Johnny Mooring

Johnny Mooring was born John Henry Mooring in Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada, on May 17, 1927 to Henry and Caroline Mooring. He was the ninth of ten children.

Mooring learned the rudiments of playing the fiddle from his mother - and from the time he first picked up the instrument it became an extension of the man for the rest of his life.

At the age of 12, Mooring started playing the fiddle for parties. He remembered his early beginnings and humble ancestry by carrying with him throughout his life the first payment he ever received... 35 cents.

He became one of the most respected fiddle players in North America, winning the North American Fiddle Championship Trophy, in Shelburn, Ontario, Canada, for three consecutive years: 1964-66. Judges remarks included references to his ability to translate a waltz (i.e. The Twilight Waltz, The Dauphin Waltz) with such intense emotion.

During his lifetime he released twelve record albums and appeared on many radio and television shows including The Don Messer and Tommy Hunter shows. He was an enthusiastic composer of fiddle tunes and tried his hand at writing songs. He sings and plays fiddle on the album, “Four Strings and I”. Apart from the fiddle he also played piano, organ, accordion, banjo, mandolin, clarinet and trumpet. Brian Buchanan, of Enter the Haggis, wrote that Mooring "was arguably the first 'rock star' of traditional Canadian music."

Johnny was beaten to death March 28, 1974 in Cornwall, Ontario.

Enter the Haggis wrote a ballad called "The Death of Johnny Mooring" for their Gutter Anthems album. The song portrays Mooring as a working-class hero and implies that he fought commercialism in his own career. This anti-commercialism seems to play a part in Mooring's death, by the ballad's account, saying "Before the night took Johnny, he'd won his soul and lost the war."