Kate & Anna McGarrigle

Kate & Anna McGarrigle

Company type	Musical duo
Industry	Music
Founded	1975 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Founder	Kate McGarrigle, Anna McGarrigle
Defunct	2010
Headquarters	Montreal , Canada
Area served	Canada, international
Products	Albums, live performances
Number of employees	2 (duo)
Website	www.mcgarrigles.ca

Music career

During the 1960s in Montreal, Kate pursued chemical engineering at McGill University while Anna studied art at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal. It was during this period that they began composing and performing music together. Between 1963 and 1967, they joined forces with Jack Nissenson and Peter Weldon to create the folk ensemble Mountain City Four.

Their compositions attracted attention from notable musicians such as Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and Judy Collins, which ultimately led to their initial recording deal in 1974. Their first album, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, was released in 1976, followed by nine additional albums up until 2008.

Although primarily associated with Quebec’s anglophone population, the sisters frequently recorded songs in French. Notably, two of their albums, Entre la jeunesse et la sagesse and La vache qui pleure, feature exclusively French-language tracks.

Their rendition of Wade Hemsworth's "The Log Driver's Waltz" gained prominence as the soundtrack for a 1979 National Film Board animated short directed by John Weldon. Additionally, they contributed backing vocals to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ 2001 release No More Shall We Part.

Continuing their creative endeavors well into the new millennium, the duo collaborated with musicians including Gerry Conway, Pat Donaldson, Ken Pearson, Michel Pépin, Chaim Tannenbaum, and Joel Zifkin on various projects.

Personal lives

Anna and Kate McGarrigle were born in Montreal to Frank McGarrigle and Gabrielle Latrémouille, who nurtured a strong musical environment alongside their elder sister Jane. Growing up in Saint-Sauveur, both sisters received early piano training. In 1971, Kate wed singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III, and their children, Rufus and Martha, followed in their footsteps as musicians. Kate passed away in 2010 due to sarcoma.

Anna was married to Canadian journalist and author Dane Lanken until his death in 2023. The couple had two children and resided in North Glengarry, Ontario. Dane lent his voice to several recordings and penned their career biography published in 2007. Their sister Jane (1941–2025) oversaw the business aspects of Kate and Anna’s careers while also composing and performing alongside them.

Honours and awards

In 1993, the McGarrigle sisters were named Members of the Order of Canada, and later received the prestigious Governor General's Performing Arts Award in 2004. They were honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2006 SOCAN Awards held in Toronto.

Following Kate’s death in 2010, they were presented with the Mojo Roots Award, handed over by Emmylou Harris. Anna accepted this accolade together with Kate’s children Rufus and Martha.

Albums

• Kate & Anna McGarrigle (1976) – Sweden #27
• Dancer with Bruised Knees (1977) – U.K. #35, Canada #43
• Pronto Monto (1978)
• Entre la jeunesse et la sagesse (1980) – also known as French Record
• Love Over and Over (1982)
• Heartbeats Accelerating (1990) – Canada #61
• Matapédia (1996) – Canada #49; recipient of the 1997 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Group
• The McGarrigle Hour (1998) – awarded the 1999 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Group
• La vache qui pleure (2003)
• The McGarrigle Christmas Hour (2005)
• ODDiTTiES (2010)
• Tell My Sister (2011)
• Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle (2013)
• Toronto May '82 (unofficial) (2016)
• Tant Le Monde: Live in Bremen, Germany, 2005 (2022)

Collaborations with Other Musicians

• Album II (1971) by Loudon Wainwright, featuring Kate McGarrigle on vocals for "Old Paint"
• Attempted Mustache by Loudon Wainwright, with Kate McGarrigle contributing banjo and vocals
• Waitress in a Donut Shop (1974) by Maria Muldaur – Kate provides vocals on "Cool River" and "Travelin' Shoes"
• Prisoner in Disguise (1975) by Linda Ronstadt – includes "You Tell Me That I'm Falling Down"
• Unrequited featuring Loudon Wainwright alongside Kate and Anna McGarrigle on vocals
• Sunnyvista (1979) by Richard and Linda Thompson – tracks include "You're Gonna Need Somebody," "Sisters," and "Traces of My Love"
• Bluebird (1989) by Emmylou Harris – contains the song "Love Is"
• Songs of the Civil War (1991) – features "Was My Brother in the Battle?", "Better Times Are Coming," and "Hard Times Come Again No More"
• The Bells of Dublin (1991) – includes "Il Est Né/Ca Berger" performed with The Chieftains
• 'Til Their Eyes Shine (The Lullaby Album) (1992) – track "Lullaby For A Doll"
• History with Loudon Wainwright, Kate & Anna McGarrigle providing vocals
• Wrecking Ball (1995) by Emmylou Harris – songs "Going Back To Harlan" and "Waltz Across Texas Tonight"
• Live at the World Cafe: Volume 9 (1999) – includes "DJ Serenade"
• Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions (1999) by Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt – tracks: "All I Left Behind You," "1917," and "Sisters of Mercy"
• Red Dirt Girl (2000) by Emmylou Harris – Kate appears instrumentally on "J'Ai Fait Tout" and provides vocals on "Boy From Tupelo"
• No More Shall We Part (2001) by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
• Stumble into Grace (2003) by Emmylou Harris – features Kate on "I Will Dream," "Little Bird," "O Evangeline," and "Cup of Kindness"
• Martha Wainwright – Martha Wainwright’s album with Kate McGarrigle playing banjo and piano
• Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man Soundtrack (2006) – includes "Winter Lady" performed with Martha Wainwright
• All I Intended to Be (2008) by Emmylou Harris – songs include "Moon Song," "Sailing 'Round The Room," and "How She Could Sing the Wildwood Flower"
• I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too by Martha Wainwright and Anna McGarrigle – keyboards, synths, background vocals; Kate McGarrigle contributes hand claps, Wurlitzer, and backing vocals
• Northern Songs: Canada's Best and Brightest (2008) – features the track "Entre Lajeunesse et la Sagesse"
• Easy Come, Easy Go (2008) by Marianne Faithfull – includes vocals from Kate & Anna McGarrigle on "Flandyke Shore"
• Ring Them Bells by Joan Baez – vocals alongside Baez; Kate McGarrigle plays banjo; Anna McGarrigle on accordion

DVD Releases

• The McGarrigle Hour (1999) – features performances with Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Loudon Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, among others
• A Not So Silent Night (2009) – includes appearances by Rufus and Martha Wainwright

Film contributions

• The Log Driver's Waltz (1979) – An animated short by the NFB featuring Wade Hemsworth's song, directed by John Weldon.
• The focus of a 1981 documentary directed by Caroline Leaf.
• Appeared as themselves in the 1987 episode "Sibling Rivalry" of Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show.
• Provided backing vocals for Blackfly (1991), an animated film by Christopher Hinton that includes Wade Hemsworth's song.
• Included in the cast of the Canadian drama Before Tomorrow (Le Jour avant le lendemain) (2008), which is based on a novel by Jørn Riel.

Bibliography

• Lanken, Dane (2007). Kate and Anna McGarrigle Songs and Stories. Penumbra Press.
• Lanken, Dane (2007). Thirty-three Kate and Anna McGarrigle Songs. Penumbra Press.
• McGarrigle, Anna & Jane McGarrigle (2015). Mountain City Girls. Penguin Random House.

External links

• Official website
• Kate and Anna McGarrigle at Encyclopedia of Music in Canada
• Concert timeline and discography
• Documentary film