Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010) and Anna McGarrigle (born December 4, 1944) were a duo of folk rock and country folk Canadian singer-songwriters (and sisters) from Quebec, who performed together until Kate's death in 2010.

Music career

In the 1960s, in Montreal, while Kate was studying chemical engineering at McGill University and Anna art at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal, they began performing in public and writing their own songs. From 1963 to 1967, they teamed up with Jack Nissenson and Peter Weldon to form the folk group Mountain City Four.

Their songs have been covered by a variety of artists including Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris,

also as the <u>release date</u>,

but several reliable sources in books and newspaper articles, both in the US and the UK, indicate or cite '1976' and 'January 1976' as the release date. and created nine more albums through 2008.

They grew up in Saint-Sauveur, where they learned piano from nuns. In 1971, Kate married the singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. Their children, Rufus and Martha, are also both singers. The two divorced in 1976. Kate McGarrigle died in 2010, aged 63, of sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

Anna McGarrigle was married to Canadian journalist and author Dane Lanken until his death on March 3, 2023. The couple had two children, Lily Lanken and Sylvan Lanken, and lived in North Glengarry, Ontario, just west of the Quebec border. Dane appeared as a vocalist on several of the sisters' albums and in 2007 wrote their career biography. Their sister Jane (1941–2025), was a film and television composer who acted as business manager for Kate and Anna, and also wrote and performed several songs with the duo. On November 22, 2006, they received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2006 SOCAN Awards in Toronto.

They received the 2010 Mojo Roots Award, which was presented by Emmylou Harris. The award was accepted by Anna together with Kate's children Rufus and Martha Wainwright, as Kate had died early that year on January 18.

Discography

Albums

  • Kate & Anna McGarrigle (1976) – Sweden No. 27
  • Dancer with Bruised Knees (1977) – U.K. No. 35, Canada No. 43
  • Pronto Monto (1978)
  • Entre la jeunesse et la sagesse (1980) – also known by the title French Record
  • Love Over and Over (1982)
  • Heartbeats Accelerating (1990) – Canada No. 61
  • Matapédia (1996) – Canada No. 49; winner of 1997 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Group)
  • The McGarrigle Hour (1998) – winner of 1999 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Group)
  • La vache qui pleure (2003)
  • The McGarrigle Christmas Hour (2005)
  • ODDiTTiES (2010)
  • Tell My Sister (2011)
  • Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle (2013)
  • Toronto May '82 (unofficial) (2016)
  • Tant Le Monde: Live in Bremen, Germany, 2005 (2022)

With other artists

  • Album II by Loudon Wainwright (1971), Kate McGarrigle – vocals on "Old Paint"
  • Attempted Mustache by Loudon Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle – banjo and vocals
  • Waitress in a Donut Shop by Maria Muldaur (1974) – "Cool River", "Travelin' Shoes (Kate only)"
  • Prisoner in Disguise by Linda Ronstadt (1975) – "You Tell Me That I'm Falling Down"
  • Bluebird by Emmylou Harris (1989) – "Love Is"
  • Songs of the Civil War (1991) – "Was My Brother in the Battle?", "Better Times Are Coming", "Hard Times Come Again No More"
  • The Bells of Dublin (1991) – "Il Est Né/Ca Berger" with The Chieftains
  • 'Til Their Eyes Shine (The Lullaby Album) (1992) – "Lullaby For A Doll"
  • History by Loudon Wainwright, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, vocals.
  • Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris (1995) – "Going Back To Harlan", "Waltz Across Texas Tonight"
  • Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show (1987) – appeared as themselves on the episode "Sibling Rivalry".
  • Blackfly (1991) – back up vocals on a Wade Hemsworth performance of the song featured in the animated film by Christopher Hinton.
  • Before Tomorrow (Le Jour avant le lendemain) (2008) – a Canadian drama film, adapted from the novel Før morgendagen by Danish writer Jørn Riel.

Bibliography

Notes

References

  • Kate and Anna McGarrigle official web site
  • Kate and Anna McGarrigle at Encyclopedia of Music in Canada
  • Documentary film
  • Lanken, Dane (2007). Kate and Anna McGarrigle: Songs and Stories . Manotick, Ontario: Penumbra Press.