LORI YATES - ONTARIO'S QUEEN OF ALT-COUNTRY/ROCK
Winner of 2007 Hamilton Music Awards:
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY RECORDING OF THE YEAR
As one of the pioneers of alt-country/ roots music in Canada, Lori's music can be described as a mixture of: country, cowpunk, folk and bluegrass.
The Book of Minerva - her 6th CD - marks her triumphant return with a stellar collection of acoustic-based, old school country songs.
Born in Oshawa, Ontario, raised in the Toronto suburb of Downsview, Lori Yates is a "first generation mall babe", having spent her formative years running wild in the aisles of Yorkdale Mall. Her early influences were: Dolly Parton, Pink Floyd, Tanya Tucker and Suzi Quattro.
Lori began singing and writing at 19 in the punk/new wave band, The Last Resorts. They played legendary T.O. clubs: The Turning Point and Larry's Hideaway. A career highlight was opening for Teenage Head. Lori then formed Rang Tango. Considered one of the pioneers of alt-country/cowpunk in Canada, they came out of the fertile Queen West music scene of the mid '80s that gave birth to Blue Rodeo, Cowboy Junkies, and Handsome Ned.
Scooped up as a solo artist by Sony Nashville, Lori's Can't Stop the Girl was released worldwide in 1989. She toured with: Dwight Yoakum, Steve Earle, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Big Sugar.
Her first introduction to Nashville was a 2 a.m. demo session at Cowboy Jack Clement's studio, produced by Bob Johnston (Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline, Johnny Cash - Live at San Quentin). Marty Stuart played mandolin and Roy Husky Jr. played stand-up bass. Bob Johnston used Dylan demos to "tweak" the board.
In Nashville, Lori co-write with legendary writers: Don Schiltz, Guy Clark, Matraca Berg and Wendy Waldman. Lori recorded a duet in Los Angeles with Gregg Allman (Allman Bros.) for a Patrick Swayze movie ("Next of Kin") produced by David Kershenbaum (Tracy Chapman).
In 1993, Lori signed to VirginMusicCanada and released Breaking Point. Produced by Colin Linden and John Whynot and recorded at Bearsville, Woodstock NY., legendary Rick Danko (The Band) and Jim Cuddy (Blue Rodeo) added harmony vocals.
She toured with Blue Rodeo, Jann Arden, Colin James and Faith Hill. Lori was nominated for a Juno and CCMA award. In 1996, she released her second VirginMusicCanada CD, Untogether, a complete artistic departure. She teamed up with trip-hop trio Opium Concepts to create an ethereal soundscape.
Returning to her roots, Hey Stella! was formed in 1998. Their debut CD, garnished them #1 band in NOW Magazine's readers poll. The band consists of veteran players: Bazil Donovan, David Baxter and Michelle Josef.
In 2001, Lori moved to Hamilton, Ontario, and took up a residency at the Corktown Tavern. This inspired a prolific period of songwriting that harkened in the newest chapter of Lori's musical career. She also plays with the trash/pop band The Evelyn Dicks.
She recently released her 6th CD, The Book of Minerva, on September 20, 2007, to rave reviews. She is currently organizing a full gigging schedule for late fall and winter, 2008.
[Reproduced without permission from Lori Yates' website "Bio" section.]
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