The Wailin' Jennys

What started as a spontaneous collaboration among three singer-songwriters quickly evolved into the lasting Canadian folk trio the Wailin' Jennys after their shared musical rapport and strong audience reception took hold. Alto Cara Luft, daughter of professional folksingers, had already performed on the Lilith Fair tour in Calgary and issued a solo album, while mezzo-soprano Nicky Mehta brought her own recording, Weather Vane, and soprano Ruth Moody, frontwoman of the roots band Scruj MacDuhk, had released Blue Muse. Their first joint appearance at a Winnipeg guitar shop in January 2002 produced enough momentum to generate additional engagements, prompting the release of the EP Wailin' Jennys later that year. American independent folk label Red House Records then acquired rights to the full-length debut 40 Days and brought it out stateside in August 2004. Luft departed the same year to focus on her solo path, after which the group recruited Montreal-based Annabelle Chvostek; her alto voice appeared on the follow-up Firecracker. In 2007 alto Heather Masse took Chvostek’s place, and the resulting lineup issued Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House in 2009 before delivering the third studio album Bright Morning Stars in 2011. Marking the fifteenth anniversary of their debut performance, the Wailin' Jennys issued the studio album Fifteen in 2017.