Sol Sigurdson
Cover image by Eric Sigurdson
“The community also whooped it up to The Whisky Jacks, under the leadership of my cousin Solli Sigurdson, a PhD in one hand and a guitar in the other. They were part of the birth of a decade of Hootenannies and sold-out halls. Their signature pieces were Solli’s songs of the lake, ballads that sung of the people and the times. The tunes were captured forever in an album, “The Lake Winnipeg Fishermen,” that had a spot in every home in the Interlake with any connection to the fishery.
The Riverton spirit moved down the road to Gimli during the Icelandic Celebration, a tradition of 120 years. Johnny and His Musical Mates were an institution at the Monday night dance, and you could also find the Whisky Jacks in full flight warbling and roaring to a packed house. The Fine Country Folk followed soon after, and in their wake the Fine Country Kids. Performing on the main stage, the Kids (anchored again by the Johanneson prodigies) enamoured themselves to the Icelanders in the audience and soon found themselves performing in Reykjavik.
Music was the voice of Riverton. In 1994, the Hootenanny celebrated its 30th anniversary with a celebration of music in the life of the community and a testimonial to the musicians who had left the ranks of its great musicians far too early.”
The music on this web site is courtesy of Glenn’s cousin Solli Sigurdson from his album “One More Season: The Lake Winnipeg Fisherman and the New Iceland Saga.” All proceeds from the sales go directly to the Fishermen’s Centre of the New Iceland Heritage Museum, Gimli, Manitoba.