SHARED cultural influences created by the huge movement of people from Orkney to northern Canada in the 18th and 19th centuries are reflected in a new suite of music.
Created by award-winning fiddle and mandolin player Graham Rorie, it is inspired by the many Orcadians who migrated to make a living in the fur industry.
By 1800, 79% of the Hudson Bay Company’s employees were from Orkney. The port of Stromness, on the west mainland of Orkney, was the last stop for ships leaving Britain before they crossed the Atlantic ocean.
Rorie, who grew up in Orkney, said the subject had fascinated him since he was little.
“The historic links that the people from my hometown had with the area in which they went to work and how much this is reflected in the culture of both Orkney and Hudson Bay today is extraordinary,” he said.
“At a time when culture wasn’t shared as widely as it is now, the huge movement of people from Orkney to the frozen north has created a legacy of shared cultural influences that can still be felt today and so I couldn’t think of a better way to tell this fascinating story than through music.”
Rorie brought together a selection of Glasgow musicians to create The Orcadians Of Hudson Bay, his debut album. A culmination of four years of researching and writing, Graham’s body of work was shortlisted for Original Work of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards.
“As a debut album, this is an incredibly exciting step for me in my career and I am absolutely thrilled that it is showcasing a subject that I have a great passion for, as well as being influenced by the music and culture of my native Orkney,” he said. “The fact I have been able to work with some of my favourite musicians and creatives has made it all the more special and I hope everyone enjoys listening to the album as much as I have enjoyed researching, writing and recording it.”
A graduate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Graham has gone on to tour worldwide as a founding member of award-winning folk quartet Gnoss, shortlisted for Album of the Year at the Scots Trad Awards in 2019.
His new album will be available to buy on CD and download on Bandcamp as well as via all other major platforms on May 28.
ffm.to/theorcadiansofhudsonbay.opr
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