Kate McGarrigle

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See also: Anna McGarrigle and Kate & Anna McGarrigle

Kate McGarrigle
CM
McGarrigle at the 2008 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame gala
McGarrigle at the 2008 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame gala
Background information
Birth nameCatherine Frances McGarrigle
Born(1946-02-06)February 6, 1946
Montreal,[1] Quebec, Canada
DiedJanuary 18, 2010(2010-01-18) (aged 63)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
GenresFolk
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)
Years active1970–2009
Websitemcgarrigles.com

Kate McGarrigle CM (February 6, 1946[2] – January 18, 2010)[3] was a Canadian folk music singer-songwriter, who wrote and performed as a duo with her sister Anna McGarrigle.[4][5]

She is the mother of singers Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright from her marriage to American singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III, which ended in divorce.[4][6]

Early life[edit]

Born in Montreal, 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 of Saint-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 as Gershwin, French Canadian folk songs, Stephen Foster, and composer-singers such as Wade Hemsworth and Edith Piaf. The sisters were formally introduced to music by taking piano lessons from the village nuns.

Career[edit]

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 with Jack Nissenson and Peter Weldon to form the folk group, the Mountain City Four.

Anna, who is 14 months older than Kate,[8] studied painting at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal (now part of the Université du Québec à Montréal) in Montreal; McGarrigle studied engineering at McGill 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] with Complainte pour Ste. Catherine, Entre la jeunesse et la sagesse (commonly known as the French Record) and 2003's La vache qui pleure."[10]

The McGarrigle sisters' life has been chronicled in a book by Anna's husband, Dane Lanken, titled Kate and Anna McGarrigle: Songs and Stories.[11]

Place Kate-McGarrigle was inaugurated on August 7, 2013 in Montreal's Outremont borough. It contains a sculpture by Robert 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.

Awards[edit]

Kate and Anna's 1976 self-titled debut album was chosen by Melody Maker as Best Record of the Year. Their albums Matapedia (1996) and The McGarrigle Hour (1998) won Juno Awards. In 1999 Kate and Anna received Women of Originality awards.[14] In 1993 she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.[2]

In 2006 Kate and Anna McGarrigle were the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the SOCAN Awards.[15]

Death[edit]

McGarrigle was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and established the Kate McGarrigle Fund at the McGill University Health Centre, which she set up in 2008 to raise awareness of sarcoma, a rare cancer that affects connective tissue such as bone, muscle, nerves and cartilage.

She died of clear-cell sarcoma on January 18, 2010, aged 63 at her home in Montreal.[1] Her sister Anna wrote on their website:

"Sadly our sweet Kate had to leave us last night. She departed in a haze of song and love surrounded by family and good friends. She is irreplaceable and we are broken-hearted. Til we meet again dear sister."[16]

She made her last public appearance, with Rufus and Martha Wainwright, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, just six weeks before her death. The show raised $55,000 for the Kate McGarrigle Fund.

On June 12, 2010, the Meltdown Festival staged a tribute concert in her honour, organised by Richard 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 and Linda Thompson,[18] and longtime friends and musical collaborators Chaim Tannenbaum and Joel Zifkin. Her close friend Emmylou Harris wrote the song "Darlin' Kate" in her memory, which appears on her album Hard 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, writer Michael Ondaatje and longtime friends and McGarrigle sidemen Chaim Tannenbaum and Joel Zifkin.[19] The celebration was curated by Joe Boyd and filmed by Lian 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.

Discography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Obituary for Kate McGarrigle". Wtopnews.com. January 19, 2010. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Order of Canada award". Archive.gg.ca. April 30, 2009. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  3. ^ Obituary at CBC News Archived December 18, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, January 19, 2010
  4. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (April 19, 1998). "Rufus, Son of Loudon, and His Take on Love – Biography". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  5. ^ Russell, Tony (January 19, 2010). "Kate McGarrigle obituary". The Guardian. London, England. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  6. ^ "Relative Values: Kate McGarrigle and Rufus Wainwright". The Sunday Times. London, United Kingdom. October 17, 2004. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  7. ^ "Kate McGarrigle". Telegraph.co.uk. January 19, 2010. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  8. ^ Anna was born Anna Ruth on December 4, 1944. Source: gardencourt.wordpress.com Archived January 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine (family site of the McGarrigles).
  9. ^ Robert Everett-Green. "Goodbye sweet harmony" Archived January 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. The Globe and Mail, January 19, 2010.
  10. ^ Rodriguez, Juan, 2010, "She Leaves a Musical and Familial Legacy," National Post January 20, 2010, p. B3
  11. ^ Lanken, Dane (2007). Kate and Anna McGarrigle : Songs and Stories. Toronto: Penumbra Press. ISBN 978-1-897323-03-8.
  12. ^ Wyatt, Nelson. "Kate McGarrigle honoured in Montreal". globalnews.ca. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  13. ^ Paul English (April 20, 2012). "Rufus Wainwright fulfils mother's dying wish by having a child with Lorca Cohen". Daily Record. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016. The 38-year-old singer/songwriter has revealed how his mother commanded him to take up the offer to become a dad.
  14. ^ Betty Nygaard King. "Kate and Anna McGarrigle". Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  15. ^ "2006 SOCAN AWARDS - SOCAN". ocan.ca. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  16. ^ "Kate McGarrigle 1946 – 2010". McGarrigles.com. January 19, 2010. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
  17. ^ Williams, Holly (June 16, 2010). "A Celebration of Kate McGarrigle, Royal Festival Hall". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  18. ^ Denselow, Robin (June 14, 2010). "A Celebration of Kate McGarrigle". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  19. ^ Pareles, Jon (May 15, 2011). "Her Folksy Parlor, Crowded With Family and Friends". New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on June 5, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.

External links[edit]

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