Susan Crowe

Crowe's interest in music began when her father and mother enrolled her in piano lessons as a child. While she did not enjoy the piano, she began playing her older brother's guitar. Crowe was writing songs by the time she was 11 years old and performing in coffee houses at age 19.{{Cite news |title=A Special Folk Festival: Calgary's 25th Anniversary|author=Rosaleen Gregory|publisher=Canadian Folk Music|date=1 September 2004}} She performed at coffee houses and folk clubs in the Halifax, Nova Scotia area through the late 1970s.

In 1980, Crowe moved to Toronto, Ontario to further her musical career and help her partner through medical school by working as a waitress and at the Canada Post.{{Cite news |title=As this Crowe flies: Singer-songwriter Susan Crowe sold cappuccinos and lattes from a street-side espresso machine to finance a CD that would end her 13-year hiatus from performing: CROWE: Recording another CD|author=Katherine Monk|publisher=The Vancouver Sun}} Eight years later she moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she worked multiple jobs, including stints as a waitress, art gallery assistant, mail carrier and beekeeper.

Crowe returned to music in 1994 and released her first album, This Far From Home, that same year.{{Cite web |title=Susan Crowe Discography|website=AllMusic|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/susan-crowe-mn0001390912}} The production of This Far From Home was paid for using proceeds from a coffee shop located in the south side of Vancouver that Crowe had opened. This Far From Home was nominated for the 1996 Juno award for Best Roots & Traditional Album: Solo. In 1996 she also released her second album, The Door to the River. Her third album, A Pilgrim's Mirror, was released in 2000. A Pilgrim's Mirror was nominated for a West Coast Music Award.

In the early 2000s Crowe toured the Czech Republic with artists including Katherine Wheatley and Lenka Slaba.{{Cite news |title=Answering the call of the Schoolhouse; Katherine Wheatley and Cate Friensen will reunite at Arkell for one special night|author=Robert Reid|date=17 January 2002|publisher=Kitchener-Waterloo Record}} She joined Laura Smith and Cindy Church to form the trio brava in 2002 at the urging of music agent Chris Hopkins.{{Cite news |title=Solo mates reunite as Brava|date=18 March 2004|publisher=The Vancouver Sun}} brava toured throughout Canada from 2003 to 2004.{{Cite news |title=Smith returns for unique On-stage show at Centre; East Coast singer revels in live shows and prepares for national tour with BRAVA trio|author=Robert Reid|date=30 January 2004|publisher=Kitchener-Waterloo Record}}

Crowe released Book of Days, her fourth album, in 2003. Book of Days was produced by Danny Greenspoon and was nominated for two awards: the 2004 Juno award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Solo, and the 2004 East Coast Music Association award for Roots / Traditional Solo Artist of the Year.{{Cite web |title= Book of Days – Susan Crowe|website=AllMusic|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/book-of-days-mw0001077677/credits}} She also won Music Nova Scotia's 2004 Female Artist of the Year award for her work on Book of Days. Five years later, in 2009, Crowe released Greytown, which was also produced by Greenspoon. Her work on Greytown earned Crowe the 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award for English Songwriter of the year.{{Cite news |title=Plaskett double winner at Canadian Folk Music Awards|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Company|date=22 November 2009|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/plaskett-double-winner-at-canadian-folk-music-awards-1.861364}}

She served as executive producer for All the Diamonds, Raylene Rankin's final album.{{Cite web|title=Documentary: All the Diamonds|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Company|date=3 June 2012|url=http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/documentaries/2012/06/03/all-the-diamonds/}}

From 2003–2004, Crowe toured throughout Canada with Laura Smith and Cindy Church as a member of the group brava. In 2007, Crowe reunited with Church when she, Church and Raylene Rankin formed the group Rankin, Church & Crowe.{{Cite news |title=Good things come in threes|author=Meagan Baxter|publisher=Sherwood Park – Strathcona County News|date=11 October 2011}}{{Cite news |title=One-off collaboration 'clicked' as partnership|author=Tom Murray|publisher=Edmonton Journal}} Rankin, Church & Crowe released a live album entitled Live at Alderney Landing in 2008. Rankin, Church and Crowe toured together until fall 2011 when Rankin underwent treatment for a recurrence of cancer. Following Rankin's death in 2012, Crowe began performing less and concentrating on Corvus Records, her record label.{{Cite news |title=Humour, empathy came naturally to Rankin Family star|author=Jonathan Waddell|publisher=The Globe and Mail|date=9 October 2012|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/humour-empathy-came-naturally-to-rankin-family-star/article4599766/?page=all}}

Susan Crowe founded Corvus Records in 1996 to help independent artists complete recording projects.{{Cite news |title=Jaybirds Fly Through Bluegrass On New CD|author=Larry LaBlanc|publisher=Billboard Magazine|date=5 February 2005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XBQEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22corvus+records%22&pg=PA45}} Artists signed to Corvus include John Reischman, John Reischman and The Jaybirds, John Miller, Nick Hornbuckle, and Susan Crowe.{{Cite web |title=The Story Behind...John Reischman & The Jaybirds|author=Donald Teplyske|date=15 June 2013|publisher=Country Standard Time|url=http://www.countrystandardtime.com/blog/fervorcouleebluegrass/entry.asp?xid=968}}{{Cite news |title=John Reischman and the Jaybirds|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Company|date=13 August 2009|url=http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/dailyplanet/john-reischman-and-the-jaybirds/3126360}} Raylene Rankin was also signed to Corvus Records prior to her death in 2012.

• 1994: This Far From Home
• 1995: The Door to the River
• 1998: A Pilgrim's Mirror
• 2004: Book of Days
• 2009: Greytown

• 1995: Juno Award Nominee in the Best Roots/Traditional Solo Recording category
• 1997: West Coast Music Award nominee
• 2004: Music Industry of Nova Scotia's Best Female Artist Award
• 2004: Juno Award Nominee in the Best Roots/Traditional Solo Recording category
• 2004: East Coast Music Award Nominee
• 2005: East Coast Music Award Nominee
• 2009: English Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.susancrowe.com/ Official site]

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Category:Canadian women singers

Category:Musicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia

Category:Canadian women singer-songwriters

Category:Canadian singer-songwriters

Category:Living people

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Canadian Folk Music Award winners

Category:Singers from Nova Scotia