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Alex Cobb is a name well known to Ottawa Valley Old-Time Music fans. He was born in 1929 and grew up in the Otter Lake area of West Quebec where the fiddle was the popular instrument of the day. Like many others of his time, he first picked up the fiddle at the early age of 9 and, at 13, began entertaining in the country dance halls.
In his late teens, Alex formed his own band, "The Moonlight Ramblers", and the group was in demand on both sides of the Ottawa River, from Ladysmith to Kazabazua to Maniwaki and all corners of the Pontiac and the Gatineau to Renfrew County on the Ontario side. The 1940’s was the era of the square dance, and every evening of dancing included a "caller" and a "fiddler" with the band. It was common for Alex to play to twenty or thirty "squares" on the floor at one time.
The 1950’s saw Alex enter the realm of radio. CHOV Pembroke featured his weekly show into the 1960’s, giving Alex even greater exposure. With the demise of the dance hall, Alex remained popular, playing private parties and receptions.
Proficient on both fiddle and saxophone, Alex has, in later years, used his musical talents to entertain at senior citizens’ homes and convalescent hospitals such as St. Vincent’s and maintains his membership in three Ottawa Old-Time Fiddle Clubs. Sadly, Alex passed away on December 30, 2016.
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