Leahy | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Lakefield, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | Folk/Country/Celtic |
Years active | 1980s–present |
Labels | Virgin Records |
Members | Donnell Leahy Erin Leahy Angus Leahy Maria Leahy Siobheann Donohue Doug Leahy Agnes Enright Frank Leahy |
Past members | Denise Leahy Chrissie Leahy Julie Leahy |
Website | www.leahymusic.com |
Leahy is a Canadian folk music group. The eight band members, all from the Leahy family of 11 siblings, are from Lakefield, Ontario and have been touring Canada and internationally since the early 1980s, when they were known as The Leahy Family. In 1985, they were the subject of a short film entitled Leahy: Music Most of All which received an Academy Award in the category of "Best Foreign Student Film." [1] The members of Leahy take significant pride in their Irish roots and Canadian upbringing. [2]
The line-up of the group varies depending upon the availability of its members, who are present or absent due to marriage, childrearing and other obligations. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the band recorded a number of privately released LPs and cassettes (most of which used the same title, The Leahy Family) which were sold at their concerts and they were frequent guests at the Big Valley Jamboree concerts in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
In 1997, the band resumed recording with their "relaunch" album, Leahy which also introduced the group's new branding. Leahy was an instrumental album, but the band also includes vocal performances in their live performances and subsequent albums have included both vocals and instrumentals.
Despite their established history, they were awarded two Juno awards in 1998, for Best New Group [3] and Best Instrumental Artist. [4] The following year, Leahy took a third Juno Award, for Best Country Group or Duo. Also in 1998, Leahy were added as the opening act for Canadian country singer Shania Twain's 1998 Come on Over Tour and were featured in two television specials from the tour, Live and The Specials , performing with Twain on the song "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)". [5]
The group's members are both instrumentalists and dancers, with several members skilled in fiddle-playing (most notably the band's most famous member, Donnell). The female members of the band often perform step-dancing-style routines and do most of the singing.
All members of the band are siblings. Each member has a main role to play in the band; although most play more than one instrument and all step dance. Donnell Leahy is married to Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster and Frank is married to champion step dancer Chanda Gibson.
In 2008, Donnell Leahy and Natalie MacMaster were awarded honorary doctorate degrees by Trent University. [6]
These three sisters are not currently active in the band's touring schedule.
Year | Album | Chart Positions | CRIA | |
---|---|---|---|---|
CAN Country | CAN | |||
1996 | Leahy | 1 | 36 | Platinum |
2001 | Lakefield | |||
2004 | In All Things | |||
2006 | Leahy Live | |||
2007 | Handmade | |||
2021 | Good Water |
In addition, the group released several vinyl LPs and cassettes in the 1980s as The Leahy Family. These self-titled releases were privately pressed and usually sold at their concerts, although Christmas with the Leahy Family was carried by retailers such as A&B Sound.
Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
CAN Country | CAN AC | |||
1986 | "You've Got the Fiddle (I've Got the Bow)" | 52 | On the Move | |
1997 | "The Call to Dance" | 26 | 31 | Leahy |
"B Minor" | ||||
2001 | "Down That Road" | Lakefield | ||
"Mission" | ||||
2004 | "Chasing Rain" | In All Things | ||
"Coyote Way" |
Year | Video |
---|---|
1997 | "The Call to Dance" |
"B Minor" | |
2001 | "Down That Road" |
"Mission" | |
2004 | "Chasing Rain" |
Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in country music history. Her success garnered her several titles, including the "Queen of Country Pop". Billboard named her as the leader of the '90s country-pop crossover stars.
Up! is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 19, 2002, by Mercury Nashville. Three versions of the album were released: a pop version, a country version, and a version in the style of Indian film music. The album was heavily hyped by the media due to it being Twain's follow-up to her monstrous 1997 studio album Come On Over.
Come On Over is the third studio album by Canadian singer Shania Twain. Mercury Records in North America released it on November 4, 1997. Similar to her work on its predecessor, The Woman in Me (1995), Twain entirely collaborated with producer and then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange. With both having busy schedules, they often wrote apart and later intertwined their ideas. Twain wanted to improve her songwriting skills and write a conversational album reflecting her personality and beliefs. The resulting songs explore themes of romance and female empowerment, addressed with humor.
Emerson Drive is a Canadian country music band consisting of Brad Mates, Danick Dupelle, Mike Melancon (drums), and Dale Wallace. The band was founded in 1995 as 12 Gauge, which consisted of Mates, Pat Allingham (fiddle), Steven Swager, Chris Hartman (keyboards), Dan Binns (guitar), David Switzer (guitar), and Remi Barre (drums); Swager was replaced with Jeff Loberg early on. After recording under this name, the band moved to the United States in 1999 and renamed themselves to Emerson Drive. They released two albums for the former DreamWorks Records Nashville branch: Emerson Drive in 2002 and What If? in 2004. These accounted for their first hit singles in the United States: "I Should Be Sleeping", "Fall into Me", and "Last One Standing". After DreamWorks closed, Emerson Drive signed with Midas Records Nashville for the 2006 album Countrified, which produced their only American number-one single in "Moments". Further releases in the United States were unsuccessful, but the band continued to chart in Canada through releases on Open Road Recordings and Big Star Recordings over the next ten years.
Natalie MacMaster is a Canadian fiddler from Troy, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, who plays Cape Breton fiddle music. She has toured with the Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana and Alison Krauss, and has recorded with Yo-Yo Ma. She has appeared at the Celtic Colours festival in Cape Breton, Celtic Connections in Scotland and MerleFest in the United States.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1998.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1995.
"You're Still the One" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain for her third studio album Come On Over (1997). The song was inspired by criticism of Twain's relationship with her then-husband and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and depicts her celebrating their marriage despite the difficulties and differences between the two. Written by Twain and Lange, it is a piano-driven country pop ballad incorporating guitar, organ, and mandolin. Mercury Records released "You're Still the One" to U.S. contemporary hit radio stations on January 13, 1998, as the album's first pop radio single. The song was later serviced to U.S. country radio stations as the third single from Come On Over on February 13, 1998.
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain from her third studio album, Come On Over (1997). Written by Twain and her longtime collaborator and then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who also produced the track, the song was released first to North American country radio stations in March 1999 as the eighth single from the album, and it was released worldwide later the same year. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is a country pop song with lyrics about female empowerment and remains one of Twain's biggest hits worldwide.
"That Don't Impress Me Much" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released in December 1998 as the sixth country single, and seventh single overall, from her third studio album, Come On Over (1997). It was third to pop and fourth to international markets. The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Twain, and was originally released to North American country radio stations in late 1998. It became her third biggest single on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of Twain's biggest hits worldwide.
"Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)" is a song by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released in November 1997 as the second single from Twain's album Come On Over but was the seventh to be released to international markets. The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Shania Twain. The single peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, becoming Twain's sixth top-10 hit on that chart. A dance-pop remix of the song began receiving airplay in early 2000, prompting its release as a single in Australia and many European countries, including the United Kingdom where it peaked at No. 5.
The Juno Award for "Country Recording of the Year" has been awarded since 1970, as recognition each year for the best country music artist in Canada. A number of previous award categories have been combined under this name, including "Best Country Male Artist", "Best Country Female Artist" and "Country Group or Duo of the Year".
"(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 15, 1995, as the fourth single from her second studio album, The Woman in Me. Written by Twain and then-husband and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the song is lyrically a warning to "pickup artists" who are searching for one-night stands instead of real love.
The Juno Awards of 1998 were presented in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The primary ceremonies at GM Place before an audience of 10 000 on 22 March 1998.
The Come On Over Tour was the debut concert tour by Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain. Visiting North America, Australia and Europe, the tour supported of her third studio album Come On Over (1997). Deemed one of the most anticipated tours of the 1990s, the trek became the highest-grossing tour by a female country artist at the time. The tour was seen by over two million spectators and earned over 80 million dollars. Additional accolades include being named the "Country Tour of the Year" in 1998 and 1999 by Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. Supporting Twain on the tour was family band Leahy and country artist Shane Minor. The tour was sponsored by Gitano Jeans.
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April Verch is a Canadian fiddler, singer, and step dancer raised in the community of Rankin, Ontario, located approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southwest from Pembroke, Ontario. The youngest daughter of Ralph and Muriel Verch, April began step dancing at age three with her first step dance teachers, Buster and Pauline Brown, and began learning fiddle at age six from Pembroke fiddler Rob Dagenais, shortly after receiving her first violin as a birthday present. Throughout her childhood, April played both old time fiddle and classical violin, having competed and having won awards at fiddle contests inside and outside Ontario, as well as regularly performing with the Deep River Symphony Orchestra over that period. She also competed and won numerous awards for her step dancing in that time frame as well.
Shania Twain: Live is a TV concert special released by singer Shania Twain from her Come On Over Tour. Released on VHS and DVD, it was filmed on September 12, 1998, in Dallas, Texas, and aired live on DirecTV for free. The music video for Twain's single "Come On Over" was taken from this special. The video was certified platinum by the RIAA in 1999.
Shane Ken Cook is a Canadian violinist. He is a long-time member of the celtic fusion ensemble Bowfire, and is a past Canadian Grand Master fiddler and U.S. National Fiddle Champion. His musical career has taken him to tour across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Germany, England, China and Taiwan.
Queen of Me is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Shania Twain. The album was released on February 3, 2023, by Republic Records. It is her first album since Now (2017), and is her first to not be released with her previous label of 29 years, Mercury Nashville. The album was promoted with the release of two singles and a promotional single: "Waking Up Dreaming", "Last Day of Summer", and "Giddy Up!". Commercially, the album became her third number one album in the United Kingdom, and entered the top ten in Canada, Switzerland, Australia and the United States.
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