Canadian Roots artists infiltrated Chuck Wentworth’s Rhythm and Roots Festival over Labor Day weekend, and they were a most welcome addition to this annual event.

I’ve attended the festival every year for the past 17 years (and the original Cajun/Bluegrass Festival in Escoheag before that), and I must say that Saturday’s lineup was better than any I could remember, with record crowds on hand to enjoy it.

Attendance was smaller Sunday, a muggy, overcast sky threatening evening thunderstorms, which arrived about 9 p.m., forcing cancellation of Donna and the Buffalo, one of the festivals most popular acts, but not before another bang-up day.

When scores of French folks migrated to Canada, they brought their culture and their music with them. Many moved on to Louisiana, where their music was a large influence on the area. The Cajun and Roots tradition continued and spread, and the wonderful combination of Canadian and Louisiana music brought many new and veteran artists to little old Rhode Island for an eventful weekend.

BEST MAIN STAGE PERFORMANCE: Masters of the fiddle Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, all the way from Cape Bretton, Nova Scotia, put on a show that will be hard to top by any one. We remember MacMaster when she first appeared at Stepping Stone Ranch at the age of 16 and blew the crowd away with her fiddle playing. Now she’s wife and mother (married to Leahy) of six children in 12 years. Three of the children played the fiddle and danced for the appreciative audience. It was one heck of a show.

BEST NEW ARTIST: Fresh from Prince Edward Island, Ten Strings and a Goatskin opened the activities at noon Saturday before many had even settled in. Fiddler Rowan Gallant set the standard high for the day and later appeared with MacMaster and others in a dynamite workshop. The three young college students should have a long career ahead of them.

MOST OUTRAGEOUS: Gangstagrass is the name of an outrageous group of four “good ole boys” and two rappers who combine to take bluegrass music where it has never been before. The young folks in the crowd went crazy over them, while the more traditional older folks were left shaking their heads. I must admit that they were good at what they did.

MOST LIKEABLE: Max Baca led Los Texmaniacs in a Tex Mex performance and a workshop that had the crowd mesmerized. Max plays the bajo sexto, a 12-string guitar-like instrument, while his 22-year-old nephew accompanied on a button accordion with German roots to provide a unique sound. Max’s humble stage presence made him a crowd favorite.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: A big, burly, long-haired singer/guitarist from Canada took the main stage audience on a musical trip with his pounding guitar work and bellowing voice, blending blues and folk like I’ve never heard before. Matt Anderson has over 2 million YouTube views and has won awards around the world for his performances. He already has 250 confirmed dates this year and spent two days performing in Rhode Island. If you, like me, have never heard of him, check him out on YouTube or find out where he’s playing and go see his tremendous talent.

BEST FESTIVAL EVER: While a thunderstorm abruptly ended this fabulous festival, the three days of music, dancing, good food and fellowship makes the Rhythm and Roots experience, in my humble opinion, the best event in Rhode Island.