Subject: RE: Obit: Merlin "Joe" Waye the Guitar Man 1933-2025
From:
Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Oct 25 - 12:23 PM
From the link above:
Merlin Anthony Waye
With great sorrow we, the family of Merlin Anthony Waye, aka Joe Waye Sr. or Papa Joe Waye, regret to announce his passing on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 92 years of age.
Joe was the last surviving member of his immediate family. He was born September 5, 1933, at home with his twin brother, Elmer "Sean" on St. Anns Street in Whitney Pier to proud parents, William "Bill" Waye and Elizabeth Waye nee Jennings. The twins beat all odds, as they weighed just five pounds between them. They literally fit in a shoe box together.
Joe was born with an acute ear for music and an amazing memory capacity. At just eight years old he gravitated toward his older brother’s guitar, which had been left behind as he had joined the Canadian Armed Forces in the WWII effort. By 1947, at just 14 years old, he, along with two of his friends, Byron MacPhee and Joe Vigneau, had their own radio show on CJCB that had been produced by radio host, Lloyd “Tex” Taylor. Later, while still in his teens, he toured around the Maritimes with country music acts such as Gene Hooper, Smokie Martin and Lone Pine and Betty Cote out of Maine, USA. At that time, he had met their 12 year old son, Lone Pine Jr., the late guitar genius that would later become known as the world renowned Jazz guitarist, Lenny Breau. Dad would say, "We just hung out and traded riffs for a few months."
Homesick, in 1954, he returned home to Cape Breton to do more radio and the new thing, television. Dad became one of the first stars of television locally, while becoming a sort of a guitar hero who would influence the next generations of guitar players. Some of the mentioned TV shows were: The Cape Breton Barn Dance, The Melody Lodge and others in the 50s. Later, in the 50s to early 60s, he was part of a really popular show known as the T. R. Ranch with the Radio Ranch Boys (started on radio then moved to TV). In the mid-60s, his final live TV show, called Oland’s Saturday Night. Although he became known for his country guitar picking skills, he could play numerous styles including, Scottish Traditional, as he had worked with the likes of Winston Scotty Fitzgerald, Bernie Ley, Joe MacDougall and Winnie Chafe and more recently, Howie MacDonald and even the Rankin family when they were first starting out. Also in 1948, he met a swing fiddler named Leo Doublett. This experience set Joe up to be invited to join the late great swing band, the Starlight Nighters. He would forever cherish this time because he had met his mentors, Leo Doublett, Gerard Dunn, Chippie MacDonald and Ethel Miller, from which he learned Swing and Pop standards of the 30s and 40s. They had worked together and formed lifelong friendships. He played everything from old cowboy movie songs that he had learned as a boy, newfie tunes that he had heard his parents sing, polkas he heard growing up in the Pier and just about anything else he heard. In around 1944, the family moved to Grand Lake Rd.
Joe will be fondly remembered for his infectious smile and the joy he brought to numerous communities with his talent. He loved all styles of music and he would have a profound influence on two of his sons, Joe Waye Jr. and Nigel Waye, among numerous others.
Joe is an elected member of the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame and two time ECMA award winner. He has worked with many Canadian singers including, Hank Snow, Tommy Hunter, Tommy Common, Gordie Tapp and Catherine MacKinnon and many local country singers including, Trainor Donovan, Barney Peters, Will Odo, Sid Martell, Mickey MacIntyre and Albert MacDonald to name a few and more recently, George Cadden, Peter MacDonald and Robert Bouchard, all of whom he had recorded and worked with, as well as two of his best buds, Ralph Allen and Dinky Cameron, to site a few. He also worked with pianists, Johnny Aucoin, George MacDonald, Don Coward and as mentioned, Gerard Dunn. He would do many gigs with brothers, Red Mike and Eddy MacDonald. Joe played professionally from 1947 until 2020, as such, it’s impossible to list every band or person he worked with. Joe recorded two solo albums, the first, as he would say, "was recorded in under one hour" was produced by Scott Turner of Liberty Records in 1966 called “Guitar Great” and the second, "Still Pickin and Grinnin" produced by his son, Joe Jr. in 2003. He had accomplished everything he had done musically without ever being able to read music or have any sort of formal training.
Affectionately known by his sons, Joe and Nigel as, "Merlin the Musician, man of a million tunes," it was very obvious that he was never more proud or happier than he was when he shared the stage with his sons.
Joe had many other interests. His Montreal Canadians and Expos, along with boxing, he talked and watched it with his old friend, hall of famer, Ed MacKillop.
Dad lived a humble life working various jobs. He had been everything from house painter and hard laborer and when he went back to school, he became a welder who worked at the heavy water plants in Glace Bay and Port Hawkesbury, Sydney Steel, then settling at CBRM until retirement. He was a hard worker and great provider for his family and we will always be indebted to him for always putting us first.
Joe was predeceased by the love of his life, Evelyn Waye nee Holbeche and his son, Nigel. He was also predeceased by his five brothers, Wallace, Bern (Theresa), Nelson (Margaret), Donald (Snookie) and twin, Sean (Theresa); six sisters, Ann Wall (Donald), Violet Ley (Jack), Barbara George (Basil), Elizabeth Waye MacPhail, Mary Boyd (Jim) and Gail Anderson (Ben); and sisters-in-law, Rose Parsons (Emerson), Dorothy Collins (Martin), Gertrude Moore (Johnny) and Betty Raeburn (Raymond).
Joe is survived by his sons, Joe Jr. (Janice), Nelson Waye and Martin Waye (Crystal) and daughters, Jacqueline Petersen (Thomas), Calgary and Jill Waye, Sydney. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews; his precious granddaughters, Emily Waye MacSwain (Stephen), Misty Hallaron (Gianni) and Brooke Rose Waye; grandsons, Nigel Hallaron and Joseph Waye (Jessica); great-granddaughters, Stella and Rose MacSwain and Georgina and Ameilia Jo Waye, the love he had for you all was unsurpassed; brothers-in-law, George and Nigel Holbeche; and sisters-in-law, Ellen Rose (Charlie) and Diane Murchison.
The family would like to thank the staff at Celtic Court Nursing Home for their care and compassion. To dad’s best buddies, Mel Crowe, Joe Abraham, Dan LeBlanc and Buddy Clifford and to dad’s favourite niece, Barbara Clifford, who was always there for him cooking, cleaning and much, much more, thank you. But a very special thank you to our sister, Jill for everything she has done for dad, which is pretty much everything and without a complaint. Words cannot cover the gratitude we feel or have. Also thank you to Fr. Evo DiPierro for everything, and finally Sydney Memorial Chapel, Kollin Weatherbee and staff, for their compassion, guidance and professionalism.
At dad’s request, cremation has taken place. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Theresa’s Church on Friday, October 10th at 11 a.m., immediately followed by a reception at Sydney Memorial Chapel.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to Cape Breton Hospice Palliative Care Society of Cape Breton County would be greatly appreciated.
Words of comfort can be sent to the family at www.sydneymemorialchapel.com
"Be careful and watch the cars" words by Papa Joe
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