Canadian folksinger Willie P. Bennett dies
Canadian folksinger Willie P. Bennett has died at his home in Peterborough, Ont.
Bennett’s official website confirmed on Sunday that the Juno Award-winning singer passed away peacefully at age 56 on Friday.
No cause of death has been given, but Bennett suffered a heart attack last year.
Bennett nabbed a Juno for Best Solo Roots and Traditional Album for 1998’s Heartstrings, his first solo recording in nine years.
Many well-known musicians collaborated on the album. They included Bruce Cockburn, Melanie Doane, Stephen Fearing and members of Prairie Oyster.
Born in Toronto on Oct. 26, 1951, Bennett emerged on the folk scene as a songwriter and performer in the late 1960s at Rochdale College.
He played at universities, clubs and coffee houses throughout southern Ontario in the 1970s and 1980s.
Bennett’s song, White Line, was recorded in 1973 by singer David Wiffen and in later years was covered by other artists, such as Jonathan Edwards and Pure Prairie League.
Bennett also co-wrote the song Goodbye, So Long, Hello with Russell deCarle of Prairie Oyster. It was named the 1990 Canadian Country Music Association’s Song of the Year.
His contributions to Canada’s folk scene were highlighted in 1996 when Fearing, Colin Linden and Tom Wilson formed Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, a group named after Bennett’s 1978 album.
They recorded a tribute album to Bennett, using 14 of his songs.
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