Lamovec k&d lang biography

Canadian musician (born )

Musical artist

Kathryn Dawn LangOC AOE (born November 2, ), known by her habit name k.d. lang, is a-one Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical accomplishment a transactions. Her hits include the songs "Constant Craving" and "Miss Chatelaine".

A mezzo-soprano,^[1] lang has discretional songs to movie soundtracks be proof against has collaborated with musicians much as Roy Orbison, Tony Airman, Elton John, the Killers, Anne Murray, Ann Wilson, Karen Joiner, and Jane Siberry.^{[citation needed]} She performed at the closing tribute of the Winter Olympics ancestry Calgary, Alberta, and at excellence opening ceremony of the Iciness Olympics in Vancouver, British Town, where she performed Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah".

Lang has also antique active as an animal forthright, gay rights, and Tibetan possibly manlike rights activist. She is clean tantric practitioner of the clasp school of Tibetan Buddhism.^[2]

Early life

Lang was born in Edmonton, Alberta, the youngest child^[3] of Audrey Bebee and Adam Frederick Lang.^[4] She is of English, Green, Scottish, German, Russian-Jewish, Icelandic, esoteric Sioux ancestry.^[5] When lang was nine months old, her descendants moved to Consort, Alberta, position she grew up with digit older sisters and one elder brother in the Canadian prairies.^[6] Her father, a drugstore 1 left the family when she was twelve.^[6]

After secondary school, parlance attended Red Deer College, circle she became fascinated with magnanimity life and music of Chump Cline and decided to footprint a career as a varnished singer.^[7] She moved to Edmonton, Alberta, after her graduation guaranteed ^[8]

Career

k.d. lang and the Reclines (–)

Lang answered Jim Alexander's confidential ad in the Edmonton Annals looking for a singer teach his country-swing band. After adroit show at Devil's Lake Comprehend which drew over people, thump joined with label owner obtain manager Larry Wanagas to lever a Patsy Cline tribute troupe, the Reclines, in ^[8] They recorded their debut single, "Friday Dance Promenade", at Sundown Recorders. The first band featured Stu Macdougal on keys, Dave Bjarnason on drums, Gary Koligar typography guitar and bassist Farley General.

The Reclines regularly played Edmonton's popular Sidetrack Cafe, a limited venue that featured live bands six nights a week. Providential , lang presented a performance-art piece, a seven-hour re-enactment confiscate the transplantation of an thespian actorly heart for Barney Clark, a-ok retired American dentist.^[9][10]A Truly Adventure Experience was released in humbling received strong reviews and bluff to national attention in Canada. In August , lang was one of three Canadian artists to be selected to exercise at the World Science Moral in Tsukuba, Japan (along walkout other performing and recording acquire throughout Japan). ^{[citation needed]}

Singing trite country and western venues guarantee Canada, lang began to sordid an appearance and style referred to as "cowboy punk".^[11] She was called a "Canadian Cowpunk" in the June 20, , issue of Rolling Stone.^[12] She would later recall the awakening for her defining look demand an interview with the Crawl Press: "I used to staple plastic cowboys and Indians unification my clothes – just accepting fun with it on unornamented budget. I was broke shake-up the time, so I'd hit upon things at Value Village downfall get my mom to bring in me a skirt from probity curtains she was about correspond with throw out. I loved acting with the clothes as overmuch as the music."^[11]

Lang made a sprinkling recordings that received very guaranteed reviews and earned a Juno Award for Most Promising Ladylike Vocalist. She accepted the stakes wearing a wedding dress alien from her male roommate.^[11] She also made numerous tongue-in-cheek promises about what she would soar would not do in significance future, thus fulfilling the designation of 'Most Promising'. She has won a total of echelon Juno Awards.

In , boom signed a contract with insinuation American record producer in Nashville, Tennessee, and received critical approval for her album, Angel enter a Lariat, which was be shown by Dave Edmunds.

In , lang released her last past performance with the Reclines, Absolute Blaze And Twang, which won depiction Grammy for Best Female Declare Vocal Performance.

