Crowds all over the world stare in awe as Gordie plays with joyful abandonment. They create new fans at festivals such as Denmark’s Tonder Festival and the U.K.’s Glastonbury, to Merlefest in North Carolina and the Port Fairy Folk Festival in Australia. Onlookers report Gordie and the Boys to be festival highlights time and time again. This is mostly due to the elastic legged band leader nicknamed “Crazylegs” as he demonstrates his unique blend of Canadian clogging and step dancing.
Since their inception, they have collected a mantle full of awards and recognitions. Their latest album “Dreamland”, produced by Nashville’s R. S. Field, has captured the versatility the group has to offer while showcasing their expansive talents.
While their records are tremendous; it’s their exhilarating live show that keeps people coming back time and time again and leaving with the same wonder and amazement.
2022
Winner Music PEI award for Country/Roots Traditional Album of the year (Folk for Little Folk Volume 1)
2021
Winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest (Folk for Little Folk Volume 1)
2020
Cavendish Beach Music Festival by Bell Roots Traditional Recording of the Year (Dreamland)
2017
East Coast Music Award Entertainer of the Year Nomination
East Coast Music Award Roots Traditional Recording of the Year Nomination (Laugh, Dance & Sing)
Music PEI Touring Artist of the Year Nomination
2016
Winner Music PEI Award for Entertainer of the Year
Winner Music PEI Award Album of the Year (Laugh, Dance & Sing) Winner Music PEI Group Recording of the Year
Winner Music PEI Award Roots Traditional Recording of the Year
2015
Winner Music PEI Award for Entertainer of the Year Winner Music PEI Award for Touring Artists of the Year Music PEI Album of the Year Nomination (Pickin’ n Clickin’)
2014
Winner East Coast Music Award for Roots Traditional Group Recording of the Year (Pickin’ n Clickin’)
Winner Music PEI Award Roots Traditional Recording of the Year
2013
Music PEI Showcase Artist of the Year
2012
Winner Ottawa Folk Festival Galaxie Supernova Award Best Live Group
2011
Winner Music PEI Award Roots Traditional Recording of the Year Winner Music PEI Award Instrumental Recording of the Year Music PEI Showcase Artist of the Year
Reviews
“A fiddle fuelled, frenzied hootin’, tootin’, pickin’ and clickin’ old-time, that’s what. Sound like a mouthful? Exactly.” – Scenestr
“A fantastically joyful ensemble, that whip up a storm of rockabilly influenced country; and wow Gordie’s dancing is something to behold, as all the band locked into a ferocious hoedown!”. – Cambridge Folk Festival Review
“Gordie and the boys have a reputation for lively shows, and at a festival, they’re in their element. So Gordie gave plenty of opportunities to see why he has the nickname “crazy legs” with his combination of frantic fiddle playing and lightning fast step dancing. And, there was his traditional closer, climbing onto the double bass while Tom Webb keeps to a rock steady bass line and Gordie fiddles up a storm. Visually, the performance is stunning, but it wouldn’t be half so memorable if the musicianship was anything short of excellent. Gordie has his work cut out keeping his legs under control so otherwise sticks to fiddle and vocals; Peter Cann delights on a range of acoustic and electric guitars while Tom and Jason Burbine happily swap between bass, banjo and guitar with Jason also looking after percussion. There’s a core to their music, both traditional and their own compositions but they also spread into bluegrass, old-time and whatever else they fancy.” – folkradio.co.uk
“I would say Gordie MacKeeman, of Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys, is a virtuoso fiddle player, except I need a more exhilarating word than that. He doesn’t just play at lightning speed, he plays with the fiddle under his arm while he is doing a thundering step dance. He plays standing on top of a double bass, while the double bass is being played by someone else. I daresay he could play under water or falling out of the sky. Rhythm is the word. This is surely the most cheerful music in the world.” – The Hunts Post
“The newest album from Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys is here to make you dance, and they’re not asking much else of you. Dreamland is a thirteen-track earworm sure to bring life back into any dusty bones. There’s very little downtime on this album. We’re given thirteen tracks that are packed to the brim with foot-stomping rhythms. No matter how fast or slow the tempo, for the most part there’s this steady heartbeat that’s present. A pulsing vein runs through the tracklist guiding us from start to finish.” – theeastcoastmag.com
“Laugh, Dance and Sing, the new album Canadian four-piece Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys defies all labels. Each track stands alone with its own style and influences from the rockabilly of Song To a Young Seagull to the distinctly Celtic feel of Dusty Derby and the dreamy 1960’s folk vibe of Cavan Road. This makes the record as a whole an enjoyable listen. This wide mix of styles showcases the bands talents with a range of instruments including guitars, banjos, a mandolin, cello and even an accordion all played with energy and skill. However, it is the beautiful fiddle playing of MacKeeman which really pulls this collection of songs together into a cohesive whole. Overall a great album to Laugh, Dance & Sing along to!.” – Maverick Magazine, UK
