Music of the West
By Hugh McLennan
Aug-Sep 2007
Contenders Two
Valdy and Gary Fjellgaard
A couple of Canadian legends, Valdy and Gary Fjellgaard are still going down the road, still pickin, singing and still writing songs about the heartland. I think a lot of the infectious appeal of these two ol’ pros is that they perform, not because they need to but because they love to. They do it their way and that’s what makes it work.
Their writing is still fresh, and so is their playing. Fans know these two guys are fine acoustic guitarists, and Gary has pretty well mastered the mandolin in the last couple of years. I think being accompanied by Tammy Gislason on stage a few times might have had something to do with it.
These are a few of the great lines in Gary’s original song Billy Miner:
Billy had a fast horse and he made his getaway
That was back in the boots and saddle days
back when Billy robbed trains
And Valdy’s song, VLT is a great story that you’ve got to hear to understand.
It was a good solution to noise pollution,
but try to tell that to the cops!
Gary’s song Gold Fever has a narrative that comes from riding through meadows of fireweed, seeing the faint tracks of the wagons that brought the gold seekers to the hills of the Cariboo.
The boys pulled out a few classics from other composers to round out the collection. Seven Spanish Angels and River Stay Away From My Door are a couple of notable ones.
Order this one from canadiancowboy.ca
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