Maria Dunn (musician)
| Maria Dunn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Scotland |
| Genres | Celtic folk with north american bluegrass and country influences |
| Occupation(s) |
Musician singer-songwriter |
| Years active | Since 1998 |
| Labels | Independent |
Maria Dunn is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has been described as "an arrestingly powerful singer-songwriter who writes great historical and social commentary."[1] Her music blends Celtic folk with North American bluegrass and country influences.
Early life
Born in Scotland, she moved as a child with her family to Ontario. She has made Edmonton, Alberta her base since the 1990s.[2]
As a child she studied classical piano and she later studied psychology at the University of Alberta. While a student at U of A she started a folk music program on the campus radio which she continued for 12 years. Immersing herself in folk music in this way, she gravitated towards writing her own songs.[3] Her first album, From Where I Stand, was released in 1998 and her appearance at the 2000 Stan Rogers Folk Festival brought her to the attention of an East Coast Canadian audience that embraced her Celtic sound.[4]
Since then she has released five other albums including the Juno nominated For a Song (2002). She appears at folk festivals around the world, often performing with The McDades. In 2003 she appeared at the BBC Scotland "Live From Celtic Connections" in Glasgow, Scotland.[5] In 2008 she commenced a tour of the Netherlands.
She appeared in the 2002 documentary CKUA: Radio Worth Fighting For.[6] Many artists have used her songs such as Niamh Parsons (The Peddler), Bob Bossin (We Were Good People), Aengus Finnan (Orphan Hand), The Outside Track (Poor Lonesome Hen) and others.[5]
Her 2012 album Piece by Piece narrates the story of immigrant textile workers in western Canada, notably at the GWG factory in Edmonton. The songs were written for a multimedia exhibition held at the Royal Alberta Museum in 2009.[7]
Discography
- From Where I Stand (1998)
- For A Song (2001) (Juno nomination in the Roots/Traditional Solo category)
- We Were Good People (2004) ("struggles of working class people in Western Canada during the 20th Century"[8])
- The Peddler (2008) (Nominated in 2009 for the Canadian Folk Music Award Solo artist of the Year).
- Piece By Piece (2012)[9]
- Gathering (2016)
References
- ↑ "Biography". sonicbids. 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
- ↑ "Maria Dunn". Ballads of a blind man. 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
- ↑ Kerry, Dexter (October 2009). "Maria Dunn – Singer/Storyteller". Dirty Linen (No. 143). Retrieved 13 November 2009.
- ↑ "Maria Dunn". Festival Distribution Inc. 4 October 2004. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
- 1 2 "Bio". mariadunn.com. 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
- ↑ "CKUA: Radio Worth Fighting For". Lorna Thomas Productions. 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
- ↑ Royal Alberta Museum
- ↑ "Maria Dunn: We Were Good People.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)". pub. 22 March 2005. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
- ↑ CBC: Artist Profile, November 2012