Al Tuck

Last updated

Al Tuck
Al Tuck.jpg
Background information
Birth nameAlan Layton Tuck
Born (1966-12-21) December 21, 1966 (age 57)
Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Origin Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Genres Folk rock, indie rock
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1984 present
Labels Murderecords, Brobdingnagian, Youth Club
Website altuck.ca

Al Tuck (born December 23, 1966), is a Canadian songwriter and folksinger from Prince Edward Island who has spent much of his career based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. [1]

Contents

Early life

Tuck was born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, the son of editorial cartoonist and Anglican cleric Canon Robert Tuck. Tuck attended the University of King's College in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Career

Tuck's career started when he began appearing in Halifax coffeehouses and college pubs, either doing solo performances or with his first couple of bands, such as The Columbia Recording Artists, in the early-to-mid 80s, and then The Bluegrass Lawnmower, which existed from 1988 until 1992. [2] [3] Bluegrass Lawnmower received an East Coast Music Award nomination for "Unrecorded Artist Of The Year" in 1991. [4]

Tucked formed the quartet of Al Tuck and No Action in 1993, with a "revolving cast of musicians", [5] [6] [7] after the dissolution of Bluegrass Lawnmower, and with increased attention on the burgeoning Halifax independent music scene in the early 1990s.

By 1994, the band dropped down to a trio, with Tracy Stevens on bass, and Brock Caldwell on drums. [8] This led Tuck to a recording deal with Sloan's Murderecords, [9] which released his first two LPs: Arhoolie, [10] and Brave Last Days, [11] both in 1994. That same year he made an appearance at Edgefest. [12]

During his tenure on Murderecords, a "documentary" short film was shot and produced by Colin MacKenzie (Murderecords, Cinnamon Toast Records) on Tuck, in 1995. [13]

Tuck received another East Coast Music Award nomination for "Male Recording Of The Year" in 1996. [14]

Tuck released Food for the Moon in 2009. [15] In a review, Now magazine wrote, "Tuck's voice – thin, rough-hewn, distinct – reaches out intimately, and his songwriting never drops beneath top-shelf." [16]

In 2010, Tuck was the voice of Milkman Cat in the Spike Jonze-produced animated short, Higglety-Pigglety Pop!. [17]

"Under Your Shadow" followed in 2011 under the Maple Music label. The album appeared on the !earshot Campus and Community National Top 50 Albums chart in January 2012. [18]

In June 2013, Tuck's studio album Stranger at the Wake was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. Fair Country, which is a mix of original songs, co-written with poet Alex Rettie, and covers, was released digitally in 2015 and then in CD format in 2016.

December 2016 saw release of a tribute album, Behind That Big Red Curtain, [19] featuring 15 of Tuck's songs, performed by 15 of his musical friends, and produced by Adam Gallant and Andrew Murray of Charlottetown, PEI.

Two of these songs, "In the Days When the People Were Small and Few" and "Behind that Big Red Curtain", were not previously recorded by Tuck. [20]

Personal life

Tuck previously dated Catriona Sturton, then of Plumtree, during the late 90s, into the 2000s. [21]

Tuck was formerly married (and divorced in 2010) to singer Catherine MacLellan, [15] daughter of renowned P.E.I. songwriter Gene MacLellan. They have one daughter, Isabel. [22]

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Related Research Articles

Murderecords is an independent record label that releases the music of the Canadian rock band Sloan. Originally formed in 1992 to produce just the records of that band, it later released work of other bands including Eric's Trip, The Hardship Post, Al Tuck, Stinkin' Rich, Hip Club Groove, The Inbreds, Thrush Hermit, and The Super Friendz, and was Canada's best-known indie label in the 1990s. Later, the roster was stripped bare, and released Sloan albums exclusively for nearly a decade. In 2008, however, albums by Will Currie and the Country French and Pony Da Look were released by the label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley MacIsaac</span> Musical artist

Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac is a Canadian fiddler, pianist, singer and songwriter from Cape Breton Island. He has received three Juno Awards, winning for Best New Solo Artist and Best Roots & Traditional Album – Solo at the Juno Awards of 1996, and for Best Instrumental Artist at the Juno Awards of 1997. His 1995 album Hi™ How Are You Today? was a double-platinum selling Canadian record. MacIsaac published an autobiography, Fiddling with Disaster in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaye</span> Canadian pop music group

Shaye was a Canadian pop group, consisting of singer-songwriters Kim Stockwood, Damhnait Doyle and Tara MacLean. MacLean left the group in 2007 and the band folded by 2009. The band is named after MacLean's sister who died in a car accident in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric's Trip</span> Canadian indie rock band

Eric's Trip is a Canadian indie rock band from Moncton, New Brunswick. Eric's Trip achieved prominence as the first Canadian band to be signed to Seattle's flagship grunge label Sub Pop in the early 1990s. The band had a minor hit in alternative circles with the single "View Master", from the 1994 album Forever Again.

The Super Friendz are a Canadian indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia. They were initially active between 1994 and 1997, before reforming in 2003.

Roselea Arbana "Rose" Maddox was an American country singer-songwriter and fiddle player, who was the lead singer with the Maddox Brothers and Rose before a successful solo career. Her musical styles blended hillbilly music, rockabilly and gospel. She was noted for her "reputation as a lusty firebrand", and her "colorful Western costumes"; she was one of the earliest clients of Hollywood tailor, Nathan Turk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thrush Hermit</span> 1990s alt-rock band from Halifax, Canada

Thrush Hermit was a Canadian alternative rock band active in the 1990s, known for their "highly energetic, humorous, and unpredictable performances," as quoted by Vice News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Room</span> 1968 single by Cream

"White Room" is a song by British rock band Cream, composed by bassist Jack Bruce with lyrics by poet Pete Brown. They recorded it for the studio half of the 1968 double album Wheels of Fire. In September, a shorter US single edit was released for AM radio stations, although album-oriented FM radio stations played the full album version. The subsequent UK single release in January 1969 used the full-length album version of the track.

"Blue Moon of Kentucky" is a waltz written in 1945 by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and recorded by his band, the Blue Grass Boys. The song has since been recorded by many artists, including Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney. The song is the official bluegrass song of Kentucky.

The Hardship Post was a Canadian alternative rock band, that formed in St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1992 and moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, during the Halifax Pop Explosion of the early 1990s.

Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer are a musical duo who perform folk, bluegrass and children’s music. They have performed with Pete Seeger, Theodore Bikel, Tom Paxton, Patsy Montana, Riders in the Sky and others. The Washington Area Music Association has recognized the duo with over 60 Wammie Awards for folk, bluegrass, and children’s music.

Gene MacLellan was a Canadian singer-songwriter from Prince Edward Island. Among his compositions were "Snowbird", made famous by Anne Murray, "Put Your Hand in the Hand", "The Call", "Pages of Time" and "Thorn in My Shoe". Elvis Presley, Lynn Anderson, Loretta Lynn, Joan Baez, and Bing Crosby were among the many artists who recorded MacLellan's songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard K. Spottswood</span>

Richard K. "Dick" Spottswood is an American musicologist and author from Maryland, United States who has catalogued and been responsible for the reissue of many thousands of recordings of vernacular music in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run-Around (song)</span> 1995 single by Blues Traveler

"Run-Around" is a song by American rock band Blues Traveler, featured on their fourth studio album, Four (1994). The song was the band's breakthrough hit, peaking at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. It gave the band their first Grammy Award in 1996, for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinnamon Toast Records</span> Canadian record label

Cinnamon Toast Records was a record label from Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was inspired by the American label Simple Machines and was run by Walter Forsyth, Lee Ann Gillan, Shawn Duggan, Colin MacKenzie, Robert Jeans and Miroslav Wiesner. Born out of an influx of local alternative music being created in Halifax during the early 1990s, Cinnamon Toast Records released a number of limited 7-inch singles, each in a different colour. Cinnamon Toast Records' first single was a 7-inch pressing of the Halifax band Bubaiskull in 1992. Other notable releases are the first Jale single and a split pressing of Sloan and Eric's Trip in 1993, a Rebecca West CD in 1995, as well as a number of full length Plumtree CDs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying</span> 1996 single by Sting

