Head Tale

Canadian folk music legend, Willie P. Bennett, died of a heart attack on February 15.  He was 56. 

I best knew Willie as the sideman for Fred Eaglesmith whose band he played in for over 22 years.  But Willie was also widely known for being part of an early wave of Canadian folk music along with artists like Bruce Cockburn and Stan Rogers.  Although he never achieved their level of acclaim, his mentorship of younger folk artists was widely respected.  In fact, a super-group consisting of Tom Wilson, Colin Linden and Stephen Fearing named themselves “Blackie and the Rodeo Kings” after a Willie P. Bennett song. 

Here's a clip of Willie P. solo at the Fred Eaglesmith Southern Picnic in Alymer, ON that Shea and I were lucky enough to attend while we were in London a couple years ago…