Celebrating a birthday today is k.d. lang, born Kathryn Dawn Lang in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Canadians have been enjoying k.d. lang since 1983, when she was performing what she called Cow Punk Music, which was really a combination of Country, Rockabilly, and Rock and Roll, all delivered with a unique attitude. Watch:
However, she was still considered an underground artist. As the WikiWackyWoo explains:
Lang first earned international recognition in 1988 when she performed, as “The Alberta Rose”, at the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.[10]
Lang’s career received a huge boost when Roy Orbison chose her to record a duet of his standard, “Crying, “ a collaboration that won them the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 1989. The song was used in the Jon Cryer film Hiding Out released in 1987. Due to the success of the song, Lang received the Entertainer of the Year award from the Canadian Country Music Association.
Lang would win the same award for the next three years, in addition to
two Female Vocalist of the Year awards in 1988 and 1989.
After that, there was no holding her back. Canadians have to share this gigantic talent with the rest of the world. But, we’re used to that.
Here’s just some more examples of k.d. lang’s incomparable talent, starting with her cover of another Canadian tune, Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah:
