Her voice is as big as a prairie sky — a fitting metaphor for a lot of reasons, but mostly because Connie Kaldor was born and raised in Saskatchewan. Though she’s lived in a number of places in Canada — the last 20 years or so in Quebec — Kaldor remains in her heart, and often in her music, a Prairie girl.
Kaldor could have just as easily had a career in theatre, which is how she started out, but early on, music won out. She started out in 1979 with little more than her voice and her guitar — plus a wicked sense of humour — at a time when female solo artists were few and far between on the folk circuit. Now, after more than 30 years performing at major festivals, small and large venues in Canada and the States, India, China and Europe, Kaldor is considered folk royalty.
In 1980, Kaldor started her own record label, now called Coyote Entertainment. Since then, she has recorded 15 albums, two of them Juno-winning children's albums.
Who could forget A Duck in New York City?
More recently, Kaldor produced and hosted her own TV show, called Wood River. She was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee medal and the Order of Canada. And, as often happens, in the mid-2000s Kaldor returned to her theatre roots to create a number of projects, including a musical called Dust and Dreams based on those deep Prairie roots.
Whatever she does, Kaldor always delivers. She certainly does in this instalment of My Playlist.
http://music.cbc.ca/play/Inside-the-Music/My-Playlist-with-Connie-KaldorListen to Inside the Music by clicking the play button and via radio on Sunday at 3 p.m. (3:30 NT) and Radio One on Sunday at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT).
Connie Kaldor's playlist
"Respect," Aretha Franklin
"Shame on the Moon," Rodney Crowell
"Talk to me of Mendocino," the McGarrigles
"Partita No. 3," James Ehnes
"Small of my Heart," Madison Violet
"Sorry about Jesus," Susan Werner
"Powerful Love," David Sereda
"Entre Nosotros," Inti-Illimani
"Nothing Like Lonesome," Roy Forbes
"J'ai fait un reve," Hart-Rouge
Related:
Connie Kaldor on CBC Music
Connie Kaldor's song sails past expectations
posted by
Carole Warren
on Feb 20, 2013