Stephen Fearing (born 1963) is a Canadian roots/

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

singer-songwriter."Folk singer Stephen Fearing’s Between Hurricanes written in a burst"
''

Metro International Metro International is a Swedish global media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the ''Metro'' newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41 percent since launch of the first news ...

'', February 13, 2013. In addition to his solo career, Fearing co-founded Canadian roots-rock supergroup

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are a Canadian folk rock– alternative country band with blues and country influences. The band was formed in 1996, in Hamilton, Ontario, by Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing, and Colin Linden. Career Early Period: 19 ...

with

Colin Linden Colin Kendall Linden (born 16 April 1960) is a Canadian guitarist, songwriter and record producer. Linden plays acoustic and electric guitar, specializing in slide guitar, country blues, and ragtime fingerpicking. He frequently collaborates with ...

and Tom Wilson. He is one half of the duo Fearing & White, with Irish artist Andy White.

Solo career

Stephen Fearing was born in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia, and raised in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland."He's got nothing to fear". ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'', December 4, 1997. He returned to Canada in 1981 via

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota,"Fearing's roots entangled with U2". ''

'', September 23, 1997. and began pursuing a career in music. Soon after his return, he released a cassette-only, self-titled album in 1986."Stephen Fearing changing his tunes". ''

Winnipeg Sun The ''Winnipeg Sun'' is a daily tabloid newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is owned by Postmedia following its acquisition of Sun Media, and shares many characteristics typical of Sun tabloids, including an emphasis on local news sto ...

'', January 27, 2007. He was then signed to the Canadian label Aural Tradition. In 1988 he released ''Out to Sea'', which was co-produced by Steve Darke and Fearing in Vancouver. The album was followed by ''Blue Line'', in 1991, which was produced in London by Clive Gregson and features

B.J. Cole Brian John Cole is an English pedal steel guitarist, who has long been active as a session and solo musician. Coming to prominence in the early 1970s with the band Cochise, Cole has played in many styles, ranging from mainstream pop and rock t ...

on pedal steel. Soon after, Fearing was signed to

True North Records True North Records is a Canadian independent record label. History True North Records was founded in Mississauga, Ontario in 1969 by Bernie Finkelstein. By 1971, True North was producing albums for various Canadian musicians, including Bruce Coc ...

. It was also at this time that he began working with manager

Bernie Finkelstein Bernard Finkelstein (born August 12, 1944 in Toronto) is a Canadian music executive and talent manager.McPherson, David, "Bernie Finkelstein's Golden Mountain", ''Words and Music'', Fall 2012 Finkelstein began his career in music as the manager ...

. True North re-released Fearing's first two efforts ''Out to Sea'' and ''Blue Line''. His first official release for the label was ''The Assassin's Apprentice'', in 1994. Produced by

Los Lobos Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") are an American rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such as cumbia, ...

Steve Berlin Steven M. Berlin (born September 14, 1955, Philadelphia) is an American saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer, best known as a member of the rock group Los Lobos and, before that, Top Jimmy & the Rhythm Pigs, the Blasters, and the Flesh ...

, the album features musical contributions from

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...

and Richard Thompson. It was nominated for Best Roots & Traditional Album at the 1995 Juno Awards. In 1996, Fearing joined forces with

and Tom Wilson to form

. Originally teaming up to record a tribute album to the work of Ontario-born songwriter

Willie P. Bennett William Patrick "Willie P." Bennett (26 October 1951 – 15 February 2008) was a Canadian folk-music singer-songwriter, harmonica player, and mandolinist. Bennett was part of the 1970s folk music scene in Canada, and wrote and recorded many origin ...

, the band has gone on to write and record original material for a series of critically acclaimed albums. Fearing returned to his solo career with 1998's ''Industrial Lullaby''. The album features two co-writes with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings bandmate Tom Wilson. It also includes a collaboration with Willie P. Bennett on the track "Coryanna". The album went on to earn a Best Roots & Traditional Album nomination at the 1998 Juno Awards. In 2000, Fearing released ''So Many Miles''. Recorded by Colin Linden, the album compiles two nights of performances at

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

's Tranzac and is made up of songs from his catalogue and a cover of

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

's "Thrasher", which he had originally recorded for the 1994 album '' Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young''. For his next album, ''That's How I Walk'', Fearing enlisted the help of Colin Linden as a co-producer. The sessions for the album took place in Toronto and

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

and featured the backing band of Gary Craig (drums and percussion), John Dymond (bass),

Ben Riley Benjamin Alexander Riley Jr. (July 17, 1933 – November 18, 2017) was an American jazz drummer known for his work with Thelonious Monk, as well as Alice Coltrane, Stan Getz, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ahmad Jamal, and as a member of the group Sp ...

(drums and percussion), and

Roberto Occhipinti Roberto Occhipinti (born March 25, 1955) is a Canadian jazz bassist and composer.James Hale"Roberto Occhipinti" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', April 9, 2007. He is most noted as a two-time Juno Award nominee for Contemporary Jazz Album of the Ye ...

(upright bass). Richard Bell,

Ian Thornley Ian Thornley (born July 21, 1972) is a Canadian rock guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is best known for his band Big Wreck as well as Thornley, his solo project during the 2000s. Career Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Thornley stud ...

(

Big Wreck Big Wreck are a Canadian-American Rock music, rock band formed by Ian Thornley and Brian Doherty in Boston, Massachusetts in 1994. The band was rounded out with David Henning and Forrest Williams. They disbanded in 2002 and Ian Thornley pursued ...

