Saturday June 16th. 6-9pm  (no cover)

John Ferguson began a musical career in Sydney, Cape Breton in 1972 as a founding member of the folk band Miller’s Jug. In 1977 he joined the Halifax group McGinty with Dave Hickey and Don Moore and business manager Bob Dooley. Dave passed away in 2010 and bass player Joe Breen came on board and McGinty is still up and running.

In the late eighties John began adding solo shows to the mix as a full-time musician and in 1990 teamed up with Cape Breton singer/songwriter Buddy MacDonald to form a duo that lasted till 2003. In 2004 he recruited Cape Breton songwriter, singer and instrumentalist Roger Stone as a duo partner while keeping McGinty gigs and solo shows going making a living in the ever changing music business.

John has recorded seven albums with McGinty, one with Buddy MacDonald, one with Roger Stone and three solo recordings to date. Some career highlights include sixteen consecutive appearances at Celtic Colours International Festival, host and performer at the Papal Youth Rally in Halifax in 1984, Sea Sell, a tourism and culture show in the eastern United States in 1993, European Tourism and Trade Show in Luxembourg City in 1999, opening act for The Chieftains (1979) and John Prine (1988 &1989) as well as many local festivals, pubs, concerts and corporate shows. A forty year career has seen John perform in every province of Canada, Nunavut, United States, Ireland, Iceland and Luxembourg.

John sings in a strong baritone and plays guitar, bouzouki and fiddle on stage. He also is proficient on other stringed instruments and versatile enough to have joined many fiddlers, pipers, singers and dancers over the years. His folk roots are evident in songs and tunes from the Celtic diaspora, Americana, and the many and varied compostions of the many talented Canadian artists. John als performs his own songs and tunes and will release an album of that material in 2012.