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James Keelaghan | |
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Background information | |
Born | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | October 28, 1959
Genres | Folk, roots revival |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
Labels | Green Linnet, Jericho Beach, Tranquilla, Borealis |
Website | keelaghan |
James Keelaghan (born October 28, 1959) is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter. [1] Born in Calgary, Alberta, Keelaghan is now based in Perth, Ontario. [2] Many of the lyrics in his songs display a concern about social problems and justice in society. Examples of such themes include "Kiri's Piano", about the internment of Japanese Canadians, and "October 70", about the FLQ crisis, inspired by events and figures in Canadian history. Some of his songs concern tragic historical events, such as "Fires of Calais," about the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation of Allied troops during World War II, and "Cold Missouri Waters," about the Mann Gulch fire of 1949. Keelaghan's lilting baritone voice, driving rhythm guitar, and a sense of scene and narrative result in his ability to bridge traditional folk music with roots revival and Celtic music.
Keelaghan studied history at the University of Calgary and two of his influences there were Drs. Margaret J. Osler and Sheldon Silverman. With an international following in Australia and England, Keelaghan plays a wide variety of venues from large festivals and concert halls to intimate folk clubs venues and often invites the audience for a beer after his performance.
At the 1990 Northern Lights Festival Boréal, Keelaghan and guitarist Oscar Lopez participated in a collaborative workshop exploring the fusion of Celtic and Latin music. [3] The duo would later collaborate on two albums, Compadres and ¿Buddy Where You Been?, further exploring that theme. [3]
In 1994, he won the Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year for My Skies. [1]
In 2003, Keelaghan won first prize (Folk Category) of the 8th Annual USA Songwriting Competition.
His song "Cold Missouri Waters" was covered by the band Cry Cry Cry in 1998. His songs have also included some by famed folk musicians. They include Roy Bailey [1] and Garnet Rogers.
Frequent guest musicians on his albums include Stephen Fearing and Hugh McMillan of Spirit of the West. His latest CD, House of Cards (2009), produced by Keelaghan, is a collection of ten new original songs, some co-written with Karine Polwart, David Francey and others. The cd has been receiving critical praise both in Canada and abroad.
Keelaghan is the Artistic Director of the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival in Owen Sound since 2011.
Spirit of the West were a Canadian folk rock band from North Vancouver, active from 1983 to 2016. They were popular on the Canadian folk music scene in the 1980s before evolving a blend of hard rock, Britpop, and Celtic folk influences which made them one of Canada's most successful alternative rock acts in the 1990s.
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Northern Lights Festival Boréal is an annual summer music festival in Sudbury, Ontario. It is one of Canada's oldest continuous music festivals, having been staged every year since 1972 until the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oscar Lopez is a Chilean-Canadian guitarist, whose signature style blends Latin and jazz styles.
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Jericho Beach Music is a record label in Vancouver, British Columbia that specializes in world music, folk, and jazz. It was named after Jericho Beach in Vancouver. The label was formed in 1997 and released its first album, Compadres by James Keelaghan and Oscar Lopez. It is an imprint of Festival Distribution.
Cry Cry Cry was a folk supergroup, consisting of Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky, and Dar Williams. The band released an eponymous album of cover songs on October 13, 1998.
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Oliver Schroer was a Canadian fiddler, composer, and music producer.
Susan Crowe is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter. She was the 2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards English songwriter of the year and has been nominated for two Juno Awards.
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Chris McKhool is a Canadian violinist, producer, guitarist, composer, and singer-songwriter. He has received numerous awards for his work, including four JUNO Award nominations and four Canadian Folk Music Awards for his various recordings.
Eileen McGann is an Irish-Canadian folk singer, songwriter and traditional Celtic musician. Her album, Beyond The Storm, was Juno Award-nominated in 2002. She has released seven solo CDs and has established an almost 30-year career touring across North America and Great Britain.
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