Kelly Russell

Fiddle, Strings, Tin Whistle

A professional musician since 1975, Kelly has been a member of landmark groups Figgy Duff, The Wonderful Grand Band, The Plankerdown Band, Bristol’s Hope, Kelly Russell & The Planks, The Irish Descendants, plus stints with Shanneyganock, The Punters, Sean McCann and many others. He worked closely for many years with legendary fiddlers Rufus Guinchard and Emile Benoit, learning, recording and documenting their unique music. A prominent musical ambassador, Kelly has performed in England, Ireland, France, Sweden, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Spain, Czech Republic, Morocco, USA and Canada. His record label, Pigeon Inlet Productions (est. 1979), has released over 30 albums on LP, Cassette and CD. He has taught fiddle to countless students, and published music books, most notably the recent 2020 revised edition of Kelly Russell’s Collection – The Fiddle Music of Nfld & Lab with companion website.Kelly’s accolades include the NL Arts Council Award for Music, two Tourism Industry Certificates of Recognition, the prestigious Marius Barbeau Award for contribution to Canadian Folklore, the City of St. John’s Legend Award, designated the Province’s first Tradition Bearer, awarded The Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal , The Order of Canada (2015) and an Honourary Doctorate from Memorial University of Newfoundland (2021).