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Valdy's Tour
Schedule updated July
4th, 2008 shows
are at 8:00pm unless otherwise noted - "w/ Gary"
means Gary Fjellgaard and myself in concert
together Canso, NS, Weekend, July 4
> 6, Stan Rogers Folk Festival Courtenay, BC, Fri. > Sun.,
July 11 > 13, Vancouver Island MusicFest -
www.islandmusicfest..com Victoria, BC, Thursday, July
17, 6:00pm, Government House Concerts Fort St. James, BC, Fri. >
Sun., July 18 > 20, Cottonwood Music Festival w/
Gary Duncan, BC, Fri. > Sun.,
July 25 > 27, Islands Folk Festival, Providence Farm,
info@folkfest.bc.ca -
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- Haida Gwai, BC, Sat., Aug. 3,
Tlell Fall Fair, w/ Gary, (250) 559-8975 -
doug.louis@hggci.org Tobermory, ON, Wed., Aug. 6,
Crow's Nest Pub (519) 596-2575 Oshawa, ON, Thurs., Aug. 7,
Oshawa Little Theatre, (416) 991-6901 - a return engagement
!! bobbatwell@evolutionentertainment.ca Shelter Valley, ON, Fri., Aug.
8, private function for the Shelter Valley Folk Festival
sponsors Pembroke, ON, Sun.., Aug. 10,
2:00pm, Pembroke Waterfront Festival, (416) 488-6998 -
rickw@rikemmett.com New Glascow, NS, Sat., Aug.
16, private function Coquitlam, BC, Sat. Aug. 23, Evergreen Cultural Centre,
w/ Gary (604) 927-6564 Saltspring Island, BC, Sun., Aug. 24, Tree House
Café Grafton, ON, Fri/Sat.., Aug. 29/30, Shelter Valley Folk
Festival, Brantford, ON, Sun., Aug. 31, 2:00pm, Legion Family
Show Parksville, BC, Fri/Sat/Sun., Sept. 5/6/7, VIMW, the
Vancouver Island Music Workshop, accompaniment guitar and
songwriting. http://www.vancouverislandmusicworkshop.com/ Saltspring Island, BC, Sun., Sept. 13 at 2:00pm or so,
the Saltspring Fall Fair Saltspring Island, BC, Sun., Sept. 13, the After the Fair
Affair at Rainbow Nurseries Regina, SK, Fri., Sept. 19, Autism Awareness Concert Victoria, BC, Sat., Sept. 20, South Park Families
Festival Bermuda, Sat., Oct. 4, the
Bermuda Folk Club Okanagan Valley, BC - October 31 at the Dreaded
Lorenzo's Café, and onward through the week
until November 9th, from Kamloops to Sicamous, and down to
Oliver, a tour to support the George Ryga Centre in
Summerland, BC Way more to come
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--------- Here is my Discography ---------S S s
s CONTENDER TWO: Still in the Running - ( Gary Fjellgaard
and I, live off the floor, with double bass and an enigmatic
percussionist ) COUNTRY MAN - this one, my
first, almost went platinum, selling 97,000 Haida Records Hollywood, California '71/'72
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------------ Here is some Press Kit Stuff ------------
--
some
quotations -- "Few performers are capable of
achieving the kind of energy he generates on stage." - Globe
and Mail ".....name probably
doesn't ring a bell with most Americans, but in Canada this
singer and guitarist is a legend." - Anchorage
Times ".....unquestionably the
most public performer in Canada today, and the most loved."
- Macleans "Valdy is regarded as
one of Canada's most distinctive and successful minstrels."
- Humber Log "Valdy elicited a
genuinely warm standing ovation, the real kind, where the
applause continues long after the encore is assured." -
Winnipeg Free Press -- some
more quotations -- "...judging by last
night's performance, Valdy's musical magic is alive and
well." Beacon Herald "One of the best
evenings of entertainment Confederaion Centre has ever
seen....a man of formidable talents." Charlottetown Evening
Patriot "Valdy remains one of
the country's purest and most credible storytellers."
