The Wailin' Jennys Explained

The Wailin' Jennys
Background:group_or_band
Origin:Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Genre:Folk, bluegrass
Years Active:2002present
Label:Jericho Beach, Red House
Current Members:Ruth Moody
Nicky Mehta
Heather Masse
Past Members:Cara Luft
Annabelle Chvostek

The Wailin' Jennys are a Canadian music group. A 2011 review says they "sing like siblings and play like seasoned veterans".[1] They have released several albums and received two Juno Awards. The group has been featured several times on the American Public Media program A Prairie Home Companion.

History

The group was founded in 2002, when a Winnipeg guitar shop called Sled Dog Music brought Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta and Cara Luft together for a joint performance. The show was well received and the owner, John Sharples, scheduled a follow-up performance[2] and suggested they "go on tour and call themselves the Wailin' Jennys."[3]

The group's name is a pun on the name of country singer Waylon Jennings. Jennings died the same month, causing anger at a music conference where they were playing. "They thought we were making fun of him or something", says Luft. However, the band never expected to last for more than a few shows, seeing they were all part-time musicians.[4]

The band released a self-titled EP and an album, 40 Days, in 2004.[5]

The group now consists of soprano Ruth Moody, mezzo Nicky Mehta and alto Heather Masse. In previous years, the Jennys have also toured with fiddler and mandolinist Jeremy Penner, who is from Ruth's former band, Scruj MacDuhk. Other band members have included Annabelle Chvostek, a singer/songwriter from Montreal, and Ruth Moody's brother Richard on viola and mandolin. Both Penner and Moody have appeared on The Wailin' Jennys' albums. In 2007, Chvostek left the group and was replaced by Heather Masse,[1] a Maine-born singer and member of the band Heather & the Barbarians.

The Wailin' Jennys have won two Juno Awards for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (Group): in 2005 for 40 Days and in 2012 for Bright Morning Stars. They were also nominated for the same award for Firecracker in 2007.[6]

Discography

Albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
US Grass[7] US HeatUS IndieUS Folk
40 Days
  • Release date: August 10, 2004
  • Label: Red House Records
Firecracker
  • Release date: June 6, 2006
  • Label: Red House Records
22327
Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House
  • Release date: August 11, 2009
  • Label: Red House Records
325
Bright Morning Stars
  • Release date: February 8, 2011
  • Label: Red House Records
172410
Fifteen
  • Release date: October 27, 2017
  • Label: Red House Records
111712
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Extended plays

TitleAlbum detailsPeak positions
US Grass
The Wailin' Jennys EP
iTunes Session
  • Release date: November 1, 2011
  • Label: iTunes
7
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Wailin' Jennys - Bright Morning Stars Album Reviews, Songs & More . www.allmusic.com .
  2. Web site: Sled Dog Music . Sled Dog Music . https://web.archive.org/web/20140105203137/http://www.sleddogmusic.com/ . 2011-07-27. 2014-01-05 .
  3. http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2005/05/21/guests.shtml Notes the 2005-05-21 episode
  4. Web site: Wailin' Jennys overcome name confusion . thewailinjennys.com . 2002-08-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180702093319/http://www.thewailinjennys.com/2002/wailin-jennys-overcome-name-confusion/ . 2016-07-23. 2018-07-02 .
  5. https://www.straight.com/article/folk-fest-wailin-jennys-cara-luft-breaks-folk-fashion-rules "Folk Fest - Wailin' Jennys' Cara Luft Breaks Folk-Fashion Rules"
  6. Web site: Yearly summary: 2005 to 2012 . JunoAwards.ca . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141231062503/http://junoawards.ca/awards/yearly-summary/?group_id=196&category_ids=196&from_year=2005&to_year=2012&submit=Search . 2014-12-31 .
  7. The Wailin' Jennys. Billboard.