Valdy

Valdy (born Paul Valdemar Horsdal on 1 September 1945 in Ottawa, Ontario[1]) is a Canadian folk musician whose solo career began in the early 1970s. He is known for "Rock and Roll Song", his first mainstream single released in mid-1972 on Haida/A&M.[2] He was a member of the London Town Criers during the 1960s and subsequently joined Montreal band The Prodigal Sons. Prior to beginning his solo career, he was based in Victoria working with various artists, including Blake Emmons. Valdy is the winner of two Juno Awards for Folk Singer of the Year and Folk Entertainer of the Year, and has received seven additional Juno nominations. His fourteen albums have achieved sales of nearly half a million copies, four of which are certified gold. Of Canadian folk artists in the mid-1970s, only Gordon Lightfoot was more popular. Valdy also appeared on the CBC TV show The Beachcombers as the environmental activist "Halibut" Stu. Valdy lives on Saltspring Island in British Columbia with his wife Kathleen. His daughter, Chelah Horsdal, is an actress. His live albums include 'Family Gathering' (A&M) recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto for 1974 release, and 2003's 'Viva Valdy: Live at Last (Rack-On-Tour)'. Valdy is much in demand on the touring circuit and on any given night, is playing to a packed concert house somewhere - performing some 250 to 300 show dates a year - while he continues writing and recording. "Few performers are capable of achieving the kind of energy he generates on stage." - Globe and Mail ".....name probably doesn't ring a bell with most Americans, but in Canada this singer and guitarist is a legend." - Anchorage Times ".....unquestionably the most public performer in Canada today, and the most loved." - Macleans "Valdy is regarded as one of Canada's most distinctive and successful minstrels." - Humber Log "One of the best evenings of entertainment Confederation Centre has ever seen....a man of formidable talents." Charlottetown Evening Patriot "Valdy remains one of the country's purest and most credible storytellers." Toronto Star "He's a master of country, folk, rock and blues, and the catch is that whatever the sound, people know that Valdy is sincere." Saskatoon Star Phoenix "Valdy's show is a disarming and practical blend of respect for the audience and show business expertise." Edmonton Journal "Valdy elicited a genuinely warm standing ovation, the real kind, where the applause continues long after the encore is assured." - Winnipeg Free Press You can visit Valdy's website for more information at his official home page - www.valdy.com Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.