Leahy

Leahy (LAY-he): noun, verb, adjective.   A family.  A musical group of brothers and sisters, a sound, a style of music, a way of life, a volcanic explosion of  talent and energy, intense emotion, and feral passion.   Leahy is a Canadian powerhouse of eight musical brothers and sisters who have been playing together their entire lives.  The band’s three acclaimed CDs—Leahy, Lakefield, and In All Things—have world-wide sales of over half a million copies.   The family continues to move forward as musicians and performers. Winter 2007 saw them release their first ever live DVD and CD.  PBS audiences are currently watching Leahy’s third television special. They are also in the midst of working on their second DVD and live CD, which are to be released in 2008.  On their recent American tour, new audiences learned that this family of instrumentalists, singers, and dancers brings a rare level of originality and musicianship to the stage. This originality includes music that Leahy writes, arranges, and produces. Known for their unique blend of musical styles and genres, their repertoire is more distinct than ever.   All that  audiences need to do to understand the style that has come to be known as “Leahy” is look at their awards—Junos for Best New Group, Best Country Group, and Best Instrumental Album, the most played folk/roots song in Canada in 2004 and the Socan award for Folk/Jazz instrumentalist the following year.   Their self-titled album rose to number four on the Billboard world music charts and found its way onto the soundtrack of the award-winning movie The Hanging Garden. On stage Leahy brought 175 audiences to their feet when they opened for pop-star Shania Twain on her inaugural world tour.   Leahy brings their whole being to each and every performance. Their life story reads like a Hollywood movie; a large family raised without a television on a farm in the small town of Lakefield, Ontario, Canada. In fact, their life story was so compelling that it became the subject of an Oscar winning documentary—The Leahys: Music Most of All.  The film foretold the success that would follow.   Pure, authentic—Leahy continues to be one of Canada’s most sought after exports.