Toronto Star "He's a master of
country, folk, rock and blues, and the catch is that
whatever the sound, people know that Valdy is sincere."
Saskatoon Star Phoenix "Valdy's show is a
disarming and practical blend of respect for the audience
and show business expertise." Edmonton Journal
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Career
Bits * 14 albums, 22 singles, 4
Gold Records, nearly half a million units sold
worldwide. * 2 Juno awards, 7 Juno
nominations (Country Male Vocalist &
Folksinger). * "Songwriter of the Year" and
CARAS awards in Folk/Bluegrass categories. * Host of "BC Music Project"
music video show, winner of the 1989 Gold Ribbon Talent
Development Award. * TV talk show guest (Open Mic
w/ Mike Bullard Feb.'01, Canada AM Feb.'01) and occasional
guest/host *Twice was a panelist on the
popular Front Page Challenge * CBC simulcast (TV w/ Radio 2
stereo), an hour-long TV special "Folksinger Deluxe with a
Side of Fries". *Lead role on "The
Beachcombers", minor roles in 2 movie features. *Valdy has toured and still
does tour in America, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany,
Holland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Valdy is an
oft-invited performer at the Kerrville Folk Festival in
Texas. *Song writing workshops. Movie
sound tracks, TV and film
scores.
CD producer. Slash
burning.
for
booking information,
or to post a note, click >>
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Valdy, born Valdemar Horsdal
in Ottawa, Canada has been part of the fabric of Canadian
pop and folk music for over 34 years. A man with a thousand
friends, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island to Texas to
New Zealand, he's a singer, guitarist and songwriter who
catches the small but telling moments that make up
life. Remembered for Play Me a Rock
and Roll Song, his bitter-sweet memory of finding himself, a
relaxed and amiable story-teller, facing a rambunctious
audience at the Aldergrove Rock Festival circa 1968, Valdy
has sold almost half a million copies of his 13 albums, has
two Juno Awards (Folk Singer of the Year and Folk
Entertainer of the Year), a total of seven Juno nominations
and four Gold albums to his credit. Valdy's recent CDs include
"Contenders", a collaboration with friend and fellow
singer/songwriter, Gary Fjellgaard, with whom he has an
absolute blast touring, and a solo release, "Viva Valdy:
Live at Last", a two-CD package, one live, one studio, with
a total of 25 tunes, and a lyric booklet. One of Canada's most
influential songwriters, Valdy's composition A Good Song was
recorded under the title Just a Man by the venerable Quincy
Jones ( he sang lead on the recording!). Play Me a Rock and
Roll Song has been recorded by a few artists, including John
Kay of Steppenwolf. Along the way, Valdy has taken
his music to a dozen different countries, from Denmark to
Australia and been an often-invited performer at the
prestigious Kerrville Festival in Texas. His recent
television appearances include Canada AM and Open Mike with
Mike Bullard. Valdy has also been a panelist on Front Page
Challenge, and played a lead role in an episode of The
Beachcombers original series. Today, he is based on Salt
Spring Island, where he lives with his wife Kathleen, two
dogs and two large cats. All three children are now grown,
flown and doing famously living in or near
Vancouver. Visit Valdy on the web at
"http://www.valdy.com". Kathleen
and I at home; am I a lucky man or what?
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"I've been lucky," Valdy
suggests, when asked about his career's longevity. "I've
worked with some amazing people, players, innovative
producers, great songwriters." He pauses, pulls his
whitening beard. "And I married the right woman." Another pause, then "Is that
luck? Or is that moving at God's speed? I mean, it's more
than strategy that puts these folks along my path. Sure I'm
good at what I do, and I'm getting better, I'm paying
attention, and I'm learning, but I've lived a charmed life,
with a daughter, two sons, my sweetie; I am a really lucky
man." ------------------------------------------------------- -
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- "I've been lucky," Valdy
suggests, (born Paul Valdemar Horsdal in September of
1945 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, an inner city kid, mother
Lillian, social worker / psychiatric nurse who ran condoms
into Quebec as a family planning advocate, and Paul Horsdal,
portrait photographer/outdoorsman who became a mentor to
many of Canada's photographers, including Yosef Karsh, who
having asked Paul how he took such great pictures, was told
"I take a lot of pictures," and left with an used Graflex 5
by 7 that Paul received $500 for six months later.
