Farmer鈥檚 Song, Down by the Henry Moore and Whispering Rain are among his songs that can rightfully be termed Canadian standards. Some of the tunes have earned him a Juno Award 鈥� he has 11 of them. But when asked to pinpoint his favourite, the father figure comes out in Murray McLauchlan.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e like your kids,鈥� the 70-year-old singer/songwriter said in an interview before he embarks on a B.C. tour. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 satisfying for me, those songs, they keep adding another life.鈥�
Honky Red, for instance, has become a concert and recording hit for Widespread Panic, an American rock band. Another tune, Child Song, was featured on the TV show, This is Us.
Not including live recordings, McLauchlan has nearly 20 albums to his credit. His latest recording, Love Can鈥檛 Tell Time, was a result of learning a new language on the guitar while living in Italy for a few months in 2013.
鈥淚 love that record,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e (songs) really off the floor. The only sweetening that was done was the string arrangements.
鈥淓very time somebody talks me into making one (record), I always think I鈥檓 not going to make another. When I did Human Writes in 2011, I thought that鈥檚 about as good as I could get it, as far as the songs are concerned. I think I hit my dinger. And then I went to Italy, and I studied hard. I had this background desire, on my bucket list, I wanted to be able to play guitar like Freddie Green from the Count Basie band. So I had to sit there and learn this whole new way of playing. Once I started doing that, I found out that not only could I play standards, but when I put on Sinatra Live at the Sands with Basie and his orchestra, I could actually play along with it. I was absolutely over the moon.鈥�
Until recently, most of McLauchlan鈥檚 touring has been with friends Ian Thomas, Marc Jordan and Cindy Church in Lunch At Allen鈥檚. The band has been performing for more than a decade.
鈥淚t started out as an aggregation of friends to do a few concerts, and it grew from there. I like to think we鈥檙e like Crosby, Stills, Nash and a girl鈥here鈥檚 an old saying, 鈥榊our friends are the family you choose.鈥� And they certainly are.鈥�
McLauchlan is also a painter, an author, an actor and a radio host. He is an Order of Canada recipient, and is a member of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Last year, he received a Governor General鈥檚 Performing Arts Award.
He also has a love of aviation. In 1986, he flew a Cessna 185 around Canada. He was followed by a film crew, which produced a TV special, Floating Over Canada. The show included various guest stars, including fellow musicians Gordon Lightfoot, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Levon Helm.
鈥淲here we would sit the airplane down, there would be a filming opportunity.鈥�
Reluctantly, McLauchlan penned a biography, Getting Out of Here Alive, which turned out to be written for his children.
鈥淚 was asked to do it by Penguin Viking. I didn鈥檛 really have any desire to do it. But then I thought about it 鈥� I have a son and I have a daughter 鈥� and by the time they鈥檙e down the line a little bit, I鈥檒l be a doddering old fool, and they鈥檒l never really understand who their old man was when he was full of juice.鈥�
Following concerts in Campbell River and Duncan, McLauchlan performs June 10 in Courtenay. It won鈥檛 be his first visit to the Comox Valley. He has fond memories of performing on a grand piano at the 2013 Filberg Festival when Bobbie Blue was music director.
鈥淪he was very, very kind to me. God knows where she found it (piano). She went to the wall.鈥�
His Monday, June 10 performance is at the Sid Williams Theatre. Reserved seating tickets are $47.50, available at the Sid box office. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
