Canadian singer/songwriter. She has a really beautiful voice, but doesn't just rely on that--excellent instrumentation and percussion in her songs. Her big hit on US radio was "The Mummer's Dance," which has since been overused on about a dozen movie trailers including "Ever After." More personal than Enya, less trippy than Enigma.

Why I haven't heard of this woman before is mind-boggling. Loreena McKennitt has to be one of the busiest women in the music industry. A recording artist that's sold over 10 million copies of her albums while being her manager as well as producing her own music. Not only that, Loreena McKennitt also is the head of her own record label, Quinlan Road, which she founded in 1985, and is the creator of the Cook-Rees Memorial fund for Search and Safety.

Loreena was born in Morden, Manitoba, Canada to a livestock trader and a nurse on February 17, 1957. At an early age her mother showed her highland dancing, as well as other parts of her heritage. She won the DuMaurier Search for Talent in 1978. Shortly after that win, she moved to Stratford, Ontario, where she took place in the Shakespeare Festivals held there. She participated as an actor, singer and compser in The Tempest and The Two Dentlemen of Verona.

In 1998, Loreena was struck with tragedy. Her boyfriend/fiance, Ron Rees and his brother, Rick and a friend, Gregory Cook, were caught in a boating accident in the Georgian Bay. This was the impetus to form the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Search and Safety. The proceeds from Loreena's most recent album, Live In Paris and Toronto, all go to this fund.

Awards:

  • 2 Juno awards
  • 1997 Billboard international achievement award
  • Gold, Platinum or Multi-Platinum in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey.

Movies her music has appeared in:


TV Series in which her music has appeared:



SOURCES:
www.quinlanroad.com/
www.wbr.com/mckennitt/
http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicArtistsM/mckennitt.html

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.