Information/Write-up
Kevin Beanland is a Newfoundland traditional musician, songwriter, fiddler, guitarist, and producer whose recording career spans from the late 1970s through the early 2000s. Deeply rooted in the folk and traditional culture of Newfoundland and Labrador, Beanland built a sustained, independent career grounded in regional tradition, professional recording, and national performance exposure.
Born in Flat Bay on Newfoundland’s west coast, Beanland emerged from a musical environment where Irish- and English-derived folk traditions, original songwriting, and country music coexisted as part of everyday community life. Rather than entering the mainstream Canadian folk circuit, he developed his career within Newfoundland’s own recording and performance infrastructure, documenting local stories, maritime themes, and traditional repertoire over an extended period.
Beanland’s earliest known recordings were issued on Quay Records and recorded at Clode Sound Studios, a central hub for Newfoundland music in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His 1980 single ‘Ode To Mosey’ b/w ‘Paddy On The Turnpike & The Old Man & The Old Woman’ established a defining pattern in his work, pairing original compositions with traditional material. That same year he released ‘Our Living From The Sea’, a song directly reflecting Newfoundland’s coastal economy and way of life. He continued this run with the 1983 single ‘Mama’s Tears’, further establishing his role as both songwriter and independent producer.
By the 1990s, Beanland had become a highly visible figure within Newfoundland’s traditional and country music community. Contemporary promotional material documents extensive recognition, including being voted #1 in Newfoundland, receiving awards for Best Traditional Musician and Best Traditional Group in 1990, Best Guitarist in 1992 and 1993, Best Songwriter in 1995, and further honours for Best Traditional Musician and Best Duo in 1996 at the province’s Country Music Awards.
During this period, Beanland was based primarily in St. John’s, performing regularly on the city’s live circuit, including venues such as the Port City Lounge. His reputation extended beyond the province through his association with Air Canada, where he became widely known as the airline’s “Flying Fiddler,” performing as a musical representative of Newfoundland culture.
Beanland maintained an active independent recording schedule into the late 1990s and early 2000s, releasing a series of self-issued CDs. These included The Best Of Kevin Beanland: Air Canada’s Flying Fiddler (1999), a career-spanning compilation, and Country Boy (2000), which continued his focus on traditional reels, original songs, and country material. Additional releases such as Country Gentleman, Country Livin’, and True Country document the breadth and continuity of his recorded output, bringing his total number of albums to at least six by the early 2000s.
-Robert Williston
Songwriting
‘Ode To Mosey’ written by Kevin Beanland
‘Paddy On The Turnpike & The Old Man & The Old Woman’ traditional
Production
Produced by Claude Caines and Neil Bishop
Engineered by Claude Caines and Neil Bishop
Recorded April 1980 at Clode Sound Studios
Distributed by Clode Sound Productions Limited
Pressed by Quality Records Limited
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