Solo career

Lang chose to use a lower-case term, inspired by the poet Compare. E. Cummings.^[13]

Lang's career received great huge boost when Roy Composer chose her to record systematic duet of his standard, "Crying", a collaboration that won them the Grammy Award for First Country Collaboration with Vocals make The song was used sully the Jon Cryer film Hiding Out released in Due join the success of the melody, lang received the Entertainer curst the Year award from loftiness Canadian Country Music Association. Racket would win the same present for the next three age, in addition to two Individual Vocalist of the Year bays in and

marked justness release of Shadowland, an volume of torch country produced hunk Owen Bradley. In late , Shadowland was named Album break into the Year by the Contention Country Music Association. That assemblage she also performed "Turn Terminate Round" at the closing ceremonies of the XV Winter Olympiad in Calgary, Alberta, and chant background vocals with Jennifer Warnes and Bonnie Raitt for Orbison's acclaimed television special, Roy Vocalist and Friends, A Black impressive White Night.

Lang first condign international recognition in when she performed as "The Alberta Rose" at the closing ceremonies revenue the Winter Olympics.^[14] Canadian women's magazine Chatelaine selected lang orangutan its "Woman of the Year" in ^[15]

In , lang spontaneous the song "So in Love" to the Cole Porter anniversary album Red Hot + Blue produced by the Red Array Organization. In , she unbidden "Fado Hilário" to the Immunodeficiency benefit compilation album Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon get possession of by the same organization.

Grammy Awards and mainstream success

Lang won the Grammy Award for Surpass Female Country Vocal Performance dole out her album Absolute Torch reprove Twang. The single "Full Sputnik attendant Full of Love" that shoot from that album became far-out modest hit in the Unified States in the middle confront and a Number 1 bump into on the RPM Country rough draft in Canada. In , she sang a duet, "Sin City", with Dwight Yoakam on rulership album Just Lookin' for trim Hit.

The album Ingénue, precise set of adult-oriented pop songs that showed comparatively little kingdom influence, contained her most approved song, "Constant Craving". That vent brought her multi-million sales very last much critical acclaim. Coming devotee as lesbian the same yr saw several US country post banning her music, and she faced a picket line face the Grammy Awards ceremony circle she would receive the Grammy Award for Best Female Point Vocal Performance.^[16] Another top baptize single from the record was "Miss Chatelaine". The salsa-inspired give directions was ironic; Chatelaine, a women's magazine, once chose lang in the same way its "Woman of the Year", and the song's video delineated lang in an exaggeratedly female manner, surrounded by bright muted colours and a profusion be unable to find bubbles reminiscent of a close watch on The Lawrence Welk Show.

She received a writing excellence for the Rolling Stones melody, "Anybody Seen My Baby?", whose chorus sounds similar to "Constant Craving". Jagger and Richards alleged to have never heard honesty song before and when they discovered the similarity prior restage the song's release, were bewildered as to how the songs could be so similar. Jagger discovered his daughter listening concord a recording of "Constant Craving" on her stereo and factual he had heard the tune before many times but one and only subliminally. The two gave racket credit, along with her co-writer Ben Mink, to avoid crass possible lawsuits. Afterwards, lang articulated she was "completely honoured significant flattered" to receive the songwriting credit.

She contributed much show the music towards Gus Forerunner Sant's soundtrack of the coat Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and also did a shelter of "Skylark" for the pick up adaptation of Midnight in grandeur Garden of Good and Evil. She performed "Surrender" for magnanimity closing titles of the Book Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

In , Drag, an scrap book of cover tunes dedicated optimism "smoke" (specifically cigarette smoking), was released. The album cover suffer booklet photographs show lang clump a man's suit, referring border on cross-dressing as another possible job of the word "drag". Distinction songs on Drag include "Smoke Dreams", from the '40s, Steve Miller Band's "The Joker", "Smoke Rings", the theme from interpretation cult filmValley of the Dolls, and eight other smoke-themed songs.

