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 Rufus Guinchard (1899-1990) spent his first 47 years in Daniel's Hr, on Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula, moving from there to Port Saunders and later to Hawkes Bay where he remained until the age of 91.
When not employed as a fisherman, logger, trapper, carpenter or river warden, Rufus was busy playing the fiddle for dances along the coast from Sally's Cove to Flower's Cove. He learned and retained many of the old tunes played in these communities and continued to play them through a time when local folk music was less popular than today.
In the mid 1970's, Rufus was "discovered" by folklorists and invited to perform at Memorial University and The Arts & Culture Centre in St. John's. With musicians like The Breakwater Boys, Jim Payne and Kelly Russell, Rufus Guinchard began traveling the world, bringing his unique style of fiddling to audiences in Japan, Australia, France, England, Ireland, USA and all across Canada. He appeared on countless radio and TV shows and received numerous awards including The Order of Canada.
He has left behind a great legacy of unique and indigenous Newfoundland music, which continues to be played by many younger musicians today.
Preparations are now underway for the 7th Annual Rufus Guinchard Music Festival. The festival, will take place during the last weekend of July each year, to honor the late and respected Newfoundland fiddler.
His Legacy:
Rufus has left us a great legacy. The people of Newfoundland will forever remember him and his unique music.
When a new health center was built in Port Saunders, just 10 km. from Rufus' hometown of Hawks Bay, it was decided to name it in honor of Rufus. It was officially opened in 1990 by the Premier of Newfoundland and named the Rufus Guinchard Memorial Health Center. This shows the honor and love that Rufus received from the people on the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland.
In 1994 a scholarship was named after him. The Annual Rufus Guinchard Entrance scholarship was started by Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. The Government of Newfoundland, in honor of the late Rufus Guinchard, established the scholarship. It is presented annually to the student who does most to preserve Newfoundland's heritage and culture.
Rufus also received the NFLD Arts Council Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was also voted by the Telegram, a St. John's daily newspaper, as Newfoundland musician of the millennium.
Biography:
 Rufus Guinchard was born in Daniel's Harbour in 1899. At the age of 11 fiddle music became his number one interest, and he became determined to play. He secretly practiced on his father's old fiddle, sitting at a window keeping watch for anyone who might see him and discover his secret. Because he practiced on an adult sized instrument, he had to hold the blow about halfway up the shaft because of his short arms. He never changed this self-taught method of playing the fiddle.
When he reached his early teens he was finally ready to play in public. After his first couple of events he discovered that because of his self taught method he wasn't playing at the right speeds.
"I had to go back and learn how to stamp my feet and keep the time." (Quoted in Kelly Russell: 1982 p.9)
After finally mastering the different tempos, he began to play at dances and Christmas plays. After a while he also managed to play waltzes, two-steps, and continued to play for occasional dances.
Many years later at the age of 72 he came to the attention of two folklorists, Al Pittman and Wilf Wareham. They took him to memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, to perform for the students. It was there he met the organizers of a concert at the St. John's Arts and Culture Center. Pat and Joe Byrne and Clyde Rose. Guinchard played three songs and received three standing ovations. This resulted in the forming of the group the Breakwater Boys. They preformed together for five years, during that time Guinchard made his first recording, entitled Rufus Guinchard - Newfoundland Fiddler, this was a highly energetic solo recording. It was 1978 when Guinchard broke with the group, but he continued to play at folk festivals and concerts.
Guinchard received wide media attention, he appeared on such television shows as Canadian Express, This Land: A CBC Special, Ryan's Fancy, 90 minutes Live, Sounds of the Rock, and Some Ghosts of Christmas Past. In the 1980's he was accompanied by musical partner Kelly Russell, and traveled to Britain and France representing Canada at international shows.
Guinchard was a well-accomplished musician who made a huge difference in Newfoundland music. And even through he is gone his traditional style of music lives on.
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