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Gary Fjellgaard. Singer-songwriter, guitarist, b Rose Valley, near Saskatoon, of Norwegian descent, 14 Aug 1937. He performed intermittently (eg, in 1958 as Gary 'Rock and Roll' Rogers with Evan Kemp and the BC Trailriders) while working in the logging industry near Prince George, BC. Forced by a back injury to quit logging, Fjellgaard turned exclusively to music in 1970. Although his songs and singing style show the influence of contemporary folk music, drawing comparisons to Gordon Lightfoot, his success came largely in the country field, taking him from bars and coffeehouses in Western Canada in the early 1970s to country and folk festivals and concert stages nationally by the late 1980s. He made several appearances 1988 and 1989 in Europe and received the Gram Award (Holland) in 1989 as most promising new international artist.
The 1990s and BeyondThrough the 1990s Fjellgaard continued recording and touring, and signed with Edmonton's Stony Plain Records in 1996. He teamed with fellow singer-songwriter Valdy in 1999, a partnership that proved very popular with audiences throughout Canada and the US; the duo recorded an album in 2000, and perform together frequently. Fjellgaard produced a CD of cowboy songs in 2001 under his own label, Silver Creek Music, and he continues to record and perform. Fjellgaard has appeared at the Big Valley Jamboree, the Merritt Mountain Music Festival, and Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and he has toured with Johnny Cash and Ronnie Prophet. Fjellgaard's influences include Wilf Carter. In addition, he draws from his own country background to write songs that capture the essence and romance of cowboy life. Fjellgaard is an accomplished singer and guitarist, and his skilled yodelling is a popular part of his live performances.
Awards and Recordings
Fjellgaard has won Canadian Country Music Association awards (including song of the year) for the single 'Riding on the Wind' (1985), and for the song 'Heroes' (a hit as recorded by the Mercey Brothers; as best male singer (1989); and for best duo (1989) with Linda Hunt, his partner in the hit 'The Moon Is out to Get Me,' which was also recorded by George Hamilton IV in 1995. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Fjellgaard was the British Columbia Country Music Association's entertainer of the year twice (1990, 1992) and received a Juno Award as country male vocalist of the year (1993). Other popular Fjellgaard singles include 'Caribou to Nashville' (1978), 'Ten Years Old and Barefoot' (1982), 'Finest Dancer' (1983), 'Walk in the Rain Tonight' (1987), 'The Color of Your Collar' (1989), 'Somewhere on the Island' and another duet with Linda (Hunt) Kidder, 'In My Heart' (1990), 'Dance with this Old Cowboy' (1991), and "Drifting Cowboy" (1992).
Author
Revised: Holly Quan
Discography
Me and Martin. (1976). Royalty R2000-24 Ballads and Beer. (1979). Royalty R2000-36 Time and Innocence. (1983). Slim Creek SCR-323/Savannah SRL-9832 No Time to Lose. (1986). Savannah SRL-9826 Heart of a Dream. (1989). Savannah SRL-9833 Winds of October. (1991). Savannah SRL-9837 Believe in Forever. (1994). Savannah SRL-9845 Under Western Skies. (1996) Stony Plain SPCD-1226 The Best of Gary Fjellgaard. (1997). Stony Plain SPCD-1241 Contenders: A Duet with Valdy. (2000). Stony Plain SPCD-1262 Grande Olde Ride. (2001). Silver Creek Music SCM-11
Bibliography
Parker, Pam. 'Gary Fjellgaard: time and innocence,' CMN, vol 4, Jan 1984 Brown, Jim. 'Gary Fjellgaard: no time to lose,' CMN, vol 8, Jun 1987 MacInnis, Craig. 'Singer puts a Canadian face on country,' Toronto Star, 17 Oct 1987 Brown, Jim. 'Gary Fjellgaard: living in the heart of a dream,' CMN, vol 10, Apr 1989 Collins, Dianne. 'A lumberjack's dream,' Music Express, 137, Jun 1989 Chodan, Lucinda. "Gary Fjellgaard's a believer," Country, Apr/May 1994 Delaney, Larry. "Gary Fjellgaard under western skies," CMN, Apr 1996 McKay, Joy. "Valdy & Gary Fjellgaard, Contenders," Rambles, a cultural arts magazine, Dec 2002
Links to Other Sites
Valdy
The website for Valdy, popular Juno award winning folk singer, story-teller and guitarist. Great selection of music clips.
Gary Fjellgaard
The website for Gary Fjellgaard, award winning western roots singer-songwriter.
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