Singer. Songwriter. Music Educator. Choir director. I am especially passionate about music that gets ordinary people singing along.
Overseas/International
Faith Nolan
Faith Nolan singer/songwriter, plays guitar, harp, banjo, ukelele- songs focus on social justice , kids music, LGBTQI- Enviornment-anti racism, anti-capitalism-ani-sexism, anti-homophobia- pro peace , love and joy Heritage – Black-Mi’kmaq-Irish , born in Nova Scotia -have recorded 16 CD’s, original many world languages used in lyrics and lots of blues folk jazz, reggae
FAITH NOLAN
Primary Song Genres:
Culture (language, religion, ethnicity, etc.):
John McCutcheon
For fifty years John McCutcheon has been a stalwart of the American folk music scene, a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, storyteller, author, activist, union man. He was introduced to folk music as an 11-year-old watching the March on Washington on television. The wedding of art and activism captured him then and he’s spent the many years since exploring that union.
Besides being considered one of the world masters of the hammer dulcimer, John also plays guitar, banjo, fiddle, autoharp, piano, Jew’s harp, mountain dulcimer, and a host of other instruments he’s wise enough not to play in public. His songwriting has been internationally praised, his classic “Christmas in the Trenches” was mentioned as one of the One Hundred Essential Folksongs by Folk Alley.
He has toured internationally for decades with a unique blend of storytelling and music. “Folk music’s rustic renaissance man” is how the Washington Post described him. “Calling John McCutcheon a folksinger is like saying Deion Sanders is just a football player,” heralded the Dallas Morning News. But perhaps the most insightful description comes from John’s mentor and friend, Pete Seeger, “John McCutcheon is not only one of the best musicians in the USA, but also a great singer, songwriter, and song leader. And not just incidentally, he is committed to helping hard-working people everywhere to organize and push this world in a better direction.”
A lifelong unionist, he is one of the co-founders of Local 1000 and served as president 1997-2012. He currently serves as the chair of the Fair Trade Music committee and also is on the executive board of the Atlanta Musicians Union (AFM 148-462).
He is the recipient of the Joe Hill Award from the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Utah Phillips Lifetime Service to Labor Award from Local 1000.
Arthur McGregor
Arthur performs with The Celtic Rathskallions, a children’s musical theatre, Moore & McGregor, ( recording ‘Dream With Me’ ) a duo with my wife, Wendy, and McGregor and Lindsay with Graham Lindsay along with solo shows with a mix of my songs and others. I ran the Ottawa Folklore Centre for 34 years, and I’m currently the Canadian Vice-president of Local 1000. I’ve played and worked in folk music all my life…so far!
Tom Neilson
Donna Nestler
Chris Koldewey
Mainly focusing on Folk Music; he sings, plays guitar, concertina, banjo, fiddle, mandolin. Music of the sea, the land, work, and play, Chris loves to sing, and play with people from all around, in the first “do-it-yourself” music: folk!
Traditional – Singer of songs with a strong historic base. Composed long ago, by those whose names may be long since forgotten, but whose ideas are still relevant today.
Contemporary – Singer of songs that, although written today speak with a voice of timelessness.
Of The People – Singer of songs that “folks” can make their own, and carry on.
Nadine Landry
BIll Garrett
Bill Garrett is a musician, producer and occasional songwriter. Involved in folk music for decades, he has performed internationally, recorded several albums both solo, and with partner Sue Lothrop and has produced some 65 albums for other artists. Until its sale in 2021 He was a partner in Borealis Records. He has sat on the boards of Folk Alliance International, the Canadian Folk Music Awards and Folk Music Canada. He is a proud recipient of Folk Music Ontario’s Estelle Klein Award with whom he had the privilege of working on the Mariposa Folk Festival. Prior to Borealis he worked for several years as a music and program producer at CBC Radio. He currently stays busy in the studio producing other artists including James Keelaghan, Mamas Broke, Shelley Posen and The Durham County Poets. When not producing others he performs and records with his wife Sue Lothrop.
Dave Hawkins
Dave has been touring, recording and performing for 40+ years.
When not on the road Dave lives in Galloway Ohio spending time with his kids and grandkids.
He’s a former Executive Board Member of Local 1000 and Solidarity Committee Chair. Dave became a Local 1000 Pensioner in 2023!
Valdy, aka Paul-Valdemar Horsdal
Valdy is a troubadour, a travelling folksinger, still digging it immenely after more than fifty years on the road; he says he is still learning and curious. More data is available from his website: www.valdy.com
Valdy has played for 60,000 (Rick Hansen’s Homecoming) and for 60 (house concerts); the skill he has developed as a guitarist is becoming legendary, and his voice seems to be getting better with the years, something that working 200 gigs a year can do.
Valdy has a long history of festival performances, has taught songwriting at many camps, and encourages participation of audiences in a gentle yet effective manner.
He’s the real deal: an advocate, an artist and a motivator for positive change., and he’s an experienced entertainer. Please contact his agent, Charlie Jacklin at Lunar Productions (charlie@lunarproductions.ca), or contact Valdy through Local 1000 and local 247, as he maintains membership in both.
Chris Jones
Singer/songwriter and leader of the original bluegrass and Americana band Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, based in both Canada and the U.S., recording for Mountain Home records. He and the band have scored 24 #1 songs on the bluegrass charts and have won 11 IBMA awards. Chris is a widely heard and award-winning SiriusXM program host.