Eileen Laverty
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Eileen Laverty

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada | SELF

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada | SELF
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Music

Press


"Press Quotes"

“Laverty’s songwriting shows a great deal of depth, and she has a fine sense of melody......it’s her pure, rich voice that is her calling card.””
- Dirty Linen Magazine (USA)

‘...striking originality’
- Billboard Magazine (USA)

“...she writes heart melting music.”
- Chart Magazine (Canada)

“...this album confirms her as a talent to watch.”
- Sunday Life (N. Ireland)

“She’s blessed with a pure, strong voice, and a sense for translating meaningful ideas into easy melodies and catchy lyrical hooks ...”
- Edmonton Journal (Canada)

“...(her songs) touch deep and true, and she delivers them with heart-melting grace.”
- The Record (Canada)

“With a clear voice and grace on the stage, Laverty charmed festival audiences.”
- The Whitehorse Star (Canada) - Canada, Ireland, USA


Discography

Ground Beneath My Feet (B.R.C.Music 1999)

Dancing with Angels (B.R.C.Music 2006)

- compilations -

All For a Song (CBC Radio Sounds Like Canada compilation 2003) also featuring Ron Hynes, Emm Gryner, David Francey, Irish Decendents

Songs Inspired by Literature (Artists for Literacy 2003) also featuring David Bowie, Steve Earle, Tom Waits, Rosanne Cash

Saskatchewan Centennial No Boundaries (Sask Music 2005 compilation) also featuring Connie Kaldor, Gary Fjellgaard, Heather Bishop, Tom Jackson

NessEssentials 2005: Celebrating the Saskatchewan Centennial (Ness Creek Cultural and Recreational Society, Inc. 2005 compilation) Also featuring Suzie Vinnick, Jason Plumb

Canadian Roots (Vogue Records 2000 compilation) also featuring David Francey, The Ennis Sisters, Ian Tamblyn

Flatland Music 99 (SaskMusic compilation 1999) also featuring Joel Fafard, Bob Evans

- Songs Covered by Other Artists-

"Wildest Dreams" - The Best of Mary Black 1991-2001 SINGLE
"Wildest Dreams" - The Best of Mary Black 1991-2001 CD

"Corinthians" - John McDermott/Cindy Church
Just Plain Folk CD 2005

"Wildest Dreams" - Kettle's On
By the Way CD 2010

"Tread Softly" - Back of the Bus
Occupied CD 2007

- Songs Licensed to Film and Television -

Green Life: Learning to Live with the World (SCN, a six part documentary series) (theme music: "Tread Softly") (2009)

The Middle of Somewhere, with Sean Virgo (Episode 2, "Call of the Wild" 2007) ("Wildest Dreams" featured)

Renegade Press, 2006 ("Tread Softly" featured)

Saskatchewan Centennial Canoe Quest (Documentary, 2005) ("Wildest Dreams" featured)

Photos

Bio

For Eileen Laverty, it all started with one song: “Caledonia.” The Irish-born, Saskatoon-based singer’s rendition of Dougie MacLean’s powerful ballad quickly became a local favourite, and she was encouraged to record the song. “I wanted to record “Caledonia” so I had to write 8 or 9 songs to go with it,” she jokes.

Her debut CD, Dancing with Angels (recorded in her friend’s house during a Prairie winter) won a Prairie Music Award for Outstanding Roots Recording.

The CD immediately opened many more doors. Within the first year, Laverty won the Rawlco Radio Star Songwriting Contest with “Tread Softly”, performed on national television (CBC and MuchMusic), secured a showcase at the International Folk Alliance, and was featured in Billboard Magazine (US). Encouraged by the very positive response to her first release, Laverty left her full-time teaching career to pursue more opportunities in the music industry.

Renowned Irish singer, Mary Black, recorded Laverty’s song, “Wildest Dreams,” which achieved top ten status in several countries around the World. Black also invited Laverty to tour Ireland, a highlight of which was performing in Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, where a large contingent of Laverty's family was in attendance.

Canadian Tenor John McDermott has been very supportive of Eileen’s career, recording her songs and inviting her to share the stage on numerous occasions.

Laverty’s sophomore album, Ground Beneath My Feet, features eight new compositions that testify to Laverty’s considerable songwriting talent, plus contributions from her husband and musical partner Greg Hargarten and a cover of Cheryl Wheeler’s “Summerfly.” All are tied together by what Chart Magazine calls Laverty’s “voice of an angel.” Both albums continue to draw praise at home and abroad. “Laverty’s songwriting shows a great deal of depth, and she has a fine sense of melody... It’s her pure, rich voice that is her calling card.” (Dirty Linen Magazine.)

Although Laverty is best known for delivering heart-rendering ballads, her live show is always an uplifting event. She has performed across Canada and Ireland, sharing the stage with such notables as Kenny Rogers, Tom Cochrane, and Ian Tyson, entertaining all ages with her upbeat messages, strong vocals, and heartfelt lyrics. One CBC Producer writes, “Laverty’s charismatic attitude combined with her soulful sound has her ranked among the elite of Canadian Folk singers.”

Her track record also includes several songwriting accolades and numerous radio and television appearances. Her music is featured in film and television programs, and appears on several compilation CDs celebrating Canadian Folk Music.

Eileen is accompanied by long-time bandmates Jesse Brown (piano keyboard/accordion) and Greg Hargarten (guitars/bouzouki/percussion). Hargarten is an award-winning songwriter and producer who has fronted a number of rock outfits, sharing stages with the likes of Heart, Thornley, and David Wilcox. Jesse Brown is a much-sought after studio session player and performer, and has been involved with numerous musical projects as well as performing with Laverty for over 12 years.

More than a decade later, Caledonia is still on the set list. “There’s rarely a night where we don’t play it. I still love singing that song.”

Eileen is back in the studio this August to record her new CD to be released in 2012.