Marianne Girard

Born in Keswick, Ontario, Marianne Girard lived in a small town but found plenty of activities to stimulate her, including radio, the Ed Sullivan Show and early folk records. A lover of traditional music, Girard left home at age 16 and began playing guitar at age 18. Moving to London, Ontario, Girard became influenced by several folk singers, including Stan Rogers and Willie P. Bennett, Her first performance was November 29, 1972 at the University of Western Ontario. At the age of 21, Girard went to Nashville to hone her craft. More travelling ensued, with stops in New York, North Carolina, Italy and Amsterdam. Performing on television, in studio and around various Festival and university concert circuits, the singer released an album in 1982 entitled When It Hurts on Sailor Records. In 1983 she also performed at the United Nations Peace Conference in Toronto. More studio and session work ensued, but Girard spent most of the nineties raising her children. In 2002, Girard released her long-awaited followup In This Town on My Paint Music. Various newspapers and magazines praised the album for its style and substance. In 2003, the singer appeared at Winterfolk in Toronto as well as Canadian Music Week in March, 2003. She also made an appearance at the Eaglewood Folk Festival the same year.