Stanley Pearce was born on June 3, 1935, in Port aux Basques, the youngest of a family of 10. His father was from Cape Ray, and his mother was from Mouse Island. His sister and five brothers played accordion, and he was the only fiddler in the family. His grandfather, Charlie Musseau, played fiddle but passed away early and Stan’s life, and he does not recall hearing him play. Stan also played harmonica, mandolin, banjo, and accordion. He worked for 38 years as a freight handler with CN. He married in 1954, and he had four sons and two daughters.

Collector’s Note:: There wasn’t much conversation on tape from my visit with Stan, as he asked me to turn off the recorder between tunes. I did catch a comment, however, about the Valley Tune when Stan’s wife said: “Johnny Robinson, that was one of his favorites. He could certainly step dance to that.” Before playing Once I Had an Old Tom Cat, Stan says: “That’s one father, and they used to sing,”  which suggests that it’s a local tune. He also played King George IV Reel, Miss McLeod’s Reel, Heather on the Hill, Up the Southern Shore, Paddy in London.