Ferguson Jessie

By Lisa Etherington-Runions
Le Journal Cornwall
July 18, 2012

In most circles, Jesse Ferguson is known as the Bard of Cornwall. A folk musician from Cornwall, his love of Scottish and Irish traditional music was nurtured in the neighborhood of Glengarry County, home of North America's largest Highland Games. He sings and plays several musical instruments, including the guitar, mandolin, violin, harmonica, bodhran and pennywhistle.

He has performed solo and with other musicians in Cornwall, Ottawa, Miramichi, Fredericton, New Brunswick, and Sydney, Nova Scotia, where he currently resides. "I was drawn to Cape Breton as one of Canada's liveliest centers for Celtic music," said Ferguson, "but I've also enjoyed teaching English at Cape Breton University."

With years of experience, Ferguson learned how to tailor a performance to the venue and to the crowd. He's played pub sets entirely of classic rock; he's played folk; and he's always up for throwing his original songs in the mix to keep things fresh.

Ferguson is a lively performer whose vast repertoire of songs allows him to please any crowd, and, yes, he takes requests. Ferguson has always been a creative person, and his energies were first expressed through visual arts, then music, and most recently through poetry. "I still practice all of these arts, though I spend most time on music and poetry now," said Ferguson, "I've always been drawn to music simply because it can powerfully express my emotions and connect me with other people with people of past generations in the case of Celtic/folk, and of course with my contemporary listeners."

"As I reflect, I hope to look back on life and see that I've been a good husband and father, and that, regardless of the worth the world places on my poetry and my music, I put everything I could into my art." When asked if there is a motto, quote, song, or symbol that represents something he stands for or believes in, Ferguson is quick to say "my Scottish clan motto is Dulcius Ex Asperis which is Latin for "sweeter after difficulty."
"I like to keep it in mind when things in life don't go easily," he said, "If I ever get a tattoo, it would likely incorporate that motto"

Ferguson's heritage coincides with his musical talents. Ferguson started playing music when he was roughly 10 years old He comes from a musical family, where there have always been fiddlers on his mother's side of the family. However his biggest musical influence early was his father, who taught him how to play guitar and who also sings andplays harmonica. Ferguson's father bought him a mandolin, but he wasn't much interested in learning music theory in lesson format. Ferguson mothballed the mandolin and in his early teens he became interested in the guitar, since that's what most of his favourite musicians played. ''I sometimes refer to myself as self-taught, but my father can certainly take some of the credit (or blame)" quips Ferguson.

The biggest musical inspirations in my early years were the classic rock performers that my parents listened to: The Beatles Tom Petty, Blue Rodeo, Neil Young, The Doors and The Rolling Stones.

"I still love their music and perform some of it myself. Since falling in love with Celtic music in my late teens, I took the mandolin out of the closet and now play it regularly in addition to my guitar and bodhran (drum)."

" Living so far from home is hard for Ferguson as he doesn't home as often as would like. Being able to perform a show or two when he returns just makes the holiday that much more fun. Cornwall has always had a vibrant music scene, and I'm happy to be a part of it when I head home," he said.

As much as Ferguson likes the large concert stage, he is fond of the intimate setting that venues like East Side Mario's have to offer. "It should be a great show."