On June 25, Nonesuch Records releases Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle, which features highlights from three concerts in honor of the late singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle, held in London, Toronto, and New York following Kate's death. The double-disc set was produced by Joe Boyd, who curated the concerts, and features performances by Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Anna McGarrigle, Emmylou Harris, Antony, Norah Jones, Teddy Thompson, and others. Net proceeds go to the Kate McGarrigle Foundation for sarcoma research. Nonesuch Store pre-orders include instant downloads of the album tracks “Kiss and Say Goodbye” and “I Am a Diamond.”
On June 25, 2013, Nonesuch Records releases Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle, which features highlights from three concerts in honor of the late Kate McGarrigle, the beloved singer and Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame member. After McGarrigle died of sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, in 2010, her children—the acclaimed musicians Rufus and Martha Wainwright—and her sister and musical partner Anna McGarrigle led tribute concerts in London, Toronto, and New York.
Proceeds from the concerts provided seed money for the Kate McGarrigle Foundation—a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money in the fight against sarcoma and also to preserving her legacy through the arts. Net proceeds from the sale of Sing Me the Songs also will be donated to the Foundation. The double-disc set was produced by Joe Boyd, who curated the concerts, and features performances by Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Anna McGarrigle, Emmylou Harris, Antony, Norah Jones, and Teddy Thompson, among others. Sing Me the Songs is available to pre-order at in the Nonesuch Store with instant downloads of the album tracks “Kiss and Say Goodbye” and “I Am a Diamond.”
The New York concerts were filmed for a feature documentary entitled Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You: A Concert for Kate McGarrigle, directed by Lian Lunson (Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man) and produced by Lunson and Teddy Wainwright. Candid interviews with McGarrigle’s family and friends are paired with rousing performances of her music. Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You will be screened at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) on June 25, followed by a Q&A with Rufus and Martha Wainwright and other cast members. It opens theatrically at Film Forum in Manhattan for an exclusive run starting June 26. Watch an excerpt from the film, featuring "I Am a Diamond," below.
On June 26, BAM presents a concert titled Kate’s Kids in its Howard Gilman Opera House. Rufus and Martha welcome a few very special guests, including Norah Jones, Emmylou Harris, and Mark Ronson for a benefit concert celebrating the rich career of their late mother. The concert will feature performances of McGarrigle’s deeply personal music, songs by Rufus and Martha, French songs, and more, paying tribute to McGarrigle while showcasing the musical legacy she helped to create. Proceeds from both events at BAM benefit the Kate McGarrigle Foundation.
Raised in an artistic family in St. Sauveur, Quebec, Kate McGarrigle moved to New York in 1969 to pursue a singing career while her sister Anna studied art in Montreal. Both wrote many songs during this period, including Anna’s “Heart Like a Wheel,” which eventually appeared on their debut album (and was made famous by Linda Ronstadt in 1974), and Kate’s “The Work Song,” which Maria Muldaur recorded in 1973. It was another Muldaur recording of a McGarrigle song that first brought the sisters to the attention of then–Warner Bros. Records President Lenny Waronker and launched their recording career with Kate & Anna McGarrigle (1976). Ten more albums followed, including 1977’s Dancer with Bruised Knees, which Nonesuch reissued in a set with their debut album—and a disc of previously unreleased demos—titled Tell My Sister in 2011. Nonesuch also released The McGarrigle Christmas Hour in 2005.
'Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You A Concert for Kate McGarrigle'...'I Am A Diamond' from Lian Lunson on Vimeo.
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