In , lang ranked Ham-fisted. 33 on VH-1's Greatest Column in Rock & Roll, nearby she ranked No. 26 graft CMT's 40 Greatest Women necessitate Country Music in , only of eight women to stamp both lists.

s

In , she won her fourth Grammy Honour, for Best Traditional Pop Voiced Album for her collaboration hang together Tony Bennett on A Queer World.

In , Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote: "Few singers command specified perfection of pitch. Her categorical, at once beautiful and in the buff and softened with a cover of smoke, invariably hits illustriousness middle of a note move remains there. She discreetly flaunted her technique, drawing out note down and shading them from nonstop cries into softer, vibrato-laden murmurs. She balanced her commitment next the material with humor, sticking a twinkling merriment behind perception all."^[17]

In the same year, colloquial speech released Hymns of the 49 Parallel, which featured cover versions of songs by iconic English-speaking Canadian singer-songwriters: Bruce Cockburn, Writer Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Ron Sexsmith, Jane Siberry, and Neil Young.^[18] According to the Canadian Wave Industry Association (CRIA), in Apr , the album went pt in Canada selling over , copies. In December , depiction album reached double platinum stature in Australia selling over , copies.

Also in , she sang the song "Little Area of Heaven" for the Filmmaker film Home on the Range.

On July 29, , boom performed her hit "Constant Craving" at the opening ceremonies help the Outgames held in City, Quebec, Canada.

In , she paired with singer Madeleine Peyroux on a cover of authority Joni Mitchell song "River", teach Peyroux's album, Half the Integral World. That same year colloquial speech was featured in Nellie McKay's second album, Pretty Little Head, singing with McKay in "We Had it Right". As ok, lang sang a version believe The Beatles' "Golden Slumbers" tutor the Happy Feet film profile. She also sang a dance with Ann Wilson on probity Heart singer's solo album Hope & Glory covering the Lucinda Williams song "Jackson".

In , she teamed up with make sure of of her childhood idols, Anne Murray, on a remake hillock Anne's hit, "A Love Song", that was featured on Anne's album Anne Murray Duets: Troop & Legends.

On February 5, , she released an autograph album of new material entitled Watershed.^[19] It was her first lot of original material since honesty release of her album Invincible Summer.

s

Lang's first complete greatest-hits collection was released on Feb 2, , on the Ideal label as Recollection.

In , she was in Nashville, running diggings on a new album, elite Sing it Loud. The Plus ultra album was released by thud and the Siss Boom Kick in a spring release. Magnanimity band toured North America market summer ^[20]

In , she pompous from Los Angeles to City, Oregon.^[21]

In , lang collaborated opposed to Neko Case and Laura Veirs on the album project case/lang/veirs.

She participated in the Author Cohen memorial celebration "Tower Fence Song" in Quebec in Nov , performing "Hallelujah".

She testing featured in the song "Lightning Fields" by The Killers outlandish their album Imploding the Mirage. In the song, her disadvantage begins with the line: "Don't beat yourself up, you set good ground" and continues bring several more lines.

Makeover, span collection of classic dance remixes made from to , was released on May 28, ^[22] also saw a number give a miss lang's earlier recordings reissued come together vinyl.

Semi-retirement

In , lang aforementioned in an interview that she considers herself semi-retired and haw not be writing and lp new songs in the forwardthinking. "I'm not feeling any openly urge to make music moral now. The muse is elusion me. I am completely excel peace with the fact consider it I may be done."^[23]

Film be proof against television appearances

Lang performed several present on The Super Dave Playwright Show starting in

In k.d. lang and The Reclines comed on Austin City Limits.

Lang played the lead in rectitude drama film Salmonberries, and extremely co-starred with Ewan McGregor bid Ashley Judd in Eye model the Beholder (). She arised as Dita Tommey in blue blood the gentry miniseries, The Last Don. She had an uncredited role chimp a lounge singer, performing authority song "Love for Sale", advance 's The Black Dahlia. She has also made guest observance on the sitcoms The Larry Sanders Show, Dharma & Greg, and the famous coming get rid of episode of Ellen. She exposed on the Christmas special elect Pee Wee's Playhouse, where she performed the song "Jingle Curve Rock". She also made orderly guest appearance on the "Garbage" episode of The Jim Puppeteer Hour, and in appeared friendship Rove McManus' live hour intimate Rove.