Parliament Hill was nearby, and Valdy's father had Prime
Ministers' and Mayors' portraits on display), when asked
about his career's longevity (38 years of recording and
performing, with tours in Mexico, Spain, Holland, Denmark,
Germany, Poland, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, and
annually Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean from Nunuvit to
Texas). "I've worked with some amazing people,
players, (like Norm MacPherson, session/touring
guitarist with Skylark, Sample Stearns Band, Connie Kaldor;
Jerry Scheff and Ronnie Tutt from Elvis' band; Larry
Carlton; Ben Benay; Nicky Hopkins; Jay Dee Manus; Jim
Keltner; Gerry Adolphe; Kat Hendrikse; Michael Creber; Doug
Edwards; Connie Lebeau; George Koller, session/touring
bassist with Holly Cole, Joe Sealy, Shuffle Demons, Loreena
McKinnett), innovative producers, (like Claire
Lawrence, resulting in 3 of his 4 gold records; Eliot Mazer,
who's worked with Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young; Paul
Rothchild, who's recorded Bonnie Raitt, the Doors; Rob
Bryanton; Bill Henderson; Dan Donahue), great
songwriters." (like Bob Ruzicka, Lynn Miles, Ron Hynes,
Jon Ims, Graham Shaw, Tom Paxton, Mike Williams). He
pauses, pulls his whitening beard. (Valdy will turn 63
on 1/9/08) "And I married the right woman."
(Kathleen Mary Fraser Horsdal, Valdy's creative advisor and
wife of 22 years, sharing a lake front home with him, 3 dogs
and a cat, on Saltspring Island off Canada's west coast,
although they both have their own studio/work spaces ).
Another pause, then "Is
that luck? Or is that moving at God's speed? ("Valdy
elicited a genuinely warm standing ovation, the real kind,
where the audience continues long after the encore is
assured" - Winnipeg Free Press) "I mean, it's more than
strategy that puts these folks along my path." ("Few
performers are capable of achieving the kind of energy Valdy
generates on stage" - Mcleans) "Sure I'm good at what I
do, and I'm getting better, I'm paying attention, and I'm
learning," (two Juno Awards, SOCAN's Song of the Year
Award, four gold records, sixteen CDs/albums/8-tracks),
"but I have lived a charmed life, (200 gigs a year,
fundraising and advocacy for Literacy, president of Acoustic
Connection, producer, wood butcher), with a daughter,
(Chelah Phoebe Horsdal, actor, www.chelah.com),
two sons, (Theo Koumontaros Horsdal, IT buyer for a
major Western Canadian retail chain, and Yani Horsdal
Christie, music-variety promoter with Upstream Entertainment
in Vancouver and Whistler), my sweetie (Kathleen
Horsdal, artist, hospice counsellor, soul-mate); I am a
really lucky man."
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Biography - November 1,
2000 Valdy meet Gary Fjellgaard;
Gary Fjellgaard, this is Valdy. Of course, introductions are
unnecessary - these two guys have known each other far too
long for any kind of formality. Now, with their first album
together, Contenders, on the leading Canadian roots music
record label, Stony Plain, and with a national tour
underway, they make the most logical duo in Canadian
music. Consider, if you will, what
they share. They're both family men. They both live on small
islands off the coast of British Columbia. They are both
singer-songwriters with an eye for memorable tunes and
finely-honed images. They're both road warriors who tour,
and tour, and tour. They are also both committed
Canadians, more particularly, committed Western Canadians.