“The fiddler from Prince Edward Island Gordie MacKeeman is known for his joyful abandonment on stage – with his showy fiddle playing and energetic dancing, he is certainly having a good time up there. With his companions, the Rhythm Boys, MacKeeman offers up a spirited dish of brisk bluegrass and rollicking roots music, all delivered with so much happiness and good humour that audiences are left grinning ear to ear. Be sure to check out the four-piece on their UK tour; you’ll find it hard not to fall in love with these guys.” – TD Acoustic
“My hands-down musical highlight were Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys who had everyone entranced by their blistering blend of Celtic-inspired fiddle tunes and crazy leg dancing.”- The Good Life Experience Festival, Decorators Notebook
“Just occasionally you go to a gig that makes you furiously happy. It can be an already-beloved band or, as this evening, it can come as a joyous and unexpected surprise. Legs akimbo, with a long grin as infectious as the highoctane bluegrass streaming from his fiddle, Gordie MacKeeman is the kind of musician who brings all the good things in life sharply to focus. A night with him and his Rhythm Boys reminds you to love your family, be silly with your friends, learn from your elders, and always choose to dance like a crazylegged fool. Picking up the pace of the Americana, Gordie took over the stage with equal theatricality, breaking immediately into his signature kooky fleet-footed twist and tap. Whilst their music is razor-sharp it is ego-free, and for many a tune he fiddled in the background as the Rhythm Boys orbited the instruments and took turns to give texture up the front of stage. Befitting the title of their new album Laugh, Dance, and Sing, mischievous musical humour pervaded the set: a bear-sized, stubbly, and besuited banjo-player is tasked with an egg shaker, and there is a two-blokes-onedouble- bass slap-off. It’s a word worth hollering: grab a ticket next time they are in town. You will have the time of your life.” – UK Ticketmaster Blog
“From Canada, this band looked fascinating and proved to be very entertaining.Their current album carries the label, Laugh Dance & Sing, and that would appear to sum up the manner in which the evening ensues. Now Gordie himself plays a fine fiddle, befitting any such band, but is also known as crazy legs and for good reason. The evening literally kicks off with a jig thus giving Gordie his chance to loosen up, with a tripudiary of tap, heels and toe click clacking on the wooden decked, barn stage. Not, I suspect, the first ‘barn’ dance these ancient timbers have seen. The band are used to steamy temperatures having recently taken their music to India, before spending more time in Europe. They are labelled a roots band but those roots are certainly quite diverse and certainly well spread.” – UK Slap Magazine
“Rhythm Boys indeed. There’s terrific bluegrass, with delicious country, rockabilly and pop on display here, and when MacKeeman and his coconspirators bring all these close genre family member together, Laugh, Dance & Sing takes flight, brimming with energy and excitement.” – David Innes, R2
“Top pick’s from the Bromyard Folk Festival 2016. Underlining the international credentials of Bromyard Folk Fest are Canadian outfit Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys. The group delivers high-energy entertainment with a sound that infuses their love of traditional bluegrass, western swing, and celtic dance music. The quartet have graced both Glastonbury and WOMAD festivals with their stagecraft and showmanship.” – herefordshirelive.co.uk
“Must see events at this years Saltaire Festival. Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm boys are another group who have travelled far. Arriving from Prince Edward Island in Canada and drawing from a range of acoustic styles, the accomplished fiddler promises a show full of dancing and excitement as they showcase their new album Laugh, Dance And Sing. “ – thebradfordreview.co.uk
“If this album’s title is intended to be an instruction, then it is a superfluous one. From the opening notes to the closing chord of Laugh, Dance & Sing I’m grinning involuntarily, my feet are tapping instinctively and I’m soon singing along as I drift away on a warm wave of infectious rhythms.” – Ian Taylor, www.folkradio.co.uk
“Sometimes an album covers says it all, and this one has good time written all over it. Gordie and his three accomplices, come not from Prince Edward Island; it gets cold up there which explains why the stuff this band come up with burns from start to finish. ‘Song To a Young Seagull’ is an unexpectedly jumping slice of rockabilly, ‘Cavan Road’ a strum along pop song, while Back 40 Ripoff’ careers along at warp speed, a show piece for Peter Cann’s Chet Atkins picking. So, push back the chairs and break out the Jack Daniels. These guys take no prisoners.” – Acoustic Magazine, UK
“THE HIGHLY UNOFFICIAL TOP 10 MOST POPULAR FESTIVAL ACTS…with great pride and exhaustion I give you the Top 10 Festival Acts of 2015 – #2 Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys.” – Colin Irwin, Spiral Earth, UK “From the beginning bars of ‘Ridin The Fiddle’ you know what you’re in for. This blistering fiddle tune is a mighty fine opening statement and whets my appetite for whites to follow. Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys are renowned for their high-quality musicianship and astounding stagecraft and have been wowing audiences around the world. And this album of mostly original songs will only further cement their growing reputation.” – Fatea Records, UK
