David Francey always wrote songs, but for much of his life he had no intention to do anything with them.
Working in the construction industry, performing music for a living was far from his mind, and yet the songs kept coming.
He wrote about working people, politics and life in general. And when he did perform his songs, people loved them.
Francey recorded his first album in 1999, called Torn Screen Door, and his follow-up album Far End of Summer, released two years later, earned the Juno Award for Best Roots and Traditional Album – Solo in 2002.
With music taking up more and more time, Francey quit his construction job and focused on performing as his main occupation. It wasn’t as much of a gamble as it looked, he said.
“I didn’t really have much to lose – everything just evolved,” Francey said. “I did wait until after I won the Juno.”
For the first 12 years of his life, Francey grew up in Scotland. His family emigrated to Toronto and his life was filled with weekend drives in the country and family sing-a-longs in the car.
His father and sister sang melody, while he and his mother sang harmony.
He learned to read at an early age, devouring newspapers and books, which helped shape his interest in politics and world events.
It’s politics which continues to form the background for many of his songs.
“Politics keeps rearing its ugly head,” Francey said.
His songs also tell of the hard times and the beauty found in every day life, his songs reflecting the existence shared with his fans.
“Up until I got into this life, I led a pretty ordinary life,” he said. “Folk music has just been chronicling the times.”
Francey has a total of eight albums under his belt, including the most recent Late Edition, released earlier this year. He has a total of four Juno Awards and a Canadian Folk Music Award.
Francey performs a selection of songs from his extensive collection at Nanaimo Centre Stage Nov. 2. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Tickets $20. Please visit www.gigtickets.ca to order, or call 250-754-2264.
For more information on Francey, please visit www.davidfrancey.com.
arts@nanaimobulletin.com