Biography
Bob Louisell descended from French Canadian and Irish immigrants on his father’s side and Jewish Lituanians on his mother's side. He grew up in Duluth, Minnesota on Lake Superior. He resides in the Minneapolis area. He has also lived in El Paso, Texas; Grand Forks, North Dakota; Urbana, Illinois; and Richmond, Virginia. For the past 35 years, has performed for outdoor concert venues. coffee houses, pubs, and folk radio shows. His musical sources range from artists like Stan Rogers and Jimmy McCarthy to John Prine, John Denver, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Bob Dylan. He also does many traditional Celtic and American songs. Bob’s version of City of New Orleans is better than the train ride! For 33 years, Bob was an elementary teacher and a professor of education. He booked concerts, radio shows, and gigs during his vacations. His music was a respite from his busy and challenging work. At 57 years of age, he is now retired and ready to share his musical talents more frequently. During his spare time, he spends time outdoors, hiking with his white labrador, Denver, in northern woods and lakes. His wife, Marie, is also descended from French Canadians. They have two grown daughters, and
Sarah Louisell is one of them. Her voice is currently taking Minneapolis by storm! If you think Judy Collins cut the definitive version of Wild Mountain Thyme, then you haven’t heard Sarah’s version on From Across the Years: A Collection, a CD recently produced by Bob Louisell (To hear Sarah Louisell's recording of this song, go to the Sonicbids Audio Files provided with this EPK). Her musical interests include folk, country, bluegrass, and jazz. She also writes and performs her original songs. She has sung with Renaissance Chorales and other choral groups. Sarah speaks French and English fluently and she sings in three languages. Bob and Sarah have recently begun performing together. Their mix of harmonies is a lovely thing to hear--especially in their versions of Cool Water, The Dutchman, Turning Towards the Morning, and Down To the River to Pray. Their most recent gig was at the Lake Harriet bandshell in Minneapolis for a crowd of over 300.
Instrumentation
Bob Louisell: Vocals, Guitar
Sarah Louisell: Vocals, Guitar, Tin Whistle
Discography
CD available at CDBaby (www.cdbaby.com); individual tunes available at most digital downloading sites, including itunes.
The Dutchman (Michael Smith)
Fiddler's Green (Traditional)
Cool Water (Bob Nolan)
City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman) ''''''
Mr. Bojangles (Jerry Jeff Walker)
No Frontiers (Jimmy McCarthy)
Forty-Fiver Years (Stan Rogers)
Vincent (Starry Starry Night-Don McClean)
Rocky Mountain High (John Denver & Mike Taylor)
Turning Towards the Morning (Gordon Bok)
Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door (Bob Dylan)
One Red Rose (John Prine)
Shifting, Whispering Sands (V.C. Gilbert & Mary M. Hadler)
Minnesota Lullaby (Bob Louisell)
Wild Mountain Thyme (tune, traditoinal Scottish; words by Francis McPeake)
Links
| http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/louisell |