Lennie Gallant

Shall we vote Lennie Gallant as one of the seven natural wonders of Canada?

After eight albums, three Juno awards, fifteen East Coast Music awards, and one induction into the Order of Canada it isn’t hard to see that our Lennie is a force of nature.

Neither is it hard to see that there is something quintessentially Canadian about the music and the man: On Friday night at the Calgary Folk Club, Gallant championed the cause of our wounded soldiers returning from overseas, regaled us with stories of his music journeying in space with a Canadian astronaut, and even sang songs in both our national languages.

Indeed, Gallant’s own love of Canada – and especially the east coast – was apparent throughout his performance. During his introduction to his song “The Pull of the Fundy Tide,” he drew attention to the fact that this beautiful and unique section of Canada (it has the highest and lowest tides of any body of water anywhere) is on the list to become one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

So the question asked at the beginning of this post was specious. There is no way for us to vote in Lennie as one of our natural wonders alongside the Rocky Mountains, Niagara Falls, and the Aurora Borealis. But if you are inclined, you can vote for him online in CBC Radio Two’s Great Canadian Song Quest. It seems the country is starting to wake up to the fact that Gallant is, indeed, one of our national treasures.

Of course, the guy from Rustico, PEI would be the first to deflect such hyperbolic praise of his work. After all, his songs deal with the small stories of people and places, not the “big” stories of country and identity. But it is exactly these small stories - the lives, struggles, and dreams of ordinary people – that make up the fabric of Canada.

Even Gallant is beginning to acknowledge that he may have “made it” as a nationally recognizable figure. During his first set, he told a story about how he became the answer for a newspaper crossword puzzle. “I am now officially a songwriter with a clue,” he said, much to the delight of the crowd.

The show at the CFC on Friday night contained everything that fans of Lennie Gallant have come to expect over the years: soulful singing, consummate story-telling, snappy guitar-playing, joyous sing-alongs, and, of course, new and old favourites. Gallant’s career may now span more than twenty years but part of his original appeal, according to one enthusiastic female fan I spoke to, is also still intact: “He is definitely the sexiest folk singer in Canada!” she said.

I wonder if there is an online poll for this we can vote on?