), Leonard Podolak (Scruj MacDuk), and

Shawn Colvin Shawn Colvin (born Shawna Lee Colvin, January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. While Colvin has been a solo recording artist for decades, she is best known for her 1998 Grammy Award-winning song "Sunny Came Home". Early ...

also made guest appearances."Fearing walks on". ''

'', March 16, 2002. The album was mastered by

John Whynot John Whynot (born April 4, 1959) is a Canadian musician, producer, engineer, film score mixer and composer. Originally based in Toronto, since 1989 he has resided in Los Angeles. He has worked with a wide variety of artists including Bruce Cockb ...

. Its cover photo was shot by Margaret Malandruccolo and features art direction from Michael Wrycraft. Considered one of Fearing's definitive works, it was nominated for Best Roots and Traditional Album at the

2003 Juno Awards The Juno Awards of 2003 were presented in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on 6 April 2003. The primary awards ceremony was hosted that evening by Shania Twain at the Corel Centre (now Canadian Tire Centre) and televised on CTV. Ceremony highlights ...

. His next album, ''Yellowjacket'', saw him taking on the role of producer for the first time on his own.

Scott Merritt Scott Merritt is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer.Scott Merritt
at

engineered and mixed the session. The title track was written with Tom Wilson. The idea was spawned following a drive they shared from Nashville to Ontario while taking Yellow Jacket caffeine pills to stay awake. The album features performances from Dan Whiteley ( Heartbreak Hill), Jeff Bird (

Cowboy Junkies Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timminses ...

), backing vocalist Suzie Vinnick,

Josh Finlayson Skydiggers are a Canadian roots rock band from Toronto formed by Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson. Since 1990, they have released 19 albums/EPs and have had a number of singles that have appeared on the Canadian charts. Their most successful album i ...

, Gary Craig, John Dymond and Richard Bell. It went on to earn Fearing his first solo Juno Award, taking home the 2007 Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Solo award. In 2009, Fearing returned with ''The Man Who Married Music'', a best-of collection compiling songs from his back catalogue and featuring two new tracks ("The Big East West" and "No Dress Rehearsal"). Following the release of the album, he left True North Records after 20 years. ''Between Hurricanes'' was released January 29, 2013, on LowdenProud Records. The album features 10 songs written or co-written by Fearing with a bonus cover of the

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...

song "Early Morning Rain"."Fearing finds calm between the storms"
''

The Chronicle Herald ''The Chronicle Herald'' is a broadsheet newspaper published in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada owned by SaltWire Network of Halifax. The paper's newsroom staff were locked out of work from January 2016 until August 2017. ''Herald'' management cont ...

'', February 12, 2013. The record was coproduced by

, who has worked with Fearing on numerous

albums. In 2017 Fearing released his 10th solo album, ''Every Soul's a Sailor''. The album was preceded by the single "Blowhard Nation", an anti-Trump protest song which was released in September 2016 prior to the controversial United States presidential election that year. Recorded primarily at Canterbury Music Company in July 2016, the record was co-produced by Fearing and David Travers-Smith. Gary Craig (drums) and John Dymond (bass), the acclaimed rhythm section for Blackie and The Rodeo Kings for over 20 years, performed on the album.

Rose Cousins A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...

provided guest vocals for the tracks "Gone But Not Forgotten" and "Red Lights in the Rain", and co-producer Travers-Smith plays horns for "Gone But Not Forgotten". The album was named the 2017 Worldwide Album of the Year by Blues & Roots Radio and earned Fearing the 2017 Contemporary Singer of the Year award from the

Canadian Folk Music Awards The Canadian Folk Music Awards are an annual music awards ceremony presenting awards in a variety of categories for achievements in both traditional and contemporary folk music, and other roots music genres, by Canadian musicians. The awards progr ...

. He followed up the acclaimed studio album with a limited-edition, vinyl-only release ''The Secret of Climbing'' on September 10, 2018. Fearing collaborated on the project with two music industry legends: the album's co-producer and veteran engineer Roy Gandy, co-founder of UK-based hi-fi manufacturer Rega Research, and international mastering engineer

Ray Staff Ray Staff is a British mastering engineer, best known for his work with a diverse mix of artists including Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Clash and Black Sabbath. Most recently he has mastered albums for Muse. Biography and career Joini ...

. Fearing has also produced recordings for other artists, including Suzie Vinnick’s Juno-nominated ''Happy Here'' (2008), for which Fearing co-wrote most of the songs.

Fearing and White

In 2011, Fearing collaborated with longtime friend,

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

–born performer Andy White, to write and record a full-length album, ''Fearing & White''. Produced by Scott Merritt at his

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

studio, the Cottage, the record features thirteen songs, written over the course of the duo's ten-year friendship. In 2014 the duo released a second album, ''Tea and Confidences'', on LowdenProud Records.

Discography

Albums

Production

Singles

References

External links

Stephen Fearing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fearing, Stephen 1963 births Living people Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian folk guitarists Canadian male guitarists Canadian alternative country singers Canadian male singer-songwriters Musicians from Vancouver Singers from Dublin (city) Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian folk rock musicians Canadian record producers 20th-century Canadian male singers 20th-century Canadian guitarists 21st-century Canadian guitarists Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Solo winners Canadian Folk Music Award winners 21st-century Canadian male singers Red House Records artists