Joseph Palliser was born on December 16, 1900, near Rigolet, Labrador. He married Luisa Mucko from Quebec and, like his parents before him, lived the traditional life of a Labrador hunter, trapper, and fisherman. He passed away in 1995.

Collector’s Note: I arrived in Rigolet on the coastal boat SS Bonavista in the summer of 1978 and spent two evenings with Little Joe. He is the only First Nations fiddler I met and had several unique tunes I have never heard elsewhere. They are likely old tunes that came over with the early settlers from England and Ireland that he had learned from his father. I identified one tune as “Black White Yellow & Green,” a well-known English Morris dance tune. Little Joe was almost entirely deaf, so communication was a challenge. His accuracy on the fiddle was poor, as he rarely played anymore. I don’t think Little Joe heard much of what I said, but he knew why I was there, and the tape rolled on as he played and talked about dances and music years ago. Little Joe also played Haste to the Wedding, Irish Washerwoman, Devil’s Dream, Girl I Left Behind Me, Too Young to Marry, Soldier’s Joy.

Thanks to Doris Saunders of Them Days Magazine for the photo.