Celebrating the works of Kate McGarrigle
Biographie Celebrating the works of Kate McGarrigle
KATE MCGARRIGLE (1946–2010)
Catherine Frances McGarrigle, peacefully at age 63, at her home in Montréal, surrounded by family and friends, following a three-and-a-half year battle with cancer, borne bravely and fought gallantly, but which nonetheless robbed her of life.
Proud, much loved mother of Rufus Wainwright (Jörn Weisbrodt) and Martha Wainwright (Brad Albetta). Delighted grandmother of Arcangelo Wainwright Albetta (born 16 November 2009). Dear sister of Jane McGarrigle, dear sister and sister-in-law of Anna McGarrigle and Dane Lanken. Cherished and generous aunt of Anna Catherine (Bob McMillan) and Ian Vincent Dow, of Sylvan and Lily Lanken. Niece of Jean- nette Latremouille, Jeanne Latremouille, Earl (“Chicky”) Latremouille, Harold and Eunice Latremouille, Audrey (Latremouille) Tomlinson, and of many McGarrigle and Latremouille uncles and aunts now de- parted. Also mourned by many cousins, by teenage sweetheart Christopher Weldon, by former husband Loudon Wainwright III, by former companion Pat Donaldson, by former brother-in-law David Dow, and by a worldwide circle of devoted friends.
Brainy, well-read, full of obscure information, forever theorizing in politics, mythology, science, mathe- matics, literature, history, human relations. Ambitious, determined, opinionated. Impetuous, adventure- some. Lovely, lively, sweet, quick-witted, charming, beautiful. A delight and a challenge to her family and friends. Outrageous at times, but anything was more fun when Kate was along.
Third of three daughters of Frank McGarrigle and his wife Gabrielle Latremouille. Born in Montréal, raised in the Laurentian village of Saint Sauveur-des-Monts. Schooled at Ecole Marie-Rose in Saint-Sauveur, Town of Mount Royal Catholic High School, McGill University B.Sc. ‘70.
She sprang from two families, the McGarrigles and the Latremouilles, where everybody sang. She learned harmony singing from her father and piano from the village nuns. She taught herself blues guitar, claw hammer banjo and fiddle.
She and her sister Anna were stars on the Montréal folk scene in the 1960s, in Le Trio Canadien and the Mountain City Four. When they turned to songwriting in the 1970s, they wrote songs for the greatest singers of the era, Linda Ronstadt, Maria Muldaur, Judy Collins, Emmylou Harris.
They made recordings that moved and enchanted listeners. They toured the world, played Carnegie Hall seven times, displayed wit, charm, profound musical talent and a Canadian ideal of effortless bilingualism. They sang in French and English whether in Montréal, New York, London or Hong Kong. They won the Order of Canada in 1994, JUNO Awards in 1996 and 1998, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in 2004, Lifetime Achievement Awards from ASCAP in 2005 and SOCAN in 2006.
Kate and Anna appeared on stage together for the last time in a family Christmas concert at Royal Albert Hall, London, 9 December 2009.
Kate loved cross-country skiing, grand opera, Russian novels, cooking Christmas dinner for everyone, and knitting. She loved Stephen Foster songs, the works of Francis Parkman, and Ti-Jean Kérouac. She loved long evenings of singing, talking and arguing. She loved the old McGarrigle place in Saint-Sauveur. She loved her family and her friends. She loved life.
Her last three years were immeasurably brightened by the company of her children, who guided her on an extended grande tournée, hobnobbing in the Hamptons, hitting the beach at Rio, doing the Biennale di Venezia. There was Madame Butterfly on opening night at the Met, Parsifal at Bayreuth, La Favola d’Orfeo at Teatro alla Scala di Milano. She was on the tour bus, too, here with Martha in Ireland, there with Rufus in Spain. She always made an appearance in the shows, and she always got a cheer.
ANNA MCGARRIGLE
is a Canadian songwriter, singer, and was the musical partner of Kate McGarrigle for more than four decades. She is also a visual artist, webmaster, music publisher – not to mention sister, mother, wife, and aunt extraordinaire. She and Kate appeared in concerts all around the world and took part in all manner of artistic projects – more than 10 records, TV shows, radio shows, films, tribute concerts, Christmas shows, musicals, madrigals, magical dinner parties and a soon to be released stamp by Canada Post.
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
is a New York born and Montreal raised singer- songwriter who has released six studio albums as well as two live LPs including his Judy Garland tribute, Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall. His most recent studio album, All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu, featured Rufus’s adaptations of three of Shakespeare’s son- nets set to his own compositions. Rufus’ much acclaimed first opera, “Prima Donna,” premiered at the Manchester International Festival in July 2009 and will make its US debut at the New York City Opera in the Spring of 2012. He is the son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle and brother of Martha Wainwright. Rufus has achieved his success by carving out his own singular sound in the worlds of rock, opera, theatre, dance and film.
MARTHA WAINWRIGHT
is just off her worldwide tour of the last year, promoting her latest album, Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers À Paris: Martha Wainwright’s Piaf Record. This extraordinary and powerful album and show, an homage to the great Edith Piaf, featuring some of her lesser known songs, has been received with glowing reviews and left audiences stunned by Martha’s incredible range and talent. Definitely her parents’ daughter (Loudon Wainwright and Kate McGarrigle), Martha loves the stage and is known as quite the show stopper. Currently, Martha is hard at work on her next studio album and caring for her beautiful 18 month old son with Brad Albetta, Arcangelo.
EMMYLOU HARRIS
has, for over 30 years, moved between genres achieving popularity in pop, folk, country and now alter- native. Discovered in 1971, she’s an admired artist and song connoisseur, but it was with her 2000 album, Red Dirt Girl, for which she was awarded her tenth (out of twelve total to date) Grammy, that she revealed her talents as a songwriter. She has recorded with such diverse artists as Beck, Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, George Jones, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, among many others. Her latest record, Hard Bargain, features a song about Kate called “Darlin’ Kate.”
NORAH JONES
has released 5 albums over her 11-year career. From the multiple Grammy award-winning and diamond certified Come Away With Me to her most recent release ...Featuring – a collection of collaborations with artists as diverse as Ray Charles, Foo Fighters and Ryan Adams. Norah Jones has performed as Little Willies, El Madmo and the Sloppy Joannes. She made her acting debut in acclaimed Chinese director, Wong Kar Wai’s first English language film, “My Blueberry Nights,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007.
JIMMY FALLON
began his TV career with “Saturday Night Live” in 1998, where he quickly became an audience favorite. Known for his spot-on impressions, hilarious sketches and his stint as co-anchor of “Weekend Update” with Tina Fey, Fallon spent 6 successful years on the show. In March of 2009, Fallon returned to NBC and took over the Late Night legacy with “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” The show has continued to garner attention for its viral videos, audience games, A-list guests, and Fallon’s choice of critically acclaimed house-band, The Roots. In addition to “Late Night,” Fallon received rave reviews for his first-ever stint as the host of the 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards. Most notably, he opened the show with a star-studded performance of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.”
ANTONY
is a singer-songwriter, composer, and visual artist, best known as the lead singer of Antony and the John- sons. Antony and the Johnsons have released 4 full length albums to date including a 144 page book of Antony’s artwork, photographs and poetry as a companion piece to the bands latest album Swanlights. Antony is currently writing music for the Robert Wilson directed play “The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic” based on performance artist Marina Abramovic premiering this coming July. Antony and the Johnsons will be performing late this summer in both the UK and Denmark.
JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND
is a singer, songwriter, Tony-nominated performer painter and author. Mx Justin Vivian Bond has been writing, starring in and producing theatrical, cabaret and art events internation- ally for 20 years. In April 2011 Mx Bond released his first full-length solo recording Dendrophile on Whimsy Records. This coming September, The Feminist Press will publish Justin’s novella-length memoir "Tango, My Childhood Back- wards and in High Heels."
TEDDY THOMPSON
is a British folk and rock musician and the son of folk-rock musicians Richard and Linda Thompson. NPR proclaims that he’s “the musical equivalent of an arrow to the heart,” while The New York Times calls his work “beautifully finessed.” In addition to his own 5 albums, he’s played in his father’s touring band and played for and co-produced his mother’s landmark disc Fashionably Late. His fifth studio album, Bella, was released this year and was produced by David Kahne. It showcases Teddy’s lean rock and roll style, featuring lush string arrangements on material that is both catchy and caustic.
KRYSTLE WARREN
is a singer/songwriter/musician from Kansas City, Missouri now based in Paris, France, whose debut album, Circles, was released in 2009. As The Observer put it: “Warren’s talents are extraordi- nary. She has an octave-hopping voice that glides between languid and urgent, and music that hovers between funk, folk and jazz, between Jeff Buckley and Nina Simone...she’s the real deal.”
SLOAN WAINWRIGHT
is a singer/songwriter who came of musical age at 14, about the time her brother Loudon and her sister- in-law Kate gave her a banjo. Sloan’s rich contralto ranges over multiple musical traditions – pop, folk, jazz and blues. She has performed throughout the US for fifteen years, and joined Kate, Rufus and Martha at their Christmas shows at Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert. She is putting the finishing touches on her 8th studio recording, Upside Down & Under My Heart, a 10-song musical exploration of love, loss, and beginning again, that includes the haunting "Today," which she and Kate wrote together in May 2009.
JENNI MULDAUR
comes from a musical family much like the Wainwrights. Her mother, Maria Muldaur, was one of the first artists to record several of Kate’s and Anna’s songs. Her father, Geoff Muldaur is a legendary folk musician who worked often with the McGarrigles. Jenni’s musical and vocal contributions can be heard on the record- ings of a number of artists including John Cale, Eric Clapton, Todd Rundgren, Donald Fagen, Dave Gahan, Courtney Love, Teddy Thompson, Linda Thompson and Rufus Wainwright. Most recently she was featured on Marianne Faithful’s new record. She’s been touring with the likes of Lou Reed, David Byrne and Rufus Wainwright over the last several years. She’s also proud to be a Ronnette whenever Ronnie Spector calls.
JOE BOYD
is an author and record producer who produced the first two Kate and Anna McGarrigle LPs as well as the later McGarrigle Hour for his Hannibal Records label. His book “White Bicycles: making music in the 1960s” covers his early productions of Nick Drake, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention and the Incredible String Band. He has recently been touring with Robyn Hitchcock in Chinese White Bicycles in which he tells tales of the 1960s and Hitchcock sings the songs. In December 2009, he produced the McGarrigle Christmas concert at London’s Albert Hall and in June 2010 produced the first Celebration of Kate McGarrigle at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
MICHAEL ONDAATJE
is a novelist and poet. His works include “Coming through Slaughter”, “The English Patient”, “In the Skin of a Lion”, and “The Collected Works of Billy the Kid.” His new novel, “The Cat’s Table” will be pub- lished this fall. He lives in Toronto.
