The information in this biography was published in 2015, based on interviews prior to that date. Later events and accomplishments may not be included.
Ernie Gallant
Image
Name
Gallant, Ernie
Pronunciation Guide
ga-LANT (rhymes with "chant")
Dates
1963-2011
Where Raised
Residence
Occupation
Not known
Role
Guitarist, Mandolinist
Ernie Gallant came from a musical family in the Evangeline Coast Region. His father, Andrew J Gallant was a good harmonica player; his mother was Lucina Cormier Gallant.
He took up guitar at a young age, but beginning in the late 1990s he began working hard to develop ways to play fiddle tunes note-for-note and up to speed on the mandolin. Towards the end of his life he lived in Charlottetown.
Gallant witnessed the last flowering of the traditional music scene in the Evangeline area. According to his account, fiddle-music parties were still going strong there right until the late 1970s.
Images
Pat Doucette (left) & Ernie Gallant with some of Doucette's artwork (including the carved Elvis) - 2006
Tune Selections
| Cotton-Eyed Joe (mand) | Accompanied by: Pat Doucette, gtr | info |
Oral histories
| Music parties in Evangeline, 1970s (mand) | Parties in Egmont Bay among enthusiasts | info and transcript |