Good Morning Gloucester Exclusive
Cigar Joe Frontiero born in 1898 these tapes were recorded in 1981 when he was 83 years old.
Click here if you don’t see the arrow below to listen to the audio
The family of Cigar Joe Frontiero brings Good Morning Gloucester these treasured recordings of Fishing out of Gloucester MA in the early part of the century in the second of the multi-part collection of recordings. I’m happy that the family entrusted GMG with these priceless recordings and am proud to be able to have the platform in which we can archive and share with the community.
Look for part III April 7th at 6AM
Cigar Joe (Charlie Lowe Photo)1975
Ray Witham and Joseph “Cigar Joe” Frontiero land an 18 foot basking shark after it got tangled and died in a mackerel net off Rockport.
The history behind the tapes: Someone had asked Cigar Joe for an interview for an oral history project but Cigar Joe decided to do the recording himself. At the time he was having trouble with circulation in his legs and spent most of the time at home so he bought a tape recorder. He had trouble with the tape recorder and threw all of the tapes away. His mailman took the trashed tapes, spliced them, and made copies. He gave Cigar Joe copies and kept backups (with Cigar Joe’s consent) in case the originals were lost. This occurred in 1981.
Good Morning Gloucester 
Wonderful!
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I love how you broke it up Joey. This was my first time hearing this segment. It’s hard to sit through all of it at once and I’ve only gotten as far as the first one at home. The response has been great! You really put it together nicely.
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anyone have one of those general seafood frozen fish boxes with cigar joe at the wheel? time to put a stogie on the statue?
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This reminds me of the Ron Gilson set you posted way back. It’s an amazing opportunity to hear these. Great job, Joey, on bringing these stories to the world, where they can be appreciated again.
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Thr thanks go to the Frontiero family who had the faith in us to showcase it properly.
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Joey…Thank you for bringing these recordings back to life. My great uncle, Seymour Harnish, was a friend of Cigar Joe. He actually mentions him in this segment. My uncle was a Captain and many other things through out his colorful life. He ran booze for the Kennedy’s and others as well. In his late years he lived in the Fisherman’s Home on Duncan St. My dad thought the world of him and he never had his own children, so my family was his in the later years of his life. My dad, who was a Coastie, would bring him to our house every week or two for dinner and company. Seymour would tell these same stories which would facinate me to no end. PBS did some of these same recordings of him back in the early 70’s. Don’t know what happened to them, but you must burn these to CD and market them to benefit a good cause of Gloucester. Of course with the permission and blessing of Cigar Joe’s family. Thank You, Billy
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I would love to have a CD packaged with a 20-25 picture and essay book. Not Booklet. EJAY? I would love to have the first tape section for background play while groups assemble here at the distillery for tours. Can I get permission to do so? It would be to honor those who did what they had to do. I do not want to over commercialize, but instead, Gloucester needs an iconic hero to get us from the 18oo’s to the 2000’s. We have lost several hometown heros recently. Can we prop one up? Thanks for helping us to not forget.
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I’m sure Josie will read this. If she doesn’t respond ill contact her when iI get home.
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Bob I will take a survey of the family as I personally do not own these cd’s. None of us does. I think it’s a wonderful idea and I can’t imagine anyone would not agree. I’ll let you know soon.
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I love it!! I would have no problem at all with these audios being shared in a way that benefits the community whether it be for sale and proceeds going somehow to the fishing industry or even as a way or promoting tourism to our area. Go for it!!
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wow. these are great. “it was breezin’ up”. 🙂
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I found past I and part II of Cigar Joe and there is a link to part IV that does not work. Did I miss a part III? Could we make a single post with all parts directly linked? I would do if if someone shwoed me where these audios hung out.
Oh wait, Joey is going to yell at me for not just searching for “cigar joe”
https://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/?s=%22Cigar+Joe%22
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