Bill Lamey (1914 – 1991), fiddler, was born at River Denys, Cape Breton but spent some of his early years in Sydney and Sydney Mines before moving permanently to the Boston area, USA. His fiddle playing began at the age of 18 and was strongly influenced by other fiddlers such as “Big” Ranald MacLellan and Gordon MacQuarrie. He credits his mother and her Gaelic songs and jigging with the Gaelic influence found in his playing. Unable to take lessons himself due to the cost, he learned much through lessons his cousin was taking at the time. He quickly escalated into public performances and routinely played all the local dances, especially in and around the Sydney area.

In 1953, Bill relocated to Boston with his family. He became a charter member of the Cape Breton Island Gaelic Foundation and was president of it for 15 years. He also ran a radio program over WVOM and held dances in the Boston area and helped many Cape Breton artists make their way south to perform in the US.
His music is preserved on a number of recordings including “Classical Recordings of Scottish Fiddling” and “Full Circle - From Cape Breton to Boston and Back” which is a collection of home recordings made of Bill from 1956-1977. On such recordings, you can hear his distinctive snappy bowing technique and rhythmic strathspeys and reels and haunting slow airs.