LAURA BIRD BIOGRAPHY

Laura Bird grew up along the St. Lawrence River, in the town of Gananoque, Ontario. She was born into a musical family - her grandfather Dr. Godfrey Bird played viola and piano, instilling his family with an appreciation of 'the arts' that flourished through the subsequent generations. With her parents both being choral vocalists, music is clearly in her DNA.

From the moment Laura saw a CBC documentary featuring a late 1960's Mariposa Folk Festival, she knew she was destined to play. Getting her first guitar at 10 years old and discovering gems in her parents' record collection - Ian & Sylvia, Joan Baez, 1940's jazz standards - this self-taught guitarist was performing by her eleventh birthday. She began attending the Mariposa Festival in the early '70's, drinking in the music that was to shape her adult life. Soon her own record collection included James Taylor, Emmy Lou Harris, John Hartford, John Prine, Steve Goodman and Joni Mitchell; she hung out at the Kingston coffeehouses and followed the careers of Colleen Peterson and Stan Rogers among others. As her musical interests and influences continued to expand, so did her awareness of the 'songwriting craft' itself. She began to explore songwriters like Johnny Mercer, George & Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin and Hoagy Carmichael, ultimately discovering what she fondly refers to as her 'inner lounge lizard'.

By her mid-teens, Laura was playing in her first acoustic folk-roots/bluegrass band, making appearances at local fall fairs and The Wintario Show, as well as performing for institutionalized children at the Brockville Psychiatric Unit. During the mid-to-late 70's she attended college in Kingston, Ontario, where she studied fine arts and graphic design and made her first foray into songwriting and performing at the St. Lawrence College and Queen's University pubs, the Scarecrow Coffee House and even the infamous Prison For Women. Leaving Kingston for Ottawa and eventually settling in Toronto in 1981, Laura continued to hone her skills as a songwriter and guitar player. She became well known on the Ontario Bluegrass 'circuit' making appearances as guest vocalist with the award-winning bluegrass band Blue Mule. By the late '80's she was with a folk-roots quartet (Robert Reid on guitar, John Merchant on mandolin/bass and Jack Walker on Dobro).

In 1990 Laura married husband Javier Santamaria and moved to Orangeville, Ontario where she met songwriter Sharon MacLean. The two women began singing harmony together, sharing writing sessions and often performed locally as a duo. In 1998 Laura and Javier, along with Carl Borgstrom and a few other local music enthusiasts, formed the Headwaters Acoustic Music Society (HAMS) and began presenting the "Live! At the Opera House" concert series. Laura marks the turning point in her career precisely on the evening of March 12, 1999 when she performed an opening set for singer-songwriter Stephen Fearing which was recorded and mixed to disc. Making the live disc a reality inspired Laura to record and co-produce what ultimately became her first full-length studio release, Dreamwalker (August 2000). Collaborators were vital to the process; they included engineer/co-producer Karen Kane, Doug Walker with his entire vintage microphone collection, players from her quartet, and old bluegrass cohorts including violinist Marion Linton, mandolinist Geoff Somers and award-winning harmonica man Mike Stevens, as well as contributions by eventual three-time JUNO award winner David Francey.

Since the release of Dreamwalker, Laura has firmly established her roots in the folk community, appearing at Ontario festivals including the Owen Sound Summerfolk Festival, Quinte Spirit and Clarendon Blue Skies Festival, as well as realizing the childhood dream of performing at the Mariposa Folk Festival at its 40th Anniversary. In 2003, she self-produced a live EP recording of new material along with long-time partner Jack Walker. During the summer of 2004, Laura teamed up with four other female songwriters that culminated in a March 2005 tour in celebration of International Women's Day. She, Tannis Slimmon, Katherine Wheatley, Marianne Girard and blues vocalist Heather Katz formed what was to become 'The Pomelos', who now tour annually during Int'l Women's Week.

Laura's performances and songwriting have garnered both critical praise and recognition following the release of her projects and she consistently strives to improve her skills as a musician, a songwriter, a vocalist and a performer. She also believes in helping others realize their dreams. In addition to her work presenting the HAMS concert series, she is also co-founder of the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award, created to help support and promote the work of emerging Ontario songwriters. She and Shirley Richardson organized events celebrating the artistry of Colleen Peterson, which raised $20,000 to establish this $1,000 award, the administration of which is shared by the OCFF Songs From The Heart songwriting competition and the Ontario Arts Council.

Laura served on the OCFF board of directors from 2004 until 2007 and served eight years with The ArtsCan Circle Board of Directors retiring from this position in April 2008. ArtsCan Circle is a non-profit organization connecting creative artists with First Nations children at risk in remote regions of Canada. In addition to donating her graphic design skills, she managed the instrument donations program for ArtsCan Circle, helping to set up music lending libraries within isolated Northern communities. In June 2005, Laura took her first trip to teach guitar and perform her songs for the Labrador communities of Sheshatshui and Natuashish returning each spring in 2006 and 2007. During that time she also lead a team of musicians visiting the Aboriginal community of Mishkeegogamang in Northern Ontario. Laura looks forward to visiting these communities with ArtsCan Circle members in the near future.

Laura began working with bluegrass/jazz multi-instrumentalist and award-winner Emory Lester in 2005 producing an EP Demo of some new tunes and in 2006 her song 'Heavy Load' was included on the bluegrass compilation project North To Ontario which went on to win Recording of The Year at the Central Bluegrass Awards that year. Her song 'Rosalita' featuring Lester and Mike Stevens on harmonica will be featured on the NTO 2008 compilation project.

Laura and North To Ontario producer Gene Gouthro began recording her new full-length project in the late fall of 2007. Once again Laura has assembled a stellar core of musicians and musical guests, representing the new Fly By Night Orchestra. Fourteen of her compositions will feature the likes of Emory Lester on mandolin, Dave Clarke on guitar, Allison Lupton on flute and many original FBNO members including Mike Stevens on harmonica, Jack Walker on dobro, Geoff Somers on violin and vocal harmonies by her sisters in song The Pomelos featuring Tannis Slimmon, Katherine