Fiddler, bandleader.
Born near Woodridge on 29 September 1914, son of Henriette St. Germain, his mother bought him a $5 violin when he was 15. He moved to Winnipeg in 1934 and won his first fiddling contest in 1935. He performed regularly on radio station CJRC with his “Red River Mates” from 1937 to 1948. In the 1960s he appeared on television with Don Messer. He won BMI’s first Canadian annual award in 1969. During his career he made 25 LP records, which sold over half a million copies and contained 175 original compositions, including “Manitoba Golden Boy” and “Manitoba Waltz.” De Jarlis was best known for his lilting waltzes. He was awarded a City of Winnipeg Community Service Award (1968) and Manitoba Centennial Medal (1970). He died at the St. Boniface Hospital on 18 September 1975 and was buried in the St. Vital Cemetery.
Birth registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“You're never too old or young to fiddle,” Winnipeg Tribune, 7 December 1970.
“Fiddler De Jarlis dies at 60,” Winnipeg Free Press, 19 September 1975, page 66.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 19 September 1975, page 32.
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 February 2024
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