One of the most distinctive voices of the Canadian singer-songwriter community, John Wort Hannam is performing at the Meaford Hall Arts and Culture Centre on Sunday, April 27, at 2 p.m.
Juno-nominated and three-time Canadian Folk Music Award-winning singer-songwriter John Wort Hannam has been on his roots-fueled troubadour journey for over two decades, spinning songwriting gold from the chaff of the lives he has encountered and those within his fertile imagination.
Twenty plus years into his career, he shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, he appears to be gaining both momentum and a wider audience, winning two 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards for Solo Artist of the Year and Contemporary Album of the Year. On his most recent album Long Haul, audiences and critics alike hear something special in his narrative, lyrically driven songs. Effortlessly mixing rich and clear timbered vocals with lyrics that tug at the heart, his sound is both unique and familiar.
Born on the island of Jersey in the UK, he immigrated to Canada at the age of nine, and like a lot of performers, began his singing career in a choir – the Calgary Boys Choir. He discovered the guitar and his knack for writing songs in his early thirties while working as a teacher on the Kainai Nation in Blackfoot country. In 2001, John quit his teaching job and made himself a promise – he would try his hand at writing songs for ten months or until his employment insurance ran out. When time was up, he had an album’s worth of songs. These songs would become his first recording, Pocket Full of Holes, released in 2003. Today, John Wort Hannam is recognized as one of the best folk roots songwriters in Alberta, has released eight full length recordings, and has a few feathers in his hat that include a Juno Nomination, three Canadian Folk Music Awards, a coveted Kerrville, TX New Folk Songwriting Competition win, and numerous Canadian Folk Music Award and Western Canadian Music Award nominations.
Performing alongside John is his trusted sideman and fiddler extraordinaire Scott Duncan. Opening the show is the incredibly talented Drew McIvor.
Tickets to see John Wort Hannam with Scott Duncan are $35 each and available at https://www.meaford.ca/en/meaford-hall/meaford-hall.aspx or by calling the box office at 877-538-0463.
