Barefoot on the Gravel Walk

It all started with Fiddle in hand!

I respectfully submit *Barefoot on the Gravel Walk* by E J Ouellette for consideration in the Regional Roots category.

This album represents the distinct regional music traditions of New England, speci+ically the AmeriCeltic and Acadian +iddle & folk cultures of the Northeast. These traditions, though often overlooked, are deeply rooted in the immigrant history of the region — shaped by Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian, and Appalachian in+luences passed down through generations of oral tradition and communal performance.

Unlike Celtic recordings produced solely in Ireland or Scotland, this album re+lects the New England evolution of those traditions — a blend of early settler in+luences, Quebecois rhythmic phrasing, and regional bowing styles that developed through the folk revival and kitchen party scenes of the Merrimack Valley and surrounding areas. The music was often played in grange halls and dances, mill towns, and front parlors, making it a true expression of place and heritage.

The track *On the Gravel Walk* (a recomposed version of the traditional Irish reel “The Gravel Walks”) features collaborations with notable Celtic and American musicians including Enda Scahill (Ireland) and Dave Mattacks (UK/US), showcasing the living and global relevance of this regional form. Dave Mattacks appears on 5 out of the tracks on this album and has long resided in Marblehead Massachusetts.

Bandmates are part of the E J Ouellette & Crazy Maggy Band a New England +iddle dance band with 26 years performing in New England’s Nor’east. Besides the above artists band mates on this album include Steve Baker on Sax, Lisa O’Donnell on piano and backing vocals, Geoff Wadsworth on tin whistle, Don Gaudreau piano, Peter Whitehead drums, introducing Deborah Offenhauser on Piano and Kristine Malpica on percussion.

The album combines traditional and original songs and material, arranged with reverence for the idiom and crafted to preserve the vocal, +iddle, and rhythmic styles native to Northern New England +iddle and song. EJO’s songs re+lect the history Massachusetts & New England’s industrial, maritime and Nor’east farming traditions.

As an artist, teacher, and tradition-bearer with decades of experience in this style, I respectfully submit this work as part of a broader effort to recognize New England’s AmeriCeltic/Acadian tradition as a valid and vital part of the Regional Roots landscape — alongside Cajun, Hawaiian, Native American, and other place-based genres.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.

Sincerely,
E J Ouellette