The Bluegrass Connection Presents The Official Site of Kate MacKenzie

Message from Kate Booking Information Performance Schedule Discography Kate's Music Record Review

It's hard to believe that Kate MacKenzie did not start singing until she was in her late twenties. But she grew up with wonderful music, listening to Ralph Stanley, Hazel Dickens, and Patsy Cline, as well as jazz and classical music (particularly Bach and baroque) all of which gave her a great place to start. "I was discovered in the living room one day," as she tells it. The guy who sang the high parts hadn't made it to a jam session, but Kate was there, and they asked her if she could sing. Could she ever. "The passion of the music finally outweighed my natural shyness," she told Request Magazine. She quickly found herself singing lead vocals with the bluegrass band Stoney Lonesome. Never ones to start off small, their first major gig was a live Prairie Home Companion performance for a radio audience of two million. It was only Kate's forth or fifth time on stage. Within ten years Kate was performing at Carnegie Hall to a sellout crowd. In 1998 she topped it all, earning a Grammy nomination for her second solo album, Age of Innocence.

But Kate has never done anything half-way. Since that living room gig she has built a reputation as the woman who put the blues in bluegrass. Her rich, vibrant voice and the passion and depth she brings to her songs has made her a favorite of critics and fans alike. Stoney Lonesome soon became regular guests on A Prairie Home Companion, which allowed Kate to work with and learn from some of the best musicians in the world Kate also became one-quarter of the Hopeful Gospel Quartet with Garrison Keillor and Robin & Linda Williams. Her tours with A Prairie Home Companion and the Quartet have taken her to Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, the Ryman Auditorium, the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, the Hollywood Bowl, and Austin City Limits. She's still a regular guest on A Prairie Home Companion and this past year she has served as Keillor's co-host for a few broadcasts.

Kate spent fifteen years with Stoney Lonesome before going out on her own. Together, Kate and Stoney Lonesome recorded six albums, toured Japan and North America, and appeared on The Nashville Network's "Fire on the Mountain" series. Kate has also been a featured vocalist in other ensembles and a studio musician on numerous recording projects. In 1988, she toured Russia with "Women Who Cook," a showcase band of the Twin Cities' premier vocalists, and as a member of the Hopeful Gospel Quartet she recorded live albums and performed at folk festivals in Scotland and Denmark.

When Kate decided to make her first solo album, there was no holding back. She went into a Nashville recording studio with a Dream Team of bluegrass musicians - Producer Nick Forster (of Hot Rize and Public Radio's E-Town), Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, the Fairfield Four, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan and Alan O'Bryant of the Nashville Bluegrass Band, and members of Krauss' Union Station. The result was Let Them Talk, which was her distillation of fifteen years of playing bluegrass- a personal statement on the music and what she loves about it. Let Them Talk was widely regarded as one of the best bluegrass albums of 1994. It earned raves across the country and spent 10 months on Bluegrass Unlimited's radio charts. She followed the album's release with a series of remarkable solo gigs, showcasing her glorious voice, eclectic taste, and captivating stage presence.

It wasn't long before everyone was clamoring for a follow-up album, and Kate obliged with Age of Innocence. Age of Innocence is a rich and bluesy album that showcases Kate's growth as a songwriter and the continued development of her exquisite voice and phrasing. Once again, she's joined by some of the best musicians possible: producer Nick Forster on guitar and vocals, Tony Furtado on banjo, John Reischman on mandolin, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Rob Ickes on dobro, Gene Libbea on bass, and Alan O'Bryant on banjo and vocals. With Kate's passionate vocals holding it all together, the result is a brilliant collaboration. True to Kate's fashion, it couldn't possibly be anything less. Nominated for a bluegrass Grammy, along with albums by Alison Krauss and Ralph Stanley, Age of Innocence allows Kate to take her place among bluegrass' greatest performers.

I am thrilled to report that "age of Innocence" was nominated for a Grammy! And I've started work on the newest album project, which will be released later this year. 'Til I see you - all the best.