"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" is a song written and recorded by English rock singer Sting, which featured on his fifth album, Mercury Falling (1996). The song was also released as a single, and reached No. 94 in the US. Sting also recorded the song as a duet with American country music artist Toby Keith for Keith's 1997 album Dream Walkin'; this version reached No. 2 in the US Hot Country Songs charts and No. 84 in the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, giving Sting his only country hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everything You've Done Wrong</span> 1996 single by Sloan

"Everything You've Done Wrong" is a song by Canadian rock band Sloan. The song was released as the second single from the band's 1996 album, One Chord to Another. It is the band's highest charted single ever in Canada, reaching #6 on Canada's RPM Singles Chart. The song was nominated for "Single of the Year" at the 1998 East Coast Music Awards.

Brenda Stubbert is a Cape Breton fiddler and composer from Point Aconi, Nova Scotia, Canada. She comes from a musical family, as her father, Robert, and uncle, Lauchie, were both well-known fiddlers. Brenda began step dancing and playing the piano at age five, and started playing fiddle at age eight.

Olenka and the Autumn Lovers are a Canadian indie folk band from Vancouver, British Columbia. Fronted by Polish-born singer-songwriter Olenka Krakus, the band's sound is a mix of orchestral folk-pop with elements reminiscent of classic country and folk music, and Eastern European folk. The band uses diverse instruments to showcase Krakus' songwriting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine MacLellan</span> Canadian singer

Catherine MacLellan is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter, based in Prince Edward Island.

References

  1. Dickie, Mary (January 15, 2004). "The luck of Tuck: Singer/songwriter sees bright side of losing all his material in a fire [usurped] ", Jam!. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  2. "The Dalhousie gazette. : Vol. 123, no. 16 (Janu... - the Student Voice".
  3. "Al Tuck age, hometown, biography".
  4. "Awards Archive - East Coast Music Association".
  5. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/CANADA/RPM/90s/1996/RPM-1996-02-12.pdf
  6. "The Dalhousie gazette. : Vol. 126, no. 6 (Octob... - the Student Voice".
  7. "Blues Theory".
  8. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/CANADA/RPM/90s/1996/RPM-1996-02-12.pdf
  9. Guimond, Steve (December 22, 2005). "No, not Al Green Archived 2006-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ", Hour . Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  10. "Arhoolie, by al Tuck and No Action".
  11. "Brave Last Days, by al Tuck and No Action".
  12. https://www.facebook.com/RaveDrool/posts/pfbid0hV2t6RvGk3XhYfDoY2xYDx3zKdW7VFnoC6bE9XMYa14uvTDfT1ELZg9hthAFKLgUl?__tn__=%2CO*F
  13. "Al Tuck and No Action Documentary 1995". March 24, 2021.
  14. "Awards Archive - East Coast Music Association".
  15. 1 2 Khanna, Vish (August 2009). "Al Tuck", Exclaim! . Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  16. Gillis, Carla (March 17, 2010). "Al Tuck: Food for the Moon", Now 29 (29). Retrieved November 2, 2010. Archived 21 October 2012
  17. Titley, Hillary (January 21, 2010). "Al Tuck goes Pop!", The Coast . Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  18. "The National Top 50 For the Week Ending: Tuesday, January 3, 2012". !earshot.
  19. "Behind That Big Red Curtain, by Various".
  20. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/al-tuck-tribute-cd-1.3964256
  21. "Joel Plaskett demonstrates his true patriot love through music". The Globe and Mail. March 21, 2016.
  22. Doole, Kerry (June 2009). "Al Tuck: Food for the Moon", Exclaim! . Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  23. "Arhoolie, by al Tuck and No Action".