MacLellan following in father’s footsteps
Juno-award winner Catherine MacLellan is highlighting her late father’s work in a tour that’s bringing her to Peterborough Sunday.
MacLellan is performing her show If It’s Alright With You – The Life and Music of My Father, Gene MacLellan to Market Hall at 4 p.m. The concert is part of the Folk Under the Clock, an annual folk concert series.
Mr. MacLellan, a Canadian singersongwriter, garnered fame by writing hits such as Snowbird for Anne Murray and Put Your Hand in the Hand for Ocean.
He died in 1995 at 56. His daughter was a teenager at the time.
MacLellan, 37, had wanted to do a collection of her dad’s songs for while, but the timing was never right.
It wasn’t until she was asked to do a show this summer – based on her father’s work – that everything fell into place.
If It’s Alright With You – The Life and Music of My Father, Gene MacLellan is a collection of Mr. MacLellan’s songs intertwined with stories of his life.
“It’s a real story of a real man and hopefully people will find things they can relate to in it,” MacLellan said during a phone interview Monday.
The mother of one also recorded an album, If It’s Alright With You: The Songs of Gene MacLellan, that was released in June. It holds 13 of her dad’s pieces, from hits to rarities.
In 1977, Mr. MacLellan released an album titled If It’s Alright With You. His daughter said she hadn’t intended on naming her project with the same moniker, but it just seemed like the right thing to do.
While some songs have taken on a more modern sound others are more of a throwback, MacLellan said.
“It’s just kind of a project of the heart,” she said.
The 37-year-old said she’s always surprised to see how many people remember her dad’s songs. She’s also touched that she’s able to introduce his work to a younger audience, too.
“It’s pretty cool to be able to bring them to a new generation but also to remind an old generation of the music they grew up with.”
Since her father died so many years ago, MacLellan took to researching her dad, reaching out to those who’d known him.
Through hearing new stories and delving into his songs and lyrics, MacLellan said she feels like it was a chance to get to know her father better.
“He was a really honest guy and I think a really honest writer and that comes through in his music.”
The P.E.I. resident thinks her dad would be proud of her for following in his footsteps and carrying on his legacy.
“And I’m proud to be his daughter and it took me a long time to get to that place where I felt at peace with who he was and who I am and for us both to share the same space on the stage in one night.”
Tickets to see MacLellan are $37.50 or $25 for students. They’re available at the Market Hall box office, Moondance on George St. or online at www.markterhall.org
The Folk Under the Clock series kicked off in September with a sold out show by Bruce Cockburn at Showplace.
The series continues with The Once, a trio from Newfoundland, on Dec. 1. They’re be performing an east coast-style Christmas concert at Market Hall at 8 p.m.
Then on Jan. 21, Folk Under the Clock is hosting a double header with Garnet Rogers and duo Karen Savoca and Pete Heitzman. It’ll be at 4 p.m. at Market Hall.