Great Big Sea

Great Big Sea
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1993
Founder	Alan Doyle, Séan McCann, Darrell Power, Bob Hallett
Defunct	2013
Headquarters	St. John's, Canada
Products	Music albums, concert DVDs

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Great Big Sea, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 30 November 2025

Great Big Sea was a Canadian folk rock ensemble originating from Newfoundland and Labrador, celebrated for their lively rock adaptations of traditional Newfoundland folk tunes, including sea shanties, which highlight the island’s Irish, Scottish, and Cornish cultural roots. The group enjoyed substantial commercial acclaim across Canada, earning eleven Gold certifications, four Platinum, and two multi-Platinum albums. Between 1996 and 2016, they stood as the sixteenth highest-selling Canadian artist and the sixth highest-selling Canadian band within the country.

Although officially disbanded, former members Alan Doyle and Séan McCann have pursued solo endeavors that continue to feature Great Big Sea’s repertoire.

Origins

Great Big Sea made their first appearance on March 11, 1993, serving as the opening act for The Irish Descendants at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's. The founding lineup consisted of Alan Doyle (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Séan McCann (vocals, bodhrán, guitar, tin whistle), Darrell Power (vocals, bass guitar, bones), and Bob Hallett (vocals, fiddle, accordion, mandolin, concertina, bouzouki, whistles, bagpipes).

Prior to forming Great Big Sea, Power, McCann, and Hallett performed together under the name "Newfoundland Republican Army" (NRA) during Memorial University's winter carnival in 1989. After streamlining their lineup and dropping the NRA name, they transitioned to "Rankin Street," playing regularly at local St. John's pubs. Early member Susan Hickey departed; Darrell Power joined on bass by 1991 replacing Jeff Scott. Rankin Street produced one cassette recording during this period.

Alan Doyle remarked that combining Rankin Street’s PA system with his van enabled extensive touring opportunities. The band toured intensively in their early years, sometimes performing nearly 300 days annually.

In 1997, Great Big Sea achieved a top ten placement on the Canadian RPM charts with "When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)", a rendition of a song by British folk group Oysterband. They also appeared at Toronto’s 1999 Stardust Picnic festival.

From 1996 through 2000, the band secured the Entertainer of the Year award consecutively at the East Coast Music Awards before stepping aside to allow other contenders recognition. Their accolades include several Juno Award nominations for Group of the Year in 1998, 2005, 2009, and 2011.

The 2000s

In 2003, Darrell Power departed from Great Big Sea to dedicate more time to family and personal matters. Support musicians included Canadian freelance drummer Kris MacFarlane (from 2002) and Murray Foster (joining in 2003), formerly of Moxy Früvous, who contributed bass and backing vocals.

During the 2000 Canadian Federal Election campaign, Stockwell Day and the Canadian Alliance controversially used the band's popular track "Ordinary Day" at a political rally without authorization. The band identified this as an infringement of their copyright and demanded that its use cease immediately in political contexts.

Great Big Sea issued their inaugural concert DVD and video compilation titled Great Big DVD in Canada and the United States in 2003; it was subsequently released throughout Europe in 2004.

In late 2005, they unveiled The Hard and the Easy, an album dedicated to traditional Newfoundland party songs. The title is drawn from a lyric in "Tickle Cove Pond," which is one of two songs recounting a horse breaking through ice.

That same year marked the launch of their first podcast featuring studio conversations alongside music excerpts; this was followed by several additional podcast releases.

On February 9, 2006, their tour bus overturned near Surrey in British Columbia. While the driver suffered minor head trauma, all band members escaped injury. Despite this incident, they proceeded with their tour schedule including a concert planned for that evening in Vancouver.

On November 21, 2006, Great Big Sea released their second concert DVD entitled Courage & Patience & Grit, recorded live in Belleville, Ontario. The title references another phrase from "Tickle Cove Pond," maintaining continuity with their previous album’s thematic material.

Later career

On June 13, 2007, the band revealed plans to return to the studio collaborating with producer Hawksley Workman. The title of their upcoming album, Fortune's Favour, was announced on March 14, 2008, inspired by a line from the track "England". Before the album's official release, they performed songs such as "Love Me Tonight", "Walk on the Moon", "The Rocks of Merasheen", "Straight To Hell", and "Oh Yeah" during live shows. On April 17, 2008, their official website confirmed "Walk on the Moon" as the lead single. Fans who pre-ordered received exclusive digital versions of "Belong (A Capella)" and "Gallow's Pole". The album was made available throughout North America on June 24, 2008.

On February 23, 2010, Séan McCann launched his solo career with the release of Lullabies for Bloodshot Eyes, which he recorded at GreatBigStudio located in St. John's.

Great Big Sea’s album Safe Upon the Shore was released on July 13, 2010. Earlier that year, Alan had confirmed production details through his "From the Road" blog. The first single off the album was "Nothing But A Song", followed by a summer tour commencing in 2010.

Their track "Oh Yeah" was selected as the theme song for the Canadian television series Republic of Doyle. Additionally, they appeared on Dean Brody’s 2012 album Dirt contributing to the song "It's Friday".

In October 2012, Great Big Sea announced a greatest hits compilation titled XX, which coincided with a 20th anniversary tour comprising 32 shows across the United States and Canada from March through April 2013.

McCann's departure

In 2013, McCann surprised his fellow band members by announcing his decision to leave Great Big Sea after completing the XX tour. During an interview with CBC, he attributed this choice to personal transformations including achieving sobriety and seeking new paths after twenty years with the group.

In 2020, McCann co-wrote a memoir with Andrea Aragon called One Good Reason, recounting his upbringing, battles with addiction, and its effects on his time in the band. He disclosed that although he informed his bandmates early in 2013 that XX would mark his final tour, they postponed making this information public. Near the conclusion of the tour, McCann took to Twitter to announce his departure. While some fans responded negatively and the band largely refrained from comment, McCann expressed remorse over how his exit was handled and wished it had ended differently.

Retirement

On November 5, 2015, Alan Doyle shared in an interview with the Regina Leader-Post that following their 20th Anniversary tour in 2013, Sean McCann departed from the band. Doyle and Bob Hallett initially attempted to carry on without him but eventually concluded that Great Big Sea would be considered "now happily retired."

During a February 27, 2017 interview with the Cornwall Seeker, Doyle confirmed that although communication with Sean McCann has lessened since McCann relocated from Newfoundland, all members remain on friendly terms and continue to co-own their publishing rights.

Charity work

Great Big Sea took part in the Canadian initiative Artists Against Racism and contributed to a radio public service announcement endorsing this cause.

Discography

Great Big Sea (1993)
Up (1995)
Play (1997)
Turn (1999)
Sea of No Cares (2002)
Something Beautiful (2004)
The Hard and the Easy (2005)
Fortune's Favour (2008)
Safe Upon the Shore (2010)
XX (2012)

External links