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.
Lucky Me
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing came easy or free
He suffered the squalls all the rises and falls
And everything else in between
But he says storms always fade after they've had their way
They're never as bad as they seem
as long as the rivers still run to the seas
who'd ever thought for a moment
She'd have to grow up so fast
School beauty queen with a child at sixteen
Swore that her fortunes had passed
But blessings can hide in the strangest disguise
I know that she would agree
Hey look at me in the spotlight
Ripped jeans and rock and roll hair
Feeling so cool but I'd be such a fool
Singing to no one out there
So hey take a bow every band needs a crowd
And I've got a song we can sing
The lyrics to Great Big Sea's song "Lucky Me" touch on the struggles and hardships that different individuals have faced, but ultimately celebrate the idea that everyone has something to be grateful for. The song opens by describing a man who was born into a sailor's life and faced numerous challenges on the high seas. Despite this, he recognizes that storms eventually pass and that life is not as bad as it may seem. The chorus reinforces the message of gratitude, with the lyrics "Hey lucky you, lucky me" suggesting that even in difficult circumstances, there is always something to be thankful for.
The second verse shifts focus to a young woman who had a child at the age of sixteen and may have felt that her life had taken a turn for the worse. However, the lyrics point out that blessings can come in unexpected ways and that there is always hope for a better future. The final verse brings the focus back to the singer, who may be feeling unsure of himself playing to an empty room. However, the lyrics encourage him to keep pushing forward and to embrace the fact that every band needs an audience.
Line by Line Meaning
He was born a sailors son
He was born into a challenging life as the child of a sailor.
Nothing came easy or free
He faced many challenges without much support or help.
He suffered the squalls all the rises and falls
He endured the difficulties and hardships associated with being a sailor's son.
And everything else in between
He faced a variety of obstacles and trials throughout his life.
But he says storms always fade after they've had their way
Despite the difficulties, he knows that tough times eventually pass.
They're never as bad as they seem
Situations may seem dire, but there is always hope for improvement and recovery.
As long as the rivers still run to the seas
There is always hope, as long as nature continues to run its course.
Hey lucky you, lucky me
We should count ourselves lucky for being alive and experiencing life's ups and downs.
Who'd ever thought for a moment
It's amazing how life can surprise us.
She'd have to grow up so fast
She had to mature and take on adult responsibilities at a young age.
School beauty queen with a child at sixteen
She was known for her looks in high school, but became a young mother at a young age.
Swore that her fortunes had passed
She believed that her future was bleak and that she had missed out on opportunities.
But blessings can hide in the strangest disguise
Sometimes good things can come from unexpected sources or situations.
I know that she would agree
I am confident that she would share this perspective.
Hey look at me in the spotlight
I am now in a position of prominence and attention.
Ripped jeans and rock and roll hair
I look the part of a rockstar, with the appropriate look and style.
Feeling so cool but I'd be such a fool
Despite my confidence, I know that I would be foolish to sing to an empty room.
Singing to no one out there
Performing without an audience is lonely and futile.
So hey take a bow every band needs a crowd
We all need support and encouragement in order to succeed.
And I've got a song we can sing
We can all contribute something worthwhile to the world.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN THOMAS DOYLE, GORDIE SAMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
brandon bazislky
listened to great big sea for 16 years and still love them :)
John
I was depressed for a long time but I started listening to Great Big Sea and they changed me, I'm happy all the time and I've never felt so good :)
sixfeetontop
The melody for this song is absolutely beautiful:).
David Wadsworth
was a river driver, also a laker, miss it but for a long time what a life, love this band so much. Also a huge Stan Roggers fan.
Victoria Moreau
Ive listened to great big sea my whole life but now that im older i realize how much meaning thesr
leslie sorensen
Wow these guys are great.
btn2045
best band in canada....and world!
Kianna
i have the CD..... when i was little i used to love these guys. they are true canadians ^-^
gdgest
This was track #11 from Great Big Sea's 2004 album Something Beautiful, produced by WEA, Scarborough, Ontario, distributed by Warner Music Canada, and recorded at the Great Big Sea Studio, St. John's, Newfoundland. Thanks for sharing. :-)
brickthomas
Great song, great group.