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.
Rigadoon
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For three score or more in the little isle of green
All over the Liffey and down to Segue
I'm known by the name of auld Johnny Dhu
Of all the trades a going, begging is the best
When a man gets tired he can sit down and rest
Singin' for his supper when there's nothing else to do
I went to a barn, went down to Currabawn
Got down on the floor and I slept till the dawn
Holes in the roof and the rain seeping thru
Me toes froze together in me little beggar shoes
Buy a pair of leggings and a collar and a tie
A nice old lady you will find by and by
Buy a pair of leggings and I'll color them blue
For a foxy old lady I'll make her too
(Way-hay and away we go)
I met a little flaxen haired girl one day
Good morning little flaxen haired girl, I did say
Good morning little beggarman how do you do
With your bags and your rags and your auld rigadoo
Who should I waken but the woman of the house
With her white spotted apron and her calico blouse
She began to frighten so I said boo
Sure, don't be afraid, it's only Johnny Dhu
Over the road with me pack on me back
Over all the fields with me big heavy sack
Over the hills with the moon peeking through
Singing, skin a ma rink a doodle on me auld rigadoo
I must be going to bed, it's getting late at night
The fire is all out, so out goes the light
Now you've heard the story of the auld rigadoo
So good night and God be with you, this is auld Johnny Dhu
The lyrics to "Rigadoon" by Great Big Sea describe the life of a beggar named Johnny Dhu as he travels throughout Ireland, begging for food and shelter. He explains that although there are many trades one can pursue, begging is the best because it allows him to take breaks whenever he needs to rest. To pass the time, he sings for his supper and plays his old rigadoo. Despite the hardships of his life, Johnny seems content and even cheerful. He sleeps in barns and endures the cold and rain, but he takes everything in stride. He even has a flirty encounter with a "little flaxen-haired girl" and teases a "foxy old lady" by offering to make her "leggings and a collar and a tie" if she will go out with him.
The song paints a picture of a simple but fulfilling existence, where pleasure can be found in the small things in life. Johnny Dhu's lifestyle may seem harsh to some, but the lyrics suggest that he enjoys it because of the freedom and simplicity it provides. The song is a celebration of a humble way of life that focuses on the essentials and finds joy in simple pleasures.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I am a little beggarman, a begging I have been
I am a beggar, and I have been begging for a very long time.
For three score or more in the little isle of green
I have been begging for sixty or more years in Ireland.
All over the Liffey and down to Segue
I have begged all over Dublin and in the town of Segue.
I'm known by the name of auld Johnny Dhu
People know me by the name of Old Johnny Black.
Of all the trades a going, begging is the best
Begging is the best profession because when a man is tired, he can rest.
When a man gets tired he can sit down and rest
A beggar can rest when he gets tired.
Singin' for his supper when there's nothing else to do
A beggar can entertain people in exchange for food when he has nothing else to do.
When I come around the corner with me old rigadoo
I come around the corner with my old bag full of my belongings.
I went to a barn, went down to Currabawn
I went to Currabawn and stayed in a barn overnight.
Got down on the floor and I slept till the dawn
I slept on the floor of the barn until sunrise.
Holes in the roof and the rain seeping thru
The barn has holes in the roof, and the rain comes through.
Me toes froze together in me little beggar shoes
My toes were so cold that they froze together in my small shoes.
Buy a pair of leggings and a collar and a tie
If you buy a pair of leggings, a collar, and a tie, you will look respectable.
A nice old lady you will find by and by
You will eventually find a kind old lady to help you.
Buy a pair of leggings and I'll color them blue
If you buy a pair of leggings, I will dye them blue for you.
For a foxy old lady I'll make her too
I will make a nice outfit for a pretty old lady.
(Way-hay and away we go)
Singing and dancing as we go.
I met a little flaxen haired girl one day
One day, I met a young girl with blonde hair.
Good morning little flaxen haired girl, I did say
I greeted the little girl by saying good morning.
Good morning little beggarman how do you do
The little girl responded by asking how I was doing as a beggar.
With your bags and your rags and your auld rigadoo
The little girl noticed my belongings and my old bag.
Who should I waken but the woman of the house
I accidentally woke up the woman who owned the barn.
With her white spotted apron and her calico blouse
She was wearing a spotted apron and a calico blouse.
She began to frighten so I said boo
She got scared, but I reassured her it was just me.
Sure, don't be afraid, it's only Johnny Dhu
I told her not to worry and introduced myself as Johnny Dhu.
Over the road with me pack on me back
I am walking down the road with my bag on my back.
Over all the fields with me big heavy sack
I am walking through the fields with a heavy bag.
Over the hills with the moon peeking through
I am walking over the hills with the moon shining in the sky.
Singing, skin a ma rink a doodle on me auld rigadoo
I am singing and dancing with joy with my old bag swinging by my side.
I must be going to bed, it's getting late at night
It is getting late, and I have to go to bed.
The fire is all out, so out goes the light
The fire has gone out, and I am turning off the light.
Now you've heard the story of the auld rigadoo
You have heard my story about my old bag and my life as a beggar.
So good night and God be with you, this is auld Johnny Dhu
I am saying goodnight, and I wish you well. This is Johnny Dhu signing off.
Contributed by Cameron I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@gdgest
This variant of an Irish street ballad, The Little Beggarman (Johnny Dhu), appears as a hidden track (#16) on Great Big Sea's 1997 album Play, but GBS often refers to it with different titles: Little Beggardude, Little Beggarman, etc. Thanks for sharing. :-)
@halfnewf13
I love this song....awesome, gets you moving and a shaking.....
@BronsoIo
I sing the Diddilydoooldydidldyado do da when i wake up to the smell of bacon... up until i get to the table.
@BronsoIo
I just like to imagine that is what they say... makes the whole song about how much they love bacon.
@spikelet
Beggin'. LOL. Bacon is the best, too.
@Nirad007
do you know if they have every played it live. if so where/link it please
@BronsoIo
Bacon is the best! 0:22