Maria Dunn (musician)

Maria Dunn
Born Scotland
Genres Celtic folk with north american bluegrass and country influences
Occupation(s) Musician
singer-songwriter
Years active Since 1998
Labels Independent

Maria Dunn is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has been described as "an arrestingly powerful singer-songwriter who writes great historical and social commentary."[1] Her music blends Celtic folk with North American bluegrass and country influences.

Early life

Born in Scotland, she moved as a child with her family to Ontario. She has made Edmonton, Alberta her base since the 1990s.[2]

As a child she studied classical piano and she later studied psychology at the University of Alberta. While a student at U of A she started a folk music program on the campus radio which she continued for 12 years. Immersing herself in folk music in this way, she gravitated towards writing her own songs.[3] Her first album, From Where I Stand, was released in 1998 and her appearance at the 2000 Stan Rogers Folk Festival brought her to the attention of an East Coast Canadian audience that embraced her Celtic sound.[4]

Since then she has released five other albums including the Juno nominated For a Song (2002). She appears at folk festivals around the world, often performing with The McDades. In 2003 she appeared at the BBC Scotland "Live From Celtic Connections" in Glasgow, Scotland.[5] In 2008 she commenced a tour of the Netherlands.

She appeared in the 2002 documentary CKUA: Radio Worth Fighting For.[6] Many artists have used her songs such as Niamh Parsons (The Peddler), Bob Bossin (We Were Good People), Aengus Finnan (Orphan Hand), The Outside Track (Poor Lonesome Hen) and others.[5]

Her 2012 album Piece by Piece narrates the story of immigrant textile workers in western Canada, notably at the GWG factory in Edmonton. The songs were written for a multimedia exhibition held at the Royal Alberta Museum in 2009.[7]

Discography

References

  1. "Biography". sonicbids. 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  2. "Maria Dunn". Ballads of a blind man. 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  3. Kerry, Dexter (October 2009). "Maria Dunn – Singer/Storyteller". Dirty Linen (No. 143). Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  4. "Maria Dunn". Festival Distribution Inc. 4 October 2004. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Bio". mariadunn.com. 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  6. "CKUA: Radio Worth Fighting For". Lorna Thomas Productions. 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  7. Royal Alberta Museum
  8. "Maria Dunn: We Were Good People.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)". pub. 22 March 2005. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  9. CBC: Artist Profile, November 2012

External links

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