Wade Hemsworth
| Wade Hemsworth | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Albert Wade Hemsworth |
| Born |
23 October 1916 Brantford, Ontario, Canada |
| Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | 19 January 2002 (aged 85) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Genres | Folk music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Associated acts |
Mountain City Four Kate and Anna McGarrigle |
Albert Wade Hemsworth (23 October 1916 – 19 January 2002) was a Canadian folk singer and songwriter. Although he was not a prolific composer, having written only about 20 songs during his entire career, several of his songs — most notably "The Wild Goose", "The Black Fly Song" and "The Log Driver's Waltz" — are among the most enduring classics in the history of Canadian folk music.
Hemsworth was born and grew up in Brantford, Ontario, Canada and learned to play guitar and banjo in his youth. He subsequently studied painting at the Ontario College of Art, graduating in 1939, and then spent World War II serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was stationed for a time in Newfoundland, and it was there that he first discovered traditional music.
After the war, he worked as a surveyor in the wilderness areas of Northern Ontario, Quebec and Labrador, the job which provided Hemsworth with the subject matter for many of his songs. He subsequently moved to Montreal in 1952, where he worked as a draftsman for the Canadian National Railway, and performed in the city's folk music clubs at night.
He recorded his first album, Folk Songs of the Canadian North Woods, in 1956. That album included both original compositions by Hemsworth and traditional songs he had learned in his various jobs.
In the early 1960s, most of Hemsworth's songs were being sung by the Mountain City Four, a now legendary folk ensemble that included the teenaged Kate and Anna McGarrigle. The band's rendition of "The Log Driver's Waltz", with the McGarrigles on vocals, became famous as the soundtrack of an animated short film by the National Film Board in 1979. Hemsworth himself also sometimes performed with the group, although he was not a regular member. The McGarrigles continued to perform Hemsworth's songs after branching out as a duo, including a cover of "Foolish You" on their 1975 album Kate and Anna McGarrigle.
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