Stephen Fearing - Solo Career

Solo Career

Stephen Fearing was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and raised in Dublin, Ireland. He returned to Canada in 1981 via Minneapolis, Minnesota and began pursuing a career in music. Soon after his return, he released a cassette-only, self-titled album. He was then signed to Canadian label Aural Tradition. In 1988, he released Out To Sea which was produced by Steve Darke and Fearing in Vancouver. Allmusic.com claims the album is, "one of the finest of that genre." The album was followed by 1991's Blue Line which was produced in London, UK by Clive Gregson and features B.J. Cole on pedal steel.

Soon after, Fearing was signed to True North Records. It was also at this time that he began working with manager Bernie Finkelstein. True North re-released Fearing's first two efforts Out To Sea and Blue Line. His first official release for the label was 1994's The Assassin's Apprentice. Produced by Los Lobos' Steve Berlin, the album features musical contributions from Sarah McLachlan and Richard Thompson. It was nominated for Best Roots & Traditional Album at the 1995 JUNO Awards.

In 1996, Fearing joined forces with Colin Linden and Tom Wilson to form Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. The project started in order to record a tribute album to the work of Ontario-born songwriter, Willie P. Bennett (High or Hurtin': The Songs of Willie P. Bennett), the band has gone on to write and record original material for a series of critically acclaimed albums.

Fearing returned to his solo career with 1998's Industrial Lullaby. The album features two co-writes with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings bandmate Tom Wilson. It also sees Fearing collaborate with Willie P. Bennet on the track "Coryanna." Allmusic.com claims that, "The songs on this album tend to be intensely personal, but feature a fine lyric sensibility that conjures some lasting images." The album went on to earn a Best Roots & Traditional Album nomination at the 1998 JUNO Awards.

In 2000, Fearing released So Many Miles. Recorded by Colin Linden, the album compiles two nights of performances at Toronto, ON's Tranzac and is made up of songs from his catalogue and a cover of Neil Young's "Thrasher." Moshe Benarroch of the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange claimed that So Many Miles is "70 minutes of pure joy and great music".

For his next album, That's How I Walk, Fearing enlisted the help of Colin Linden as a co-producer. The sessions for the album took place between Toronto, ON and Nashville, TN and featured the backing band of Gary Craig (drums/percussion), John Dymond (bass), Ben Riley (drums/percussion), and Roberto Ochipinti (upright bass). Richard Bell (The Band & Janis Joplin), Ian Thornley (Big Wreck), Leonard Podolak (Scruj MacDuk), and Shawn Colvin also made guest appearances. The album was mastered by John Whynot (Bruce Cockburn, Blue Rodeo, Lucinda Williams). Its cover photo was shot by Margaret Malandruccolo and features art direction from Michael Wrycraft. Considered one of Fearing's definitive works, it was nominated for Best Roots & Traditional Album at the 2003 JUNO Awards. Now Magazine claims that That's How I Walk "opens with raw, stripped-down rootsy blues and moves toward gentle, folky ballads balanced by a few swaggering, upbeat acoustic foot-stompers."

“This was done in the most relaxed way I’ve ever made a record, and I hear that in my voice and guitar playing," Fearing said of his next project, Yellowjacket. The album saw him taking on the role of producer for the first time on his own. It also featured Scott Merritt (Fred Eaglesmith) who engineered and mixed the session. The title track was written with Tom Wilson. The idea was spawned following a drive the shared from Nashville to Ontario while taking Yellow Jacket caffeine pills to stay awake. The album features performances from Dan Whiteley (Heartbreak Hill), Jeff Bird (Cowboy Junkies), backing vocalist Suzie Vinnick, Josh Finlayson, Colin Linden, Gary Craig, John Dymond and Richard Bell.

Yellowjacket was heralded as "yet another masterpiece of intelligent songwriting." by Exclaim! Magazine. It went on to earn Fearing his first solo JUNO Award, taking home the 2007 Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Solo award.

In 2009, Fearing returned with The Man Who Married Music. The album is a best-of collection compiling songs from his back catalogue and featuring two new tracks ("The Big East West" and "No Dress Rehearsal"). Following the release of the album, he left True North Records after 20 years.

Two years later, Fearing returned with Fearing & White, his collaboration with Northern Ireland-born performer Andy White. The eponymously titled album was produced by Scott Merritt (Fred Eaglesmith) at his Guelph studio, The Cottage, and features thirteen songs that were written over the course of the duo's ten-year friendship. Penguin Eggs said of the album, "Underlying the excellent, gently rocking arrangements is a fabulous, old-timey pop sensibility – in the best sense of whatever that means to you – and a palpable feeling of joy. I instantly get that Andy and Stephen had great fun making this joyful noise. All projects should sound and feel this good."