"I think you have to take what I do in context and look at the
body of songs I play. What you see is a strong independent woman"- G.Fry
Georgette Fry was born into a Canadian Armed Forces family in
St. Jerome, Quebec in 1953 and spent the first 20 years of her life
regularly moving around to such places as Metz (France), Lahr (Germany)
and Ottawa, Ontario. Having arrived in Kingston, Ontario in 1975 from Ottawa,
Georgette joined her first band a year later and, except for a seven-year
stint in London, Ontario (1987-1994), she insists on calling Kingston 'home'.
Georgette began writing songs while living in London and arrived back in
Kingston in November of 1994, bringing with her a recording grant from the
Ontario Arts Council which brought about the release of her Juno-nominated,
debut release album "Rites of Passage" in 1995.
While touring in Alberta in 1996, CBC radio set out to capture her powerful
stage presence live for broadcast on Saturday Night Blues and that performance
became her second release, "Georgette - Live" which earned her: the Jazz Report
Award for Blues Musician of the Year; two Real Blues Magazine Awards for Best
Canadian Blues Vocalist (1997, 1998), and two nominations for Female Vocalist of
the Year from the Maple Blues Awards (1997, 1998).
She has recently received her third nomination from Maple Blues Awards for
"Female Vocalist of the Year". Andy Grigg writes, " I doubt if there is a better
female blues or rock vocalist in Canada." Real Blues Magazine. Sept 2002.
Georgette is also a talented songwriter and was awarded another grant from the
Ontario Arts Council in 1998, this time in recognition of her songwriting abilities.
Seven of the 12 tracks on her newest release, "Let Me Drive", are Fry originals.
"I was starting to run out of tunes by other people that appealed to me" Georgette
said in a recent interview. "I don't do victim tunes and I like songs that have
attitude." This attitude is exemplified in the title song of the CD and has become
a favourite amongst fans.
John Valentyn writes, " she started writing more because she ran out of other
people's songs that she wanted to do. I wish this had happened earlier, so good are
her songs. Fry has a very good sense of what she can do with her wonderful voice
and her songs, with their effective lyrics, are much stronger for it."
Maple Blues Magazine, May 2002.
Georgette credits Ray Charles and Etta James as influences for her phrasing but her
sound is pure Georgette. Whether she is "shouting" the blues or caressing a ballad,
Georgette moves the audience with her presence and talent.
" not content with being a powerful and expressive singer, Ms. Fry is also a
better-than-average writer able to write rootsy pop-rock numbers and straight
12-bar shuffles, but also slow ballads and romantic jazzy numbers ".
Blues Bytes, (Phoenix Blues Society), June 2002.
A veteran performer on the festival and concert circuit, Georgette receives critical
acclaim wherever she performs. The Daily Gleaner in Fredericton, New Brunswick
writes: "Ms. Fry has a powerful, smoky voice...with the rough edge of experience...
a keening edge of regret and longing to her interpretation". The Boston Herald writes,
" the blues enriches every song, and every vocal shines with that rare commodity:
intelligence. Modern blues seldom gets as personal and mature".
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Awards
1998 Real Blues Magazine Award for Best Canadian Blues Vocalist (Female)
1997 Jazz Report Award for Blues Musician of the Year
1997 Real Blues Magazine Award for Best Canadian Blues Vocalist (Female)
Nominations
2002 Nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year, Maple Blues Awards
1998 Nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year, Maple Blues Awards
1997 Nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year, Maple Blues Awards
1995 Juno nomination in the Best Blues/Gospel category
Interviews/Appearances
Danny Marks - Jazz FM 91.1 (Bluz FM91)
Vicky Gabereau, CBC Radio, Vancouver, BC
Global TV's Entertainment Desk
TV Ontario's Studio Two
Peter Gzowski on CBC's Morningside
Festivals/Concerts
2002 Women's Blues Revue, Toronto, ON
Thousand Islands Playhouse, Gananoque, ON
Stewart Park Festival, Perth, ON
Camden East Bookstore Concert Series, Camden East, ON
Home County Folk Festival, London, ON
Labatt Blues Festival, Toronto, ON
Studio-K Music Series, London, ON
Big Bill Morganfield Concert, Kingston, ON
Sid Williams Theatre, Courtney, BC
McPhearson Theatre, Victoria, BC
Cowichan Theatre, Duncan, BC
Rideau Canal Museum Concert Series, Smith Falls, ON
Georgette Fry and Sue Foley in Concert, Perth, ON
Tours
2002 Hornby Island Blues Society, BC
Three-city tour as finale to Blues Workshop.
1997 The Standard Bank Jazz Festival. Two-week tour of South Africa with
appearances with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Canada's award-winning
Jazz bassist, David Young. Included on compilation CD "The Best of 97".
1996 9 day tour of Alberta - 5 cities and towns. Calgary date recorded
live by CBC for "Saturday Night Blues" and resulted in her second CD "Georgette Live"
CDs
Rites of Passage
Georgette Live
Let Me Drive
http://www.georgettefry.ca/
For more information contact Georgette's manager Nancy Greig
at Absolutely Music: njgreig@absolutelymusic.on.ca