| Willie P. Bennett | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | William Patrick Bennett |
| Birth Date: | 1951 10, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Death Place: | Peterborough, Ontario |
| Origin: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genre: | Folk, country, alternative country, bluegrass |
| Occupation: | singer/songwriter, mandolinist, harmonica player |
| Years Active: | 1971–2007 |
| Label: | Woodshed, Duke Street, BNatural, independent. |
| Past Member Of: | Fred Eaglesmith, Dixie Flyers |
| Website: | http://www.williepbennett.com |
William Patrick "Willie P." Bennett (26 October 1951 – 15 February 2008) was a Canadian folk-music singer-songwriter,[1] harmonica player, and mandolinist. Bennett was part of the 1970s folk music scene in Canada, and wrote and recorded many original songs.[2] As well as performing as a solo artist, he was part of several well-known Ontario bands.
Born in Toronto, Bennett was first recorded by folksinger David Wiffen, who released a cover of "White Lines" in 1973.[3] Bennett released his first album, including his own recording of the song, the following year.
As solo performer, he recorded seven albums. Early in his career, he also formed and fronted a newgrass group, the Bone China Band, touring through Ontario.
Throughout his career, Bennett kept busy as a sideman in bands fronted by other artists. From 1974 to 1979 he toured and recorded with the Dixie Flyers, playing harmonica, while continuing to perform as a solo artist.[4] In the early 1990s, Bennett was a member of Toronto-based Pat Temple's band, the High Lonesome Players, playing live and appearing on their albums. In 1991 he joined Fred Eaglesmith's band, the Flying Squirrels, with whom he toured and recorded, playing chiefly mandolin and harmonica and singing backup vocals, also serving as road manager, until shortly before his death.[5]
Bennett also played harmonica live and on recordings with Joe Hall, Doug McArthur, Sneezy Waters and many other country and folk artists.
Bennett co-wrote the song "Goodbye, So Long, Hello" with Russell deCarle. The song was recorded by deCarle's band Prairie Oyster, released as a single in 1990.
Bennett returned to prominence in 1996, when Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden and Tom Wilson formed Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, a supergroup named for Bennett's 1978 album, and recorded a tribute album featuring Bennett's songs. Bennett's first subsequent album of new material, Heartstrings, won a 1999 Juno Award for Best Roots and Traditional Album – Solo.[6]
During a 2007 Victoria Day weekend concert in Midland, Ontario, Bennett suffered an on-stage heart attack; he continued playing to the end of the concert, but after that was forced to stop touring.
He died of another heart attack on 15 February 2008, at his home in Peterborough, Ontario.[7] At the time of his death, he was recording an album and was planning on rejoining Fred Eaglesmith on tour. His sister inherited his music rights.[8]
David Essig, producer of Bennett's first three albums, paid tribute to him in the song "Willie P", released on the 2009 album Double Vision (with Rick Scott). Canadian country singer Corb Lund wrote a song for Bennett on his 2009 album Losin' Lately Gambler, entitled "It's Hard to Keep a White Shirt Clean". Canadian songwriter Ian Tamblyn's 2009 album Gyre included a song he wrote for Willie called "Hurricane Heart". Americana songwriter Kenny Butterill wrote a song for Willie, "Wille We Miss Ya", released on his 2014 release Troubadour Tales.
In 2010, Bennett was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Association's Canadian Country Music Hall of Honour[9] during the Canadian Country Music Awards. The award was accepted by his mother, sister and nephew.