"MacKenzie's excellent songwriting and awesome bluesy vocals shine throughout"
-Dirty Linen Magazine

"MacKenzie's voice is perfectly suited for modern bluegrass...it has the sweet, clear resonance of pop, but sharp edge of country authenticity."
-Louisville Times

"What a voice! ...full, robust, self-assured and packed with emotional intensity."
-Pacific Bluegrass & Heritage Society

"(Kate MacKenzie) is part of the new wave of strong female voices."
-New York Times

"Minnesota's finest country singer."
-Request

"MacKenzie calls her syle 'swamp grass.' Chances are, you'll just call it good, serious music for folks who want to find something to carry them through...In short, she's a gem."
-Stereo Review

"(Kate MacKenzie) is part of the new wave of strong female voices."
-New York Times

Kate MacKenzie's last two albums with her former band Stoney Lonesome as well as her solo debut for Red House, Let Them Talk, all proved strong outings. Age of Innocence (Red House), her second solo project, however, crosses over into greatness. I listened to the CD over and over for an entire beautiful October afternoon and never once grew tired of it. The performance, material, and arrangements all click from start to finish.

All the potential the Minnesotan has exibited throughout her long career with Stoney Lonesome and on A Prairie Home Companion comes to fruition on this terrific modern bluegrass project. With a bluesy edge to her voice, MacKenzie can range from driving bluegrass, as on the title cut, to singer-songwriter ("Blue Lonesome Wind"), to traditional folk ("Single Girl"). In any setting, she convinces the listener of her total commitment to the song. Experienced as a voice actor on A Prairie Home Companion, she sounds equally at home as the lover left behind on an astounding version of Mick Hanley's "Past the Point of Rescue" to the faux-innocent seductress of the whimsical "What's the Matter With the Mill."

MacKenzie benefits, of course, from a powerhouse support crew headed by producer/guitarist Nick Forster of Hot Rite and the E-Town radio strip. Rob Ickes, the recently crowned IBMA Dobroist Of The Year, from the band Blue Highway, contributes his melodic genius and distinctive rhythm chop to the project. John Reischman, a mainstay of the Good 0l' Persons handles most of the mandolin, while Rounder artist Tony Furtado once a member of Laurie Lewis & Grant Street, provides his intriguing banjo playing. Fiddler Stuart Duncan and bassman Gene Libbea of the Nashville Bluenrass Band lend majesty to Age of Innocence, while NBB's Alan O'Bryant makes cameo appearances on banjo and harmony vocals. It's hard to go wrong with an ensemble like that.

Besides inventively mining some traditional sources, MacKenzie composed or co-wrote four of the ten titles, with "Age oflnnocence" and "Epitaph" providing genuine highlights among a strong set. Red House labelmate Greg Brown, Lit Meyer and Sally Barris also contribute material. Barris' "Standing Still" benefits from a stand-out performance.

This is a killer album with nary a flaw to criticize. My only complaint is that at roughly 35 minutes, Age of Innocence is simply too short. With songs this excellent, I could enjoy a whole bunch more.

Age of Innocence (RHR-91) Red House Records

Age of Innocence 229k .wav Carolina Past the Point of Rescue 193k .wav Blue Lonesome Wind Single Girl/Sally Ann What's the Matter with the Mill? I Can't Stop Myself Epitaph Standing Still Driftless

Let Them Talk (RHR-66) Red House Records

Hearbreak Hill 235k .wav Down on the Riverbed Waitin' out the Storm I Get the Blues When it Rains Forgive and Forget 239k .wav One Wrong Turn He Knows How Much We Can Bear Pan American Boogie Let Them Talk 254k .wav A Woman Like Me 315k .wav

Write to me at 5230 Chapman Ct. S., Salem, OR 97306. You can order the new CD "Age of Innocence," directly from Red House Records by calling 800-695-4687. I hope 1999 will bring you all many blessings...looking forward to seeing you!

Purchasing Information

©1995-2008 Bluegrass Connection