Lennie Gallant

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LENNIE GALLANT OFFICIAL WEBSITE - www.lenniegallant.com

Lennie Gallant is a storyteller, and on his new recording “When We Get There, " he takes the listener on a literary and musical adventure that is sure to guarantee repeated listening. From the opening departure song “The Gypsy Wind" to the closing instant classic “The Innkeeper,” Gallant masterfully weaves his tales in ways that never fail to intrigue and surprise. Early reviews suggest that “When We Get There” may be Gallant’s best album yet, and that is saying something considering the critical acclaim and numerous awards this artist has received in the past.

A native of Rustico, a village on the north shore of Prince Edward Island, Gallant grew up surrounded by music, stories, and dramatic scenarios. His family is very musical and when he was young, they were often involved in creating concerts and local theatre to help raise money for someone who had fallen on hard times or some other cause, and that was where Gallant first appeared on stage. “There always seemed to be something happening in that small town that everyone would be connected to in some way....some tragedy at sea or house fire, a great hockey victory, some guy pulling out a gun at a wedding....life was definitely not boring.” His love of travel and adventure led him to set off on ocean passages as a crew member on a 47 foot wooden schooner hitch his way around Europe, hop a freighter to the Middle East, and take part in a human rights tour in Central America. In the past he’s been a truck driver, laborer, actor, festival director, movie location manager, housepainter, teacher, stevedore and bartender to name a few of the jobs he held before playing music full time.

Since then this prolific songwriter/performer has released 7 albums, which have won him a host of awards and nominations from both the Juno’s and the East Coast Music Awards. In music, as well as in life, Gallant is always ready for a challenge.

Musically Gallant has played in rock band scenarios, traditional music groups and roots oriented outfits and has performed full concerts with symphony orchestras accompanying him .He uses his wide musical background and varied life experiences as a well from which to draw upon when creating his work. His songs ring true and have touched many from different worlds. In recognition of this, Gallant was recently inducted into the “Order of Canada” where it was said, “Gallant has garnered much respect for his hard hitting songs chronicling the lives of people dealing with tremendous adversity and serious issues. Songs like “Peter’s Dream,” “Island Clay,” “Man of Steel” and “The Hope for Next Year,” articulate the feelings of many caught up in desperate situations beyond their control, and at the same time celebrate the beauty of lifestyle and landscape with their strong poetry and stirring narratives.”

While he says he is much appreciative of this kind of recognition for his work, Gallant feels the best part of being a songwriter is the moment of creation .... “When you really feel locked in with the ability to tell a story or convey an emotion in a unique yet, hopefully, a universal way.” Other artists obviously believe in Gallant’s writing abilities as over 30 artists have recorded his songs internationally, the most recent being Jimmy Buffett. "I have always wanted to bring Lennie Gallant’s music to the forefront.” says Jimmy Buffett. Gallant has also written for feature films, theatre, documentaries, special events and television series’, including “Dawson's Creek” and “Joan of Arcadia.” He co-wrote the theme song for the first World Acadian Congress, and for Pier 21, Canada’s immigration gateway. He was also asked to write a song for Halifax’s 250 th anniversary which was then performed with a choir of 2000 voices on one of the two bridges spanning the harbour. "A powerhouse of a show” - The Halifax Chronicle Herald.

Having previously recorded albums only in English, and despite limited knowledge of French, for his 6th release, Gallant fulfilled a long held dream of writing and recording an album in the language of his Acadian roots. Gallant said “I worked extremely hard on that album as I wasn’t interested in releasing something that was just a pretty good effort for a guy who grew up speaking English. I wanted it to be accepted as a bona fide French language recording that would stand up beside other albums out there.” It seems Gallant was successful in that quest as the album, “Le Vent Bohème,” won Francophone Album of the Year at the 2003 East Coast Music Awards, and Acadian album of the Year at the Gala des Étoiles . "It's an absolutely wonderful CD (Le vent bohème), the lyrics are powerful and the music is sensational” Bernard St Laurent, Radio Canada. The album led to Gallant being invited to perform for a week with the Acadian theatrical phenomenon “Ode L’Acadie, a musical revue featuring exceptional young musicians and singers performing works from the cream of Acadian songwriters.”

As a performer, Gallant’s intense delivery reaches down to the very soul of his audience, moving effortlessly through stirring narratives, comic observations, and hard driving rhythms. He has toured extensively internationally, playing festivals and concerts accompanied by roots rock bands, and in acoustic settings. “We’ve been used to welcoming visitors from Canada’s east coast in recent years. The biggest impression of all, though, could be the one Lennie Gallant makes when word about him reaches beyond the dedicated seekers of transatlantic talent who investigated this Scottish debut!” - The Herald, Glasgow, Scotland.

He has shared the stage with such accomplished songwriters as Lucinda Williams, Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), Patti Griffin, and Ron Sexsmith and has represented Canada at songwriter events in Nashville, London, and Texas. “Our northern neighbor has given us some of the best songwriters living today. You can add Lennie Gallant to that list.” The Performing Songwriter, Nashville

Lennie Gallant is a board member of The Songwriters Association of Canada.

'When We Get There nominated for a 2007 JUNO Award!

Contact: Wendy Gilmour - Gallant Effort Productions Inc. 35 Quarry Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3N 1X1. PHONE: 902-477-4864 EMAIL: wendy@lenniegallant.com