The annual Fred Eaglesmith Charity Picnic in Aylmer, Ontario has hosted an annual Willie P. Bennett Memorial Hangover Run every year since 2010.[10]
In 2014, the "Willie P. Bennett Legacy Project" was launched online, providing a space to share stories and new versions of Bennett's songs and to start a memorial award in his honour.
| Year | Single | CAN Country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Lace And Pretty Flowers" / "This Lonesome Feelin' " | — | Blackie and the Rodeo King |
| 1989 | "The Lucky Ones" / "Ain't Got No Notion" | 19 | The Lucky Ones |
| "Train Tracks" / "Goodbye So Long Hello" | — |
| Year | Album | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Tryin' to Start Out Clean | Woodshed Records | |
| 1977 | Hobo's Taunt | Woodshed Records | |
| 1979 | Blackie and the Rodeo King | Woodshed Records | |
| 1985 | The Lucky Ones | Self-Released | |
| 1989 | The Lucky Ones | Duke Street Records | |
| 1991 | Collectibles (Anthology) | Dark Light Records | |
| 1993 | Take My Own Advice | Dark Light Records | |
| 1998 | Heartstrings | Bnatural Records |
| Year | Album | Label | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Collage | Bytown BFFTF 1 | Includes "White Line" (from Tryin' to Start Out Clean) | |
| 1979 | Live at the Nervous Breakdown | Nervous Breakdown Productions NB001 | Includes "Has Anyone Seen My Baby Here Tonight" recorded live in London, Ontario, with Mendelson Joe, (mislabeled "Storm Clouds" on LP cover) | |
| 1981 | Touch the Earth | CBC LM 473 | Includes "My Pie", recorded live in CBC Studio 4S in Toronto, 1974 | |
| 2001 | Festival to Go: All Canadian Sampler Vol. 2 | Festival Distribution FDI 003 | Includes "Restless Wind" (from Heartstrings) | |
| 2006 | Hope: The Design Hope Songwriters Project | Design Hope | Includes the original song "Solitaire" | |
| 2014 | Live From Dollar Bill's: Bootlegger's Legacy | Not on label | Includes "Tryin' To Start Out Clean", "Come on Train", "It's Not The Love You Give Me", recorded live in Kingston, Ontario |
Willie was a full time member of this bluegrass band, playing on harmonica what would generally be considered the fiddle part.
| Year | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Light Medium Heavy | |
| 1976 | Cheaper to Lease | |
| 1977 | Just Pickin |
Primarily on harmonica, but also mandolin and harmony vocals.
| Year | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Stone Boat | |
| 1991 | Connecting Lines | |
| 1994 | Cold Cuts |
Willie played with Fred for 23 years, live & in the studio, playing acoustic & electric mandolin, harmonica, and singing backup & harmony. He was a full time member of Fred's backing band through various iterations and also worked as road manager.
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| 1987 | Indiana Road (as Fred J. Eaglesmith) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990 | Wooden Wheels in Hagersville (single-only release, as Fred J. Eaglesmith & The Flying Squirrels) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | There Ain't No Easy Road (as Fred J. Eaglesmith & The Flying Squirrels) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993 | Things Is Changin' (as Fred J. Eaglesmith & The Flying Squirrels)|-| 1994| From the Paradise Motel (live, as Fred J. Eaglesmith & The Flying Squirrels)|-| 1996| Drive in Movie|-| 1997| Lipstick, Lies and Gasoline|-| 1999| 50 Odd Dollars|-| 2001| Ralph's Last Show (live, as Fred Eaglesmith & The Flying Squirrels)|-| 2002| Falling Stars and Broken Hearts|-| 2003| Balin (as Fred Eaglesmith & The Flathead Noodlers) |-| 2003| The Official Bootleg Series, Vol. 2 (live, with The Smokin' Losers & The Flathead Noodlers)|-| 2005| There Ain't No Easy Road (DVD release of documentary film, includes four tracks performed live by Fred Eaglesmith and The Flying Squirrels)|-| 2006| Milly's Cafe|-| 2006| Pickin' In The Pines: Live At The 2005 Great Northern Picnic (live concert DVD, as Fred Eaglesmith And The Flying Squirrels)|-| 2007| Live Below Sea Level (live concert DVD, as Fred Eagelsmith and band)|-| 2008| Tinderbox|-|}Other contributions
Cover versions
See alsoExternal links
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