Contemporary folk artist James Keelaghan returns to the Empress Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 28 in the latest installment of the Centre Stage Series.
One of the most distinctive voices of the international singer-songwriter community, James Keelaghan, is returning to the Empress Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 28 as part of the Centre Stage Series.
The Juno Award- and Canadian Folk Music Award-winning singer-songwriter has created a repertoire of incalculable importance throughout a career that now spans almost four decades, drawing from 10 solo albums flush with enduring lyrical relevance.
Keelaghan’s lilting baritone voice, driving rhythm guitar, and a sense of scene and narrative result in his ability to bridge traditional folk music with roots revival and Celtic music.
Born in Calgary, Keelaghan is now based in Perth, Ont.
Keelaghan studied history at the University of Calgary and is still an avid reader of historical non-fiction.
Many of his songs are informed by historical events.
Most notably, Small Rebellions highlights the 1931 slaughter of peaceful striking miners in Bienfait, Sask.; Hillcrest Mine is a prelude to the worst coal mining disaster in Canadian history; Kiri’s Piano is a triumph over adversity amidst the shameful, racist treatment of Japanese-Canadians during World War Two; and Cold Missouri Waters is a harrowing portrait of the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire in the mountains of Montana.
At the 1990 Northern Lights Festival Boreal, Keelaghan and Calgary guitarist Oscar Lopez participated in a collaborative workshop exploring the fusion of Celtic and Latin music.
The duo later collaborated on two albums, Compadres and Buddy Where You Been?, further exploring that theme.
Keelaghan won the Juno Award for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year for My Skies in 1994 and was nominated for the 2024 Juno for Best Traditional Roots Album for Second Hand, his most recent album.
Since 2011, Keelaghan has been the artistic director of the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival in Owen Sound, Ont. and since 2018 he has been the artistic director at the Stewart Park Festival in Perth.
Tickets to see James Keelaghan are available at www.macleodempress.com, by calling 403-553-4404 or at the Box Office on Main Street.
All Empress Theatre concerts sponsored by Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
Up-coming Centre Stage Series concerts are as follows:
- • Kyle McKearney — Jan. 25, 2025.
- • Catherine MacLellan — Feb. 6, 2025.
- • BTU (Bentall Taylor Ulrich) — March 8, 2025.
