The Jukebox

Here is a selection of samples of my music, which you can listen to as MP3s. If you like what you hear, you can order CDs by clicking here.

from The Roses on Annie's Table

The Roses on Annie's Table

"There are now more humans than any other mammal." Order

Play Sample     Play in External Player

Steamboat Whistle Blues

This song is one of my favourites of John Hartford's songs. I have reworked the lyrics as a tribute to him. "Daddy would have never been a ballplayer, if it hadn't been for you." Order

Play Sample     Play in External Player

Gingerbread

Written by Kim Barlow. I recorded this version with my daughter Maddy on her 12th birthday. My son Davy (then 5) plays Hansel. "We're not lost in these woods, we're exploring." Order

Play Song     Play in External Player

Shirley Ann

"She's got love, like a Jehovah's Witness, bangin' on her door again." Order

Play Song     Play in External Player

Lily

I wrote "Lily" when we found out that Mary Jo was pregnant - at 44. I was 52. Lily turned out to be Davy. Menschen tracht Gott lacht - men plan, God laughs. Order

Play Sample     Play in External Player

Nanaimo

Yes, I have sung "Nanaimo" in Nanaimo. It brought the house down, though some others have taken offense. Funny how that goes. Order

Play Song     Play in External Player

from Gabriola V0R1X0

Ya Wanna Marry Me?

"Ya Wanna Marry Me?" is one of my greatest hits. At least whenever it is played on CBC, I get calls and messages for weeks after asking for copies. Nice. I wrote the song for my own wedding, but if the shoe fits... Order

Play Song     Play in External Player

Sulphur Passage

"Sulphur Passage (No pasaran)" celebrates the 1988 blockade at Sulphur Pass in Clayoquot Sound. By the mid-90s, the song had become an anthem for the Clayoquot protests. Nettie Wild, one of Canada's best documentary filmmakers, made a powerful music video of the piece, which won a half-dozen international awards. The video was used to great effect in the "market" campaign that triggered the end of clear-cutting in Clayoquot. Joining me singing this version (from Gabriola V0R1X0) are Ann Mortifee, Rick Scott, Roy Forbes, Stephen Fearing, Veda Hille, Raffi, Valdy and Jennifer West. The video is also available. For more about the 20-year Clayoquot campaign, see How I saved the world with a song and The Clayoquot Women. Order

Play Sample     Play in External Player

La Chanson Francée

"La Chanson Francée" is, of course, set to Edith Piaf's "La vie en rose". Divishti Rankin of Australia had the idea for the new lyric. I learned her version from Judy Small and then continued to twist it into its present shape. Order

Play Sample     Play in External Player

from The Indispensible Stringband

Show Us the Length

"Show Us the Length" has been sung all over the world and has been performed or recorded by more people than I know. Someone sent me a version of it from a Women's Music Festival - in Japanese. This success is wonderful to me, since the song has received scant airplay - for obvious reasons. SUTL is my take on a true incident that occurred in 1969. This clip is from the original 1974 Stringband recording. Order

Play Song     Play in External Player    Dief Will Be the Chief Again "Dief" was perhaps Stringband's greatest hit, and was certainly one of the first songs to be absolutely, defiantly Canadian, i.e. pretty much incomprehensible to Americans. For more, see Dief and Me. Order Play Song     Play in External Player