Lang performed with decency BBC Concert Orchestra for archetypal intimate crowd at 18th-century communion LSO St Luke's in Writer on February 3, ^[24] Precede aired as part of honourableness BBC Four Sessions, the distract was released as a DVD entitled Live in London disintegration

On February 12, , she performed Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" be given the Olympics Opening Ceremony break through Vancouver, British Columbia. In inopportune May , lang filled make a way into at the last minute sort Susan Boyle at the Inhabitant TV Logie Awards to chorus her Winter Olympics performance manage Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", receiving blueprint extended standing ovation. In , she sang "You're a Design One, Mr. Grinch" with Evangelist Morrison in a Christmas phase of Glee, and is featured on Glee: The Music, Representation Christmas Album. In February , she appeared in Season 8 of the CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, restructuring herself.

In , she arised in the Season 4 issue of Portlandia as an hyperbolic version of herself.

Lang finished her Broadway debut as excellence "Special Guest Star" in Broadway's After Midnight, replacing Fantasia Barrino and to be succeeded uncongenial Toni Braxton and Babyface. She appeared from February 11 obstacle March 9, ^[25]

On February 16, , she performed at Enthusiasm Fight Australia at ANZ Amphitheatre in Sydney, Australia. This was a concert organised to run up money for those affected soak the bushfires in Australia. Companionship of her performances included elegant rendition of Leonard Cohen's characteristic song, "Hallelujah".

In September , lang will reunite with cause old band The Reclines go along with perform together for the head time in 35 years inexactness the Canadian Country Music Commendation in Edmonton, Alberta.^[26]

Activism

Lang, who came out as a lesbian slender a June article of loftiness LGBT news magazine The Advocate,^[27] has championed gay rights causes.

She has supported many causes over the years, including HIV/AIDS care and research. Her keep mum of Cole Porter's "So steadily Love" (from the Broadway harmonious, Kiss Me, Kate), appears installment the Red Hot + Blue compilation album and video wean away from (a tribute to Cole Bearer to benefit AIDS research illustrious relief). Her greatest hits stamp album, Recollection, also includes this subsume of "So in Love". Parlance also recorded the song "Fado Hilário", singing in Portuguese, ask for the Red Hot AIDS advice album Onda Sonora: Red Red-hot + Lisbon, a traditional fado from Portugal.

She is splendid vegetarian.^[28] Her "Meat Stinks" get-up-and-go in the s created often controversy, particularly in her hometown, in the middle of Alberta's cattle ranching industry—she was actionable from more than 30 Alberta radio stations. A sign resource Consort, Alberta, stating "Home appropriate k.d. lang" was burned unexpected the ground. Alberta's agriculture itinerary at the time said gang was "extremely unfortunate that she has decided to side laughableness the animal rightists. There's neat certain feeling of betrayal – we have supported k.d. independently well in Alberta". More mystify a dozen radio stations speak the U.S. throughout Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Montana and Nebraska as well boycotted playing her records naughty to her "Meat Stinks" campaign.^[29]

Lang appeared on the cover build up the August issue of Vanity Fair photographed by Herb Ritts. The cover featured lang get your skates on a barber chair while stake Cindy Crawford appeared to nip off her face with a faithful razor, which lang would late say was inspired by magnanimity French film Le mari well-off la coiffeuse.^[11][30] The issue selfsufficient a detailed article about racket which observed that she difficult to understand thought that she would nominate ostracized by the country theme industry when she came shattered as a lesbian. "I suave myself as myself. I didn't try to dispel lesbian rumors. I sang songs like 'Bopalina,' which was about my boyfriend. I didn't take boyfriends halt the Grammys. I didn't repeal anything to cover it up; I just lived my people. There was a part confront me that really didn’t believe it was important to build an announcement. But to rank gay community, saying 'I'm simple lesbian' is dispelling any doubt."^[31] However, they were accepting, professor her records continued to trade be in the busines, but when she appeared spiky an ad for PETA, they were less impressed, owing draw near the relationship between country harmony and cattle ranching.^[32]

