Fred Eaglesmith
Encyclopedia
Frederick John Elgersma known by the stage name Fred Eaglesmith, is a Canadian
alternative country
singer-songwriter
, one of nine children raised by a farming family in rural Southern Ontario
. As a teenager Eaglesmith hopped a freight train out to Western Canada
, and began writing songs and performing. He is known for writing songs about machines or vehicles, including songs about trains, tractors, trucks, cars, and engines. Rural life, dogs, guns, drinking and farming/ranching are other common themes. Many of his songs are about failing farms and small businesses. Down and out characters dealing with loss of love or livelihood, and quirky rural folk also populate his songs. His songwriting uses many of the techniques of short story
writing, including unreliable narrator
s, surprise endings, and plot twists.
Eaglesmith's band is known both as The Flying Squirrels or The Flathead Noodlers, switching the name to represent different styles of music. The Flathead Noodlers play bluegrass
, while the Flying Squirrels play more folk and rock. An early incarnation of the band was known as The Smokin' Losers. A typical Fred Eaglesmith show includes his music set between several lengthy between-song comic monologues by Eaglesmith. Topics in the past have included stories about crossing the U.S./Canada border, Newfoundlanders, and some friends from an Indian reserve
. His fans are known as "Fredheads", a nod to deadheads, who followed The Grateful Dead. He is known to tour extensivley throughout Canada and the U.S.
When Eaglesmith does solo appearances he bills himself as Fred J. Eaglesmith. In addition to his own albums, he frequently collaborated with the late Willie P. Bennett
, a former member of Eaglesmith's band who stepped down after a heart attack in early 2007. He appeared in a 2001 television movie titled The Gift. Eaglesmith publishes his own records.
In 2010, Eaglesmith was featured on The Late Show with David Letterman as the musical guest. He performed "Careless" from the album Cha Cha Cha.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, one of nine children raised by a farming family in rural Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
. As a teenager Eaglesmith hopped a freight train out to Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
, and began writing songs and performing. He is known for writing songs about machines or vehicles, including songs about trains, tractors, trucks, cars, and engines. Rural life, dogs, guns, drinking and farming/ranching are other common themes. Many of his songs are about failing farms and small businesses. Down and out characters dealing with loss of love or livelihood, and quirky rural folk also populate his songs. His songwriting uses many of the techniques of short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writing, including unreliable narrator
Unreliable narrator
An unreliable narrator is a narrator, whether in literature, film, or theatre, whose credibility has been seriously compromised. The term was coined in 1961 by Wayne C. Booth in The Rhetoric of Fiction. This narrative mode is one that can be developed by an author for a number of reasons, usually...
s, surprise endings, and plot twists.
Eaglesmith's band is known both as The Flying Squirrels or The Flathead Noodlers, switching the name to represent different styles of music. The Flathead Noodlers play bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, while the Flying Squirrels play more folk and rock. An early incarnation of the band was known as The Smokin' Losers. A typical Fred Eaglesmith show includes his music set between several lengthy between-song comic monologues by Eaglesmith. Topics in the past have included stories about crossing the U.S./Canada border, Newfoundlanders, and some friends from an Indian reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
. His fans are known as "Fredheads", a nod to deadheads, who followed The Grateful Dead. He is known to tour extensivley throughout Canada and the U.S.
When Eaglesmith does solo appearances he bills himself as Fred J. Eaglesmith. In addition to his own albums, he frequently collaborated with the late Willie P. Bennett
Willie P. Bennett
Willie P. Bennett was a Canadian folk-music singer and song writer.-Life and career:Born William Patrick Bennett in Toronto, Ontario, Bennett was part of the 1970s folk music scene in Canada, alongside such figures as Bruce Cockburn, Stan Rogers and David Wiffen...
, a former member of Eaglesmith's band who stepped down after a heart attack in early 2007. He appeared in a 2001 television movie titled The Gift. Eaglesmith publishes his own records.
In 2010, Eaglesmith was featured on The Late Show with David Letterman as the musical guest. He performed "Careless" from the album Cha Cha Cha.
Current members
- Fred J. Eaglesmith - guitars, vocals
- Matt Simpson - acoustic guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Kori Heppner - drums
- Justine Fischer - bass, vocals
- The Fabulous Ginn Sisters (Brit and Tiffani Ginn) - backing vocals
- Mike Zinger - Mandolin, Vocals
Former members
- Willie P. BennettWillie P. BennettWillie P. Bennett was a Canadian folk-music singer and song writer.-Life and career:Born William Patrick Bennett in Toronto, Ontario, Bennett was part of the 1970s folk music scene in Canada, alongside such figures as Bruce Cockburn, Stan Rogers and David Wiffen...
- mandolin, harmonica, vocals - David Essig - mandolin, guitar
- Kevin Komatsu - drums
- Roger Marin Jr. - pedal steel, guitar, vocals
- Ralph Schipper - bass
- Jude Waldman - drums
- Dan Walsh - dobro, guitar, vocals
- Skip Wamsteeker - drums
- Washboard Hank - washboard, dobro
- Darcy Yates - bass
- Luke Stackhouse - bass, vocals
Albums
- Fred Eaglesmith (1980)
- The Boy That Just Went Wrong (1983)
- Indiana Road (1987)
- There Ain't No Easy Road (1991)
- Things Is Changin
' (1993) - Paradise Motel (1994)
- Drive-In Movie (1995)
- Lipstick, Lies and Gasoline (1997)
- 50 Odd Dollars (1999)
- Live: Ralph's Last Show (2001)
- Falling Stars and Broken Hearts (2002)
- The Official Bootleg Series, Vol. 1
' (2002) - Balin (2003)
- The Official Bootleg Series, Vol. 2
' (2004) - Dusty (2004)
- Milly's Cafe (2006)
- Tinderbox (2008)
- Cha Cha Cha (2010)
- 6 Volts (2011)
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "105" | Steven Goldmann Steven Goldmann Steven Goldmann is a Canadian music video and film director. He has directed over 200 music videos. Goldmann also directed the movies Broken Bridges and Trailer Park of Terror, and has additionally directed several television programs.-1990-1999:... |
| 1999 | "Rodeo Boy" | |
| 2007 | "Thinkin' 'bout You" | Michael Salomon Michael Salomon Michael Salomon is a music video/film director, who has directed many music videos, including many of Toby Keith's music videos... |