Don Messer and The Islanders

Lullaby” while his sister, Fanny Bertram, accompanied him on the piano, almost tied for first place with a man from Cardigan who played the guitar and mouth organ at the same time. Art told Raymond he would have won had he gone out and canvassed a few more votes. Apparently there was so much enthusiasm generated by the contest that family and community members got actively involved stirring up votes. These contests became a weekly feature for a while until Kelly and McInnis replaced them with a regular program. Ray Selleck’s and his sister’s performance got them invited back to sing with violinist Percy Groom. Also in the group, was Fanny’s husband, Fred Bertram who played the harmonica, and Stirling and Syd Stead, Oliver Ross and Frank Johnson.

It was out of these early talent competitions‘and subsequent pro— grams that CFCY’s tradition of country music developed. Prior to the arrival of Don Messer, there was a group called “The Merry Makers” started by George Chappelle with Walter Ferguson and Leo Molyneaux in 1935. They played the old traditional Irish, French and Scottish tunes for lancers and square dancing passed down to them from an older gen- eration. Many guests appeared on the program, one being a twelve year old, Heber MacAusland, “the Yodelling Islander”. A year later, George formed a larger five-man band and they were re-named “The Merry Islanders”. Their theme, “Up the River” set toes tapping. The program was so popular it ran for about ten years throughout the winter months.

Early in this period, Julius “Duke” Nielsen, who became Don Messer’s bass player and of whom it was said, Arthur Fiedler invited to join the Boston Pops Orchestra, would play periodically with the Merry Islanders. Ray Selleck who became Merry Islanders principal vocalist and guitarist recalls:

We’d just get started over the air putting on the program and we’ d see Duke looking in through the little window. And the first thing he’d sneak in, get a bass, and he’d stand there and play with us.

When we moved to the Brace Block, the public got used to being inside the studio, because so many of them had come through to par- ticipate in the talent competitions, and because so many of them had

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