Valdy

Websites:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/folksingerdeluxe/, https://bcentertainmenthalloffame.com/valdy/, http://valdy.com/index.htm
Origin: Ottawa, Ontario - Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Valdy (born Paul Valdemar Horsdal on 1 September 1945 in Ottawa, Ontario) 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.

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

A veteran of the guitar and piano from an early age, Valdy grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, born of Danish parents. From the mid-'60s, he played with the London Town Criers, the Prodigal Sons and Blake Emmons. Signed to A&M for a solo contract, Valdy recorded his first solo album, Country Man, in 1972 and soon became Canada's second most popular folk singer (behind Gordon Lightfoot) through albums such as Landscapes (1973), Family Gathering (1974), See How the Years Have Gone By (1975) and Valdy & the Hometown Band (1976). Four more albums followed for A&M: Hot Rocks (1978), Passport: Best of Valdy (1979), 1001 (1980) and Valdy's Kids Record (1982). After one album for Duke Street entitled Notes from Places in 1985, Valdy signed with Oak Street Music and released Heart at Work in 1993. He has also collaborated with Max Bennett and Bob Ruzicka.

Valdy, born Valdemar Horsdal in Ottawa, Canada has been part of the fabric of Canadian pop and folk music for over 35 years. A man with a thousand friends, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island to Texas to New Zealand, he’s a singer, guitarist and songwriter who shows in his music the small but important moments that make up life. Valdy has sold almost half a million copies of his 13 albums. One of Canada’s most influential songwriters, Valdy’s composition, A Good Song was recorded under the title Just a Man by the venerable Quincy Jones (he sang lead on the recording!). Remembered especially for Play Me a Rock and Roll Song, his bitter-sweet memory of finding himself, a relaxed and amiable story-teller, facing a rambunctious audience at the Aldergrove Rock Festival circa 1968, Play Me a Rock and Roll Song has been recorded by other artists, including John Kay of Steppenwolf. Valdy has taken his music to a dozen different countries, from Denmark to Australia and been an often-invited performer at the prestigious Kerrville Festival in Texas. Television appearances include Canada AM and Open Mike with Mike Bullard. Valdy was a panelist on Front Page Challenge, and played a lead role in an episode of The Beachcombers original series. Valdy’s recent CDs include “Contenders”, a collaboration with friend and fellow singer/songwriter, Gary Fjellgaard, and a solo release, “Viva Valdy: Live at Last”, a two-CD package, one live, one studio, with a total of 25 tunes, and a lyric booklet.