ABOVE:  Charlotte St. Traffic (detail), 1953. Photograph by Abbass Studios Ltd.

Reference Number: N-4363.1. Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University

CJCB radio’s Dish Pan Parade (1948-1952) and its “Cape Breton Songs” contest encouraged the mid-century listener to pen lyrics on a local theme set to the tune of established songs. While some contestants simply employed the melody, others drew on thematic elements of the original compositions. In keeping with the light entertainment spirit of the host programme, the contest entries were usually gently comic.

The fodder for this comic verse, however, was often the ambiguity of life in Sydney, with infrastructure and resources not capable of handling the growing population. They were thus often songs of genteel protest, underscoring problems without venturing into outrage.

Flood, 1952. Photograph by Abbass Studios Ltd.

Reference Number: N-1984.2. Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University.

This talk will draw on three examples— “Pier Bus” (a parody of Frankie Laine’s “Mule Train”), a version of “Frankie and Johnny” set in Whitney Pier, and a song of floods along “The Little Wash Brook” to “Turkey in the Straw”—as points of entry for discussing this sometimes neglected era in Cape Breton history.

All are welcome!