Bio: Joe Grant
vocals, guitar, fiddle, and harmonicas
spartywarf@aol.com

     A native of Toronto, Ontario, Joe grew up to bi-culturally, spending winters in the city and summers in the backwoods near Denbigh, Ontario where his family’s homestead is located.                                  

     His very first instrument was a tin fiddle.  He used to play along with his mother when friends came to visit. It wasn’t until his late teens that he obtained a “real” fiddle, although he had been watching backwoods fiddlers (including his grandfather and uncle) perform for years.

     It was his grandfather’s “fiddle in the crook of the arm” style that has influenced Joe the most and he has been heard to relate: Grandpa said “hold your fiddle low, Joe, and folks won’t expect so much.”  Needless to say, Joe surpasses many expectations on a regular basis.

     Joe joined his first band during his years at Markham District High School.  “The Remnants” performed mostly Canadian traditional songs.  In 1967 the group, now a duo, toured Quebec and the Maritimes as a centennial project.  In the early 80’s Joe, who was by now teaching French for the Peterborough County Board of Education, joined with two other teachers to form “Tanglefoot”, a trio whose purpose was to perform and promote Canadian folk tales and songs.  Over the next 25 years Tanglefoot in its various forms took its music across Canada and ultimately to Great Britain and the United States.

     By 2002 Joe was weary of all of the travel but still eager to perform.  He now works with two groups. “Sporty Wharf” is a duo with Ken Layton.  The other of course is Gopher Baroque, a trio performing a mix of traditional and original acoustic folk music.