And their music draws on all the aspects of life in the
west. "Western roots" they call it. It's music that, in
every note, echoes the mountains and the sea, the cowboys
and the fishermen, the oil well roustabouts and the loggers,
the sunsets and the rain, the streak of rugged independence
and contrariness that so many display, and the generosity
and warmth that make Westerners so welcoming to
all. ** -
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- Valdy, born Valdemar Horsdal
in Ottawa, has been part of the fabric of Canadian pop and
folk music for years. A man with a thousand friends, from
Newfoundland to Vancouver Island to Texas to New Zealand,
he's a songwriter who catches the small but telling moments
that make up life. Remembered for Play Me a Rock
and Roll Song, his bitter-sweet memory of finding himself, a
relaxed and amiable story-teller, facing a rambunctious
audience at the Aldergrove Rock Festival circa 1968, Valdy
has sold almost half a million copies of his 16 CDs, albums
and 8-tracks, and has received two Juno Awards (from a total
of seven Juno nominations), and four Gold albums to his
credit. Along the way, he's taken his
music to a dozen different countries, from Denmark to
Australia, been an invited performer for five years in a row
at the prestigious Kerrville Festival in Texas, and even
played a lead role in an episode of The
Beachcombers. Today, he's based on Salt
Spring Island, where he lives with his wife Kathleen, two
dogs and two large cats (the three grown-up "kids" are all
now living in the southern mainland of British
Columbia). ** Gary Fjellgaard has been
described as a "national treasure" and one writer summed up
his music this way: "It is so rich that his art is free of
bitterness, whining, self-pity, and manufactured pathos. He
is the poet of the extravagantly good side of the human
spirit; breathtakingly humane and compassionate." Like Valdy, Fjellgaard came to
the Gulf Islands (he lives with his wife on Gabriola Island)
well into his 25-year career. The island's peaceful calm
(not to mention the view from his living room window) can
make it difficult for him to leave. It is not only a haven
from the road, and a different geography than the one he
knew growing up in Saskatchewan, but a place to write the
sort of songs that lovingly recall the past, take an
affectionate view of the present and look optimistically
into the future. He has a stubborn streak,
which is why he's never changed his Norwegian name so people
who don't know him could spell and pronounce it properly;
now nearly everyone knows it's pronounced Fell-Gard. As a
songwriter, he's a storyteller - and the stories he tells
come from his two decades in the logging industry, his
annual stints as a trail-riding cowboy, and his travels back
and forth across Canada. His reputation has been earned
in the country music field, and if his songs bear little
resemblance to the "hot new country" that fills the airwaves
today, he has had more than his share of successes - and has
a shelf-full of awards to prove it. ** -
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- Together, Valdy and Gary
Fjellgaard are a near-perfect team. The songs they've
written for Contenders touch their common ground with the
familiarity and warmth only old friends can share. They are
both experienced entertainers who know how to earn the
respect of their audiences, and deliver shows, night after
night, that send people home with smiles and the feeling
that they've experienced something special and
heartwarming. The pair are in the midst of a
national tour to support Contenders, and to bring the songs
to audiences across the country. No spotlights. No stacks of
heavy-duty speakers and power amplifiers. No all-star backup
band. Just two guys, two guitars, and two dozen songs or
more that tell where they've been, where they are and where
they're going. A new decade really needs the
old verities more than ever before, and these contenders
prove the point.
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30 Years ago, I played in a trio called Sweet Honey Mead, with Douglas K. Rhodes and Douglas E. Rhodes. We did a weekend at Moby's, our first trio gig in nearly 30 years. Doug the Elder is one of the respected drummers on Saltspring Island, and one of the island's best carpenters as well (accolade). Doug the Younger is playing these days with Victoria's big band, the Belvedere Broadcasters, as well as several jazz configurations on sax, bass, and keyboards; he sings very well, and is restoring and repairing some of the Victoria area's aging and abused pianos. We boogied, and will probably do it again. Moby's was, in this local's opinion, the music bar on Saltspring Island.
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