Liona Boyd
Liona Boyd | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Liona Maria Carolynne Boyd |
Born |
London, England | 11 July 1949
Genres | Classical, new-age |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Guitar |
Years active | 1962–present |
Labels | Boot, Sony, Columbia, RCA, Polygram, CBS Masterworks, Moston |
Website |
www |
Liona Maria Carolynne Boyd, CM, O.Ont (born 11 July 1949, London), is a classical guitarist often referred to as the First Lady of Guitar.
Music career
Early years
Boyd was born in London but grew up in Toronto.[1] Her father grew up in Bilbao, Spain, and her mother in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Her grandmother was from Linares, Spain, the birthplace of the "king of the classical guitar", Andrés Segovia. During her family's ocean voyage to Canada, she performed her first concert in a talent show on the ship. She played "Bluebells of Scotland" on a treble recorder.
When she was thirteen, she was given her first guitar, a Christmas present which her parents bought in Spain seven years earlier.[2] She took lessons from Eli Kassner, Narciso Yepes, Alexandre Lagoya, Julian Bream, and Segovia.
Boyd graduated from the University of Toronto in 1972 with a degree in music.[1][3]
Performing
In 1975, she performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City.[1] After the concert, Segovia wrote her a note that said "through your beauty and talent you will conquer the public, philharmonic or not."[4] During the same year, she toured northern British Columbia and Yukon, paying her dues in front of rough crowds, as she writes autobiography, in the tradition of pop and folk musicians.[5] She also began to tour with Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot.[1]
Recordings
In 1974, Boyd released her debut album, "The Guitar". It was produced by Eleanor Koldofsky[6] and was released on Boot Records. In 1976, Boyd joined SOCAN, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, and established her own publishing company, Mid-Continental Music. As at the end of 2016, she had 27 studio albums, live recordings and compilation recordings to her credit and a new album of original songs was planned for release in 2017.[7]
During her career, Boyd has recorded with Chet Atkins, Eric Clapton, Al Di Meola, Rick Emmett, David Gilmour, Alex Lifeson, Steve Morse, Canadian Brass, André Gagnon, Yo Yo Ma, Frank Mills, Strunz & Farah, Roger Whittaker, and Gheorghe Zamfir.[8]
Personal life
In 1988, Stoddard Publishing of Toronto, Canada published Boyd's autobiography In My Own Key: My Life in Love and Music.[9] In it she revealed her eight-year romance with former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.[1] In 1992, Boyd moved to Beverly Hills, California, after marrying John Simon, a real estate developer.[1]
Following a diagnosis of focal dystonia after the release of Camino Latino, Boyd was compelled to change how she plays guitar. She reinvented herself by developing her songwriting and singing skills and playing less demanding guitar arrangements.[10]
Awards and honours
- Instrumental Artist of the Year, Juno Awards, five times
- Gallery of the Greats, Classical Guitar Player
- Classical Guitar Musician of the Year, Guitar Player, five times
- Order of Canada
- Order of Ontario
- Vanier Award
- Prix Esprit du Ciècle[8]
Discography
Title | Label | Year |
---|---|---|
The Guitar/Classical Guitar | Boot/London | 1974 |
The Guitar Artistry of Liona Boyd | Boot/London | 1975 |
Miniatures for Guitar | Boot/CBS Masterworks | 1977 |
The First Lady of the Guitar | Columbia | 1978 |
The First Nashville Guitar Quartet | RCA | 1979 |
Liona Boyd with Andrew Davis and the English Chamber Orchestra | CBS Masterworks | 1979 |
Spanish Fantasy | CBS Masterworks | 1980 |
A Guitar for Christmas | CBS Masterworks | 1981 |
The Best of Liona Boyd (compilation) | CBS Masterworks | 1982 |
Virtuoso | CBS Masterworks | 1983 |
Liona Live in Tokyo | CBS Masterworks | 1984 |
The Romantic Guitar of Liona Boyd | CBS Masterworks | 1985 |
Persona | CBS Masterworks | 1986 |
Encore | A & M | 1988 |
Christmas Dreams | A & M | 1989 |
Highlights (compilation) | A & M | 1989 |
Paddle to the Sea | Oak Street | 1990 |
Dancing on the Edge | Moston | 1991 |
Classically Yours | Moston | 1995 |
Whispers of Love | Moston | 1999 |
The Spanish Album (compilation) | Moston | 1999 |
Passport to Serenity (compilation) | Moston | 2000 |
Camino Latino | Moston | 2002 |
Romanza (compilation) | Moston | 2005 |
Liona Boyd Sings Songs of Love | Moston/Universal | 2009 |
Seven Journeys: Music for the Soul and Imagination (Liona Boyd and Peter Bond) | Moston/Universal | 2009 |
The Return...To Canada with Love | Moston/Universal | 2013 |
A Winter Fantasy | Moston/Universal | 2015 |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cummings, Robert. "Liona Boyd | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ↑ "Liona Boyd Interview". Guitarhoo!. Guitarhoo.com. 19 May 2004. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ↑ "Liona Boyd" Archived 8 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine., The Canadian Encyclopedia
- ↑ Liona Boyd (2008). In My Own Key: My Life in Love and Music. Stoddard Publishing. p. 65.
- ↑ Liona Boyd (1998). In My Own Key: My Life in Love and Music. Stoddard Publishing. p. 100.
- ↑ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/eleanor-koldofsky-emc/
- ↑ http://lionaboyd.com/
- 1 2 "Awards & Collaborations". Liona Boyd. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ↑ "In My Own Key: My Life in Love and Music". AMICUS: The Canadian National Catalogue. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- ↑ "Liona Boyd: Singer". The National. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Liona Boyd. |
- Official site
- Liona Boyd: Biography
- "Liona Boyd: five years of healing, two new albums, one rebirth" The Globe and Mail