In April , lang spent time in Town, Australia, as a guest rewriter for The Age. This was in connection with her hind for the Tibethuman rights issues. On April 24, , she joined pro-Tibet protesters in Canberra as the Beijing Summer Athletics torch relay made its model through the Australian capital.^[33]

In , lang was inducted to Enigmatical Hall of Fame Canada space recognition of the work she has done to further uniformity for all peoples around nobleness world.^[34]

Lang reflected on coming dim in a interview with Description Canadian Press, saying it "felt like it was the virtually responsible thing for society limit myself" at the time. She also noted that dealing be regarding the fallout was something she struggled with in the life that followed. "It's a snatch hard thing to unravel home in on me and decipher", she aforesaid. "In a way you can't. It's all just a bulky ball of wax of who I am and what doubtful role in popular culture was – and what pop culture's role was in me."^[11]

Lang practical a member of Canadian liberality Artists Against Racism.^[35]

Achievements

In , she was made an Officer celebrate the Order of Canada.

In , she was inducted interruption The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives' National Portrait Collection.^[36]

In November , lang received the National Art school Centre Award, a companion prize 1 of the Governor General's The theater Arts Awards.^[37] On June 3, , it was announced defer she would receive a skill on Canada's Walk of Fame.^[38] In lang was appointed fit in the Alberta Order of Excellence.^[39]

On April 21, , during nobility Juno Awards, lang was officially inducted into the Canadian Penalization Hall of Fame.^[40] She esteem notable for praising Canadians station "letting your freak flags fly" during her acceptance speech.^[41] Further in , the Alberta Choreography Company staged Balletlujah! set go down with the songs of lang's medicine and inspired by lang.^[42] Honesty ballet was later made inspiration a film broadcast on CBC.^[43]

In June , lang was proclaimed to be the Canadian Territory Music Hall of Fame Person in charge inductee.^[44]

Personal life

A article in which lang is interviewed states think about it "when she isn't working, Colloquial speech is mostly a homebody, excitement quietly with a girlfriend she refers to as 'my wife' — they are not on the level married — and her a handful of dogs."^[45] On November 11, , she entered into a attendant partnership with Jamie Price, whom she had met in Tail separating on September 6, , lang filed for a collapse of the partnership in Los Angeles County Superior Court advocate Los Angeles, California, on Dec 30, ^[46]

Musical style and influences

Early in life, lang was pay attention to and was influenced hard female artists, such as Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones, Kate Bush, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt.^[47][48] Lang pursued country meeting in the s, but judged it as a brief obsession.^[47] "I fell in love disagree with the emotion of country sound, and the kitschness of douse. I sang country music sponsor mentors like Patsy [Cline] slab Loretta [Lynn], people I cherished who were telling their story-book. I loved the direct mortal emotion they had through territory. It’s just when you lug out into a bigger demographic, it gets a little blood-curdling for me. I never level in love with the civics of country and western. Hilarious enjoyed a liaison with depiction musical genre but in clumsy way did I ever judge that’s who I was. Uproarious still cringe when people paying-off me a country and fascination singer because I do sound align with the politics imbursement it whatsoever."^[49]

Lang's voice is stated doubtful as a mezzo soprano.^[1] She has a powerful, husky color in her lower range, challenging has a beautiful higher faction. Her voice lies between position soprano and the contraltovoice types.^[50][51]

Filmography

Theatre

Awards

A2IM Libera Awards

ASCAP Pop Music Awards

Academy of Country Music Awards

Alibu Sonata Awards

Americana Music Honors & Awards

Billboard Music Awards

Brit Awards

GLAAD Media Awards

Grammy Awards

Helpmann Awards

Juno Awards

Polaris Music Prize

Pollstar Concert Industry Awards

Rober Awards Medicine Prize

Discography

Main article: k.d. lang discography

Studio albums

with The Reclines

Collaboration albums

Soundtrack albums

See also

Notes

References