Don Messer Story

He was born in ol' New Brunswick
In the early part of May 1909
Six years old he played the fiddle
At the barn dance on the old York County line
Every year Don got better
He dreamed about that fortune down the track
Then he came down To Saint John city
Where he formed the Old New Brunswick Lumberjacks

Don Messer played rings around the mountain
He played reels all across the plaines
He played all that kind of music
That has made the country proud to say his name

Soon his band would have a singer
Charlie Chamberlain would join the Messer fleet
And travel to Prince Edward Island
To play on radio for twelve bucks everyweek

On the air right after supper
Commencing in the year of '39
The man would say
It's Old Don Messer & the Islanders form down the Maritimes

Don Messer played rings around the mountain
He played reels all across the plaines
He played all that kind of music
That has made the country proud to say his name

Coast to coast with Don & Charlie
Duke Neilson, Ray Simmonds played it up
Born to Gray with Sea Speackrin
Now the Islanders went touring to the top
How Charlie sang with Margret Osbourn
And Waldo made the old piano twang
For the Queen they played in concert
And it was magic how Don Messer's fiddle rang

Don Messer played rings around the mountain
He played reels all across the plaines
He played all that kind of music
That has made the country proud to say his name

Seventeen years on television
From 1956 to '73
Don Messer made his mark forever
The fiddling king of country music history
Through out the world it's undisputed
Don Messer & The Islanders were tops
And away down east beside the ocean
The kind of music they began will never stop

Don Messer played rings around the mountain
He played reels all across the plaines
He played all that kind of music
That has made the country proud to say his name
He has made the country proud to say his name