Baxter Wareham, N.L.'s embodiment of Placentia Bay music, dead at 78
Baxter Wareham, a Newfoundland and Labrador musician and frequent collaborator celebrated for sharing the province's stories, has died.
Wareham was born in Harbour Buffett in Placentia Bay, a community that was resettled in the 1960s.
He's likely best known for the trio he formed with Pat and Joe Byrne. The three musicians released their highly influential album Towards the Sunset, which shared themes of the Newfoundland fishery and the government pressure placed on outport communities in the resettlement era, in 1983.
Wareham's talents as a storyteller and accordion player took him all over the world, as he gained international popularity in the folk scene. He appeared on many traditional folk albums during his time as a musician and released a solo project in 1989.
Wareham was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society in 2020 for his contribution to expanding awareness of the music and culture of the province.
"Baxter's music is Placentia Bay music. His tunes, songs and stories are imbued and performed with the spirit of the seafaring people with whom he grew up, who he has always admired and from whom he learned many of the pieces in his vast repertoire," Joe Byrne wrote of Wareham as part of the Folk Art Society's award.
Wareham was 78.
