Garnet Rogers
Garnet has been a fixture on the Fiddle schedule for long time. Billed as his 'Last US Tour,' be sure not to miss this chance to hear from one of Canada's finest performers.
“A brilliant songwriter. One of the major talents of our time.” — The Boston Globe
“The greatest interpreter and vocalist performing in the contemporary folk scene.” — Sing Out
“I have found strength and comfort in his songs. This is good and rich and big music. Welcome one and all. Come on in. Get down.” — Greg Brown
In a darkened bedroom, lit only by the amber glow from an old floor model radio, two young brothers aged 6 and 12 lay in their beds, listening to the country music broadcasts from the Grand Ol’ Opry, and practiced their harmonies. Two years later, the youngest one was playing the definitive 8-year-old’s version of “Desolation Row” on his ukulele. He soon abandoned that instrument to teach himself the flute, violin and guitar.
Within ten years, and barely out of high school, Garnet Rogers was on the road as a full-time working musician with his older brother Stan. Together they formed what has come to be accepted as one of the most influential acts in North American folk music.
Since then, Garnet Rogers has established himself as ‘One of the major talents of our time”. Hailed by the Boston Globe as a “charismatic performer and singer”, Garnet is a man with a powerful physical presence – close to six and a half feet tall – with a voice to match. With his “smooth, dark baritone” (Washington Post) his incredible range, and thoughtful, dramatic phrasing, Garnet is widely considered by fans and critics alike to be one of the finest singers anywhere. His music, like the man himself, is literate, passionate, highly sensitive, and deeply purposeful. Cinematic in detail, his songs “give expression to the unspoken vocabulary of the heart” (Kitchener Waterloo Record). An optimist at heart, Garnet sings extraordinary songs about people who are not obvious heroes and of the small victories of the everyday. As memorable as his songs, his over-the-top humour and lightning-quick wit moves his audience from tears to laughter and back again.
Rogers has been the featured performer on numerous television and radio programs including Much Music, Mountain Stage, and All Things Considered. He has been a headliner at concert venues and festivals such as Wolf Trap, Lincoln Center, and Art Park; sharing the stage with performers such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Billy Bragg, Bill Monroe, Ferron, Greg Brown, and Guy Clark. Though Garnet has enjoyed much popularity over the years, he remains resolutely independent, turning down offers from major labels to ensure that he continues doing music his own way.
“Garnet Rogers is capable of awe-inspiring and unpredictable stuff – and that includes more than just music”
Resolutely independent, Garnet Rogers has turned down offers from major labels to do his music his own way.
“A brilliant songwriter. One of the major talents of our time.” — The Boston Globe
“The greatest interpreter and vocalist performing in the contemporary folk scene.” — Sing Out
“I have found strength and comfort in his songs. This is good and rich and big music. Welcome one and all. Come on in. Get down.” — Greg Brown
In a darkened bedroom, lit only by the amber glow from an old floor model radio, two young brothers aged 6 and 12 lay in their beds, listening to the country music broadcasts from the Grand Ol’ Opry, and practiced their harmonies. Two years later, the youngest one was playing the definitive 8-year-old’s version of “Desolation Row” on his ukulele. He soon abandoned that instrument to teach himself the flute, violin and guitar.
Within ten years, and barely out of high school, Garnet Rogers was on the road as a full-time working musician with his older brother Stan. Together they formed what has come to be accepted as one of the most influential acts in North American folk music.
Since then, Garnet Rogers has established himself as ‘One of the major talents of our time”. Hailed by the Boston Globe as a “charismatic performer and singer”, Garnet is a man with a powerful physical presence – close to six and a half feet tall – with a voice to match. With his “smooth, dark baritone” (Washington Post) his incredible range, and thoughtful, dramatic phrasing, Garnet is widely considered by fans and critics alike to be one of the finest singers anywhere. His music, like the man himself, is literate, passionate, highly sensitive, and deeply purposeful. Cinematic in detail, his songs “give expression to the unspoken vocabulary of the heart” (Kitchener Waterloo Record). An optimist at heart, Garnet sings extraordinary songs about people who are not obvious heroes and of the small victories of the everyday. As memorable as his songs, his over-the-top humour and lightning-quick wit moves his audience from tears to laughter and back again.
Rogers has been the featured performer on numerous television and radio programs including Much Music, Mountain Stage, and All Things Considered. He has been a headliner at concert venues and festivals such as Wolf Trap, Lincoln Center, and Art Park; sharing the stage with performers such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Billy Bragg, Bill Monroe, Ferron, Greg Brown, and Guy Clark. Though Garnet has enjoyed much popularity over the years, he remains resolutely independent, turning down offers from major labels to ensure that he continues doing music his own way.
“Garnet Rogers is capable of awe-inspiring and unpredictable stuff – and that includes more than just music”
Resolutely independent, Garnet Rogers has turned down offers from major labels to do his music his own way.