Cara Luft

Cara Luft is a Calgary-born, Winnipeg-based folk and roots singer, songwriter, guitarist, and founding member of The Wailin’ Jennys. Raised in Calgary within a vibrant folk music community, she grew up surrounded by traditional music, spiritual songs, house concerts, folk clubs, and festivals. She began playing music as a child, first on autoharp and dulcimer in her family’s band, before moving toward guitar and developing the powerful acoustic style that became central to her career.

Before relocating to Winnipeg, Luft spent four formative years in Vernon, British Columbia, where she recorded the early independent cassette release Tragedy of the Commons in 1997 at Vernon Recording. That period in the Okanagan proved decisive. Luft has credited the Vernon and Okanagan music community with helping her believe that a life in music was possible, supporting her through early cassette sales, grassroots fundraising, her first serious guitar purchase, and her first overseas touring opportunities. By the late 1990s, she had already built the foundation of a career rooted in community, independent release culture, and direct connection with listeners.

Her first full-length album, Tempting the Storm, was recorded in Winnipeg at Private Ear Recording and produced by Rick Unruh. Released in Canada through Blue Case Tunes and in the United Kingdom through Headroom Records, the album introduced Luft’s blend of original songwriting, traditional influence, and strong acoustic musicianship to a wider audience. It was nominated for a Prairie Music Award for Outstanding Roots Recording.

In early 2002, Luft co-founded The Wailin’ Jennys, becoming part of one of the most successful Canadian folk groups of the period. She recorded and toured with the trio during its early rise and was part of the creative development surrounding 40 Days, the group’s Juno Award-winning album. Luft left The Wailin’ Jennys to return to her own writing and solo career, a move that led directly to The Light Fantastic.

Released in 2007, The Light Fantastic was produced by Neil Osborne of 54-40 and recorded with a strong cast of Canadian folk and rock musicians, including Hugh McMillan, Richard Moody, Christian Dugas, Bill Western, Ravi Singh, Annie Hepher, Donovan Giesbrecht, and Osborne himself. The album drew on folk, roots rock, country, traditional song, and spiritual material, placing Luft’s guitar work and writing in a richly arranged setting. It also marked an important transition point, re-establishing her as a solo artist after her departure from The Wailin’ Jennys.

Luft’s 2012 album Darlingford was her most personal solo work to that point. Recorded largely in and around the small Manitoba community of Darlingford, the album was shaped by personal upheaval, resilience, and a deliberate move away from conventional studio pressure. Working with engineer Lloyd Peterson and a wide network of collaborators, Luft built the album through remote recording, home-studio contributions, and sessions in unusual locations including Darlingford’s United church. The album also involved support from her fans through the Indie Music Angels project, an early crowdfunding effort that more than doubled its original goal.

Darlingford combined original songs with traditional and contemporary folk material. Songs such as ‘House On Fire’, ‘Idaho’, ‘Only Love Can Save Me’, ‘It’s Gonna Be Alright’, and ‘My Darling One’ explored loss, endurance, family, compassion, and renewal. ‘Dallaire’ was inspired by General Roméo Dallaire’s account of the Rwandan genocide, while ‘Charged!’ turned a difficult border incident into a wry, communal live song. The album reinforced Luft’s reputation as a writer able to transform personal experience into material with wider emotional reach.

Beyond her solo recordings, Luft became known as the driving force behind The Small Glories, her duo with JD Edwards. The project brought together harmony singing, roots songwriting, and a powerful stage presence, earning wide recognition in Canadian folk circles and extending Luft’s reputation as both a collaborator and live performer.

After more than a decade away from solo recording, Luft returned with My Heart Will Always Be, a deeply personal album shaped by another period of transition. Written as she entered her fifties, bought her first home, navigated perimenopause, received an ADHD diagnosis, and moved on from The Small Glories, the album was built around a deliberate creative principle: to work with people defined by kindness, generosity, and trust. Luft described this circle of collaborators as “The Quadrangle of Awesomeness,” including Clayton Parsons, Scott Poley, and Julia Graff.

Recorded over 12 days in Vancouver, My Heart Will Always Be featured Luft, Parsons, and Poley performing much of the music themselves, including guitars, banjos, pedal steel, electric bass, and percussion. Mixed by D. James Goodwin, the album also featured contributions from John K. Samson of The Weakerthans and Grammy-winning banjo player Alison Brown. The result was a warm, assured, and open-hearted return to solo work, reconnecting Luft’s personal writing with the communal spirit that has shaped her career from the beginning.

In 2026, Luft will support My Heart Will Always Be with a Spring & Summer tour that include dates across Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Washington, and Alberta. Several of the performances will feature Clayton Parsons, with appearances at venues and festivals including Rossland Miners’ Hall, Festival of Small Halls, Fire & Water Music Festival, Sunshine Garden Concerts, Wit’s End Yard Concerts, Harvest Sun Music Festival, and WayneStock.

Throughout her career, Cara Luft has remained closely tied to the folk communities that first supported her. Her work carries the imprint of Calgary, Vernon, Winnipeg, and the wider Canadian roots network, along with a deep belief in the role of fans, friends, music lovers, and community in making an artist’s career possible. A long-time member of the Museum of Canadian Music community, she stands as one of Canada’s most respected folk and roots performers: a gifted guitarist, a generous collaborator, a vivid songwriter, and a performer whose humour, honesty, and stage presence have made her a beloved figure wherever she plays.

-Robert Williston