Folk singer Kate McGarrigle dies
Canadian folk and roots music singer Kate McGarrigle, best known for her work with her sister, Anna, as the McGarrigle Sisters, has died at age 63.
McGarrigle, born in Montreal, died Monday night. Cause of death is not yet known.
The mother of musicians Rufus and Martha Wainwright through her previous marriage with American singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III, McGarrigle is a music industry icon in her own right.
The McGarrigle sisters recorded 10 albums in French and English, and their songs have been covered by artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Billy Bragg and Emmylou Harris.
In 1983, McGarrigle was made a member of the Order of Canada.
Reports that McGarrigle was critically ill surfaced over the weekend after her son, Rufus, cancelled his tour of Australia and New Zealand, scheduled to begin in February, to be with her.
McGarrigle and her sister were born in Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, Que., and learned to play piano at the urging of their father. They took lessons from nuns at a nearby convent.
They continued to pursue music despite the reservations of their father, performing in clubs while attending university in Montreal in the 1960s ñ with Kate studying engineering and Anna pursuing painting.
“He would have hated the idea of us becoming professional musicians because he thought professional musicians were bums, people that wandered from town to town,” Anna McGarrigle told The Canadian Press in 2005 after winning a lifetime acheivement award from the ASCAP, the respected American songwriting association.
Debut album warmly received
They debuted with the album Kate & Anna McGarrigle in 1976. It was named album of the year by Melody Maker and the No. 2 record of the year by the New York Times.
Their repertoire includes songs such as:
Heart Like a Wheel.
Goin’ Back to Harlan.
Complainte pour Ste. Catherine.
Love Over and Over.
Heartbeats Accelerating.
Talk to Me of Mendocino.
On My Way to Town.
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