Jim Hamm

Inducted in 2001

Fiddlin' Jim Hamm was born February 28, 1918 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and has lived for many years near Mahone Bay on the South Shore where he is one of the areas best known and beloved musicians. Over the decades Fiddlin' Jim has had a varied musical career that included touring with Hank Snow in New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec in 1947. He had his own live radio show on CKBW from 1946 to 1949. In the early 1950's, Fiddlin' Jim, Ivan Dorey, Champ Johnson and Billy Reid formed a band, The Nova Scotia Plowboys, which recorded several songs on the Rodeo label .In 1956, Fiddlin' Jim, Ivan Dorey, and Ted Germaine wrote the music for "Sable Island Shore", which was recorded by The Nova Scotia Plowboys. Later he recorded with Little Buddy Hirtle ("Cabbage Pickin' Home" and "The Coupon Song" on the Great Eastern label). National exposure included several guest appearances on The Don Messer TV Show on CBC's, and ATV's "Up Home Tonight". In addition, Jim Hamm's renditions of several traditional Maritime tunes are found in the Nova Scotia Archives, recorded by folklorist Helen Creighton.