Kate McGarrigle | |
|---|---|
 McGarrigle at the 2008Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame gala | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Catherine Frances McGarrigle (1946-02-06)February 6, 1946 |
| Died | January 18, 2010(2010-01-18) (aged 63) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1970–2009 |
| Website | mcgarrigles |
Kate McGarrigleCM (February 6, 1946[2] – January 18, 2010)[3] was aCanadianfolk music singer-songwriter, who wrote and performed as aduo with her sisterAnna McGarrigle.[4][5]
She is the mother of singersRufus Wainwright andMartha Wainwright from her marriage to American singer-songwriterLoudon Wainwright III, which ended in divorce.[4][6]
Born inMontreal, Quebec,[1] to Irish pianist Francis McGarrigle[7] and French Canadian mother Gabrielle Latrémouille, the three McGarrigle sisters (Jane, Anna, and Kate, the youngest) grew up in the village ofSaint-Sauveur-des-Monts, north of Montreal. Their family was a musical one on both sides, often gathering around the piano and singing, allowing Kate and her sisters to absorb influences as varied asGershwin, French Canadian folk songs,Stephen Foster, and composer-singers such asWade Hemsworth andEdith Piaf. The sisters were formally introduced to music by taking piano lessons from the village nuns.
In the 1960s, Kate and Anna established themselves in Montreal's burgeoning folk scene while they attended school. From 1963 to 1967, they teamed up withJack Nissenson and Peter Weldon to form the folk group, theMountain City Four.
Anna, who is 14 months older than Kate,[8] studied painting at theÉcole des Beaux-Arts de Montréal (now part of theUniversité du Québec à Montréal) in Montreal; McGarrigle studiedengineering atMcGill University.[9] It was at this time that they began writing songs. Although she sang mostly in English, according to Juan Rodriguez, she and Anna "put Québécois folk music...on the global music map in 1980 [sic] withComplainte pour Ste. Catherine,Entre la jeunesse et la sagesse (commonly known as theFrench Record) and 2003'sLa vache qui pleure."[10]
The McGarrigle sisters' life has been chronicled in a book by Anna's husband, Dane Lanken, titledKate and Anna McGarrigle: Songs and Stories.[11]
Place Kate-McGarrigle was inaugurated on August 7, 2013, in Montreal'sOutremont borough. It contains a sculpture byRobert Wilson in the form of a double chair. McGarrigle—a Montreal native—lived nearby before her death.[12]
Her son, Rufus, says he discussed with McGarrigle the offer of his childhood friend, Lorca Cohen, for Rufus to father her child.[13] He says that McGarrigle strongly encouraged him to accept Cohen's offer, and that he regrets she didn't live long enough to see his daughter Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen's birth.
Kate and Anna's 1976 self-titled debut album was chosen byMelody Maker as Best Record of the Year. Their albumsMatapedia (1996) andThe McGarrigle Hour (1998) wonJuno Awards. In 1999, Kate and Anna received Women of Originality awards.[14] In 1993, she was made a Member of theOrder of Canada.[2]
In 2006, Kate and Anna McGarrigle were the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award at theSOCAN Awards.[15]
McGarrigle was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and established the Kate McGarrigle Fund at theMcGill University Health Centre, which she set up in 2008 to raise awareness ofsarcomas, a rare form of cancer that most oftenaffects soft tissues.
She died of a sub-type of sarcoma calledclear-cell sarcoma on January 18, 2010, at age 63, at her home in Montreal.[1] Her sister Anna wrote on their website:
She made her last public appearance, with Rufus and Martha Wainwright, at theRoyal Albert Hall in London, just six weeks before her death. The show raised $55,000 for the Kate McGarrigle Fund.
On June 12, 2010, theMeltdown Festival staged a tribute concert in her honour, organised byRichard Thompson.[17] The concert included performances by her daughter Martha Wainwright, son Rufus Wainwright, sister Anna McGarrigle, ex-husband Loudon Wainwright III,Neil Tennant,Nick Cave,Emmylou Harris, Richard andLinda Thompson,[18] and longtime friends and musical collaborators Chaim Tannenbaum andJoel Zifkin. Her close friend Emmylou Harris wrote the song "Darlin' Kate" in her memory, which appears on her albumHard Bargain.
A "Celebration of Kate McGarrigle" was held on May 12 and 13, 2011, at New York City's Town Hall. Among the participating artists honoring her at these concerts were Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright, Anna McGarrigle, Emmylou Harris,Lisa Hannigan,Norah Jones,Antony Hegarty,Jimmy Fallon, Krystle Warren,Justin Vivian Bond,Teddy Thompson, Jenni Muldaur, writerMichael Ondaatje and longtime friends and McGarrigle sidemen Chaim Tannenbaum andJoel Zifkin.[19] The celebration was curated byJoe Boyd and filmed byLian Lunson.Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You: A Concert for Kate McGarrigle was released in June 2013;Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle served as the film's soundtrack.
The 38-year-old singer/songwriter has revealed how his mother commanded him to take up the offer to become a dad.
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