song comes full circle as the singer curses Jakey, the person who sold him the alcohol, in the morning when he's feeling rough. "Jakey" is a fun and catchy tune that highlights the dangers of alcohol while celebrating its joys.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a young man I was let astray
As a young man, I was tempted by disobedience and led away from the right path.
I met with a body down in Logy Bay
I encountered a person, possibly a stranger or acquaintance, in Logy Bay.
We went out in a weather
We ventured out into poor weather conditions.
We wore out our shoes,
Our shoes became worn from walking, suggesting we walked a considerable distance.
And up Kingsway road for a drink or two
We walked up Kingsway road to grab a couple of drinks.
Drink 'er up boys its well after ten
It's already late, so let's continue to drink heavily and enjoy ourselves.
Some people say that the pinky is fine
Some people believe pink wine is an excellent drink.
Others will swear by a drop of moonshine
Others will insist that moonshine is an excellent alcoholic beverage.
But as for myself I'm a bottle of each,
I prefer a combination of both pink wine and moonshine.
Mixed in with a gallon of dipper or screech
I mix these two drinks with dipper or screech to create a unique flavor.
Its the old shavin' lotion that's made me this way
My state of being is the result of the use of an old shaving lotion.
Sweeter than Pepsi and stronger than tea
This lotion is incredibly sweet and has a stronger effect than tea or even Pepsi.
And when in the evening when we're feeling fine
In the evening when we're feeling great, we'll stop at Jakey's for a glass of icon and shine.
We'll stop into Jakey's for icon and shine
We'll visit Jakey's establishment to grab some Icon and Shine.
And when in the morning when I'm feeling rough
In the morning when I'm feeling terrible, I'll curse Jakey, who sold me this shaving lotion.
I curse, ol' Jakey who sold me this stuff
I blame Jakey for selling me this shaving lotion which has made me feel terrible the following morning.
Drink 'er up boys its well after ten.
Let's continue drinking and having fun, even though it's well past ten at night.
Drink 'er up boys its well after ten. [Repeat]
Repeated chorus.
Lyrics © LEAN GROUND MUSIC LTD., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TRAD, Alan Thomas Doyle, Darrell Power, Robert Bruce Hallett, Shawn McCann
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind