To book James Keelagahan
Contact:
Jacey Bedford of
Jacey Bedford Tour Management
01484 606230
agency(at)jacey-bedford.com

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Tom Fairbairn looks after:
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James Keelaghan (Canada)

Proud to be a Folkie

Touring in the UK with the trio (James + Hugh McMillan and jaime RT) from from mid June to mid July 2008 and again in September 2009
May have some solo availability in Winter 2008-9 - please enquire.

Soundclip: Cold Missouri Waters, Sing My Heart Home See the video
To hear more James Keelaghan music you can listen on his myspace site

Click in the imageto see the larger version
of the promo postcard

"A singer with fingers of steel, a voice as big as a Mack truck and a way of pulling you into a story that makes you feel the heat of the fire and smell the fear of death in the air." - Chronicle-Herald, Halifax.

When you're in the audience and James Keelaghan comes on to the stage, you get that wonderful relaxing everything's-all-right feeling the instant you hear the first few guitar chords and the warm, sure voice. James is a commanding performer with a rich baritone and faultless guitar style who develops an intimate rapport with his audience through his stories and humour - and then leaves them spellbound with passionate renditions of songs that touch on universal emotions and relate historical songs to the present. He writes story-songs taking a situation or a particular event or a relationship, and weaves a story around it, sometimes true, sometimes not. He's a wordsmith par-excellance. Building on intelligent lyrics with memorable tunes.

Hillcrest Mine

"It is not surprising to learn that James studied history at school. Many of his songs sit well beside those handed down to us by balladeers, bards, griots and story tellers through time who brought us the songs which we now call folk music." - Dugg Simpson, Artistic Director, Vancouver Folk Music Festival.

James & Hugh p hoto by Roger Liptrot
Based in Winnipeg, Canada, James tours worldwide. He's big news in Canada where he's been nominated for five Juno Awards - Canada's prestigious music awards - and won three of them! Besides Canada, he's played around the world in Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and, of course, the USA, but he loves touring in the UK. He's established himself here and his reputation continues to grow.

"Keelaghan's voice is so easy to listen to that the thorns in his lyrics, and the twists he replicates in his covers, can catch the listener unawares." - Pamela Murray Winters , Dirty Linen.

At home he often tours solo, but he likes company on the road and on stage and in the UK he prefers to bring two additional fabulous musicians. In 2008 the James Keelaghan Trio will consist of James' brilliant regular bassist Hugh McMillan (of Spirit of the West fame) and young,dynamic female fiddler from Canada's West Coast, Jaime R.T. who made her UK debut on James' 2007 tour and now also tours the UK in her duo incarnation with Andy Hillhouse (ex Mad Pudding).

"Keelaghan displays a genius for finding his way deep inside big stories, building them outward from palpably intimate moments." - The Boston Globe.

And James picked up his most recent Juno Award nomination for his new traditionally based CD 'Then Again' in 2007.

"A definite contender for Canada's leading acoustic performer: he is one hell of a good songwriter, and as a guitarist his playing is practically faultless. But listen to his voice, a smooth, coffee-rich baritone is the perfect vehicle for songs that are as intelligent and meaningful as anything here on this side." - Time Out, London, England.

Influences

"The influences never stop." says James. Could be the slogan for folk music. But James is answering a question about his own musical background. Who influenced him? How did someone who didn't come from a musical family become a leading international musical figure? "First," he says, "the family loved music and offered appreciation and support." Then there is that influence factor: "My father was a great influence as a story teller, my mother for a sense of humour. I listened to a lot of Irish traditional stuff when I grew up, tempered with Jethro Tull, Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn, Joni Mitchell and Captain Beefheart."

"Liam Clancy for voice and guitar style, the poetry of Yeats. I loved Harry Belafonte - the world's greatest stage performer; and Pete Seeger - a fine balladeer. But influences never stop. I am influenced by David Francey, Oliver Schroer, Hugh McMillan and a host of others now."

Don't forget to throw in the history influence. Keelaghan studied history at the University of Calgary and his passion for it has inspired some of his most celebrated songs.

His debut album, Timelines (1987 Tranquilla Music) was a collection of historically themed ballads. On his ninth album, A Few Simple Verses (2006 Jericho Beach Music), he's coming at history the way a folk singer would, unabashedly paying tribute to songs he loves, many of which his father used to sing, many of which have no definite origin, all of which are part of living history.

Obviously, Keelaghan is not having any trouble 'breaking' out of Canada, He has a devoted following around the world, with star turns at such venues as Denmark's Tonder Festival, the Hong Kong Festival and Australia's Port Fairy Folk Festival. And you just know that with every trip across the water, those influences are percolating. He's one of Canada's greatest songwriters, and he's written songs recorded by the likes of Cry,Cry,Cry. But he can sing too, you know. Like, really sing. In a resonant baritone voice that has been called everything from sweet and smooth, to coffee-rich, to glorious.

Voice and the love of song is what it's about on Keelaghan's latest CD A Few Simple Verses. On this album, James sings other people's songs, longtime favourites of his. "Some I learned when I was very young, songs my dad would sing," he says. "Some are songs that have been important in my musical development, some I chose for emotional reasons. All of them are lyrically superior, melodically appealing."

"And they tell good stories," he adds. It's all part of the Keelaghan's tradition, the vital world of rumour, love, document, and adventure that is folk music.

"Keelaghan's voice is so easy to listen to that the thorns in his lyrics can catch the listeners unawares," said Dirty Linen. With these songs, and that voice, we don't need to worry about the tradition. It is in good hands.

www.keelaghan.com - Download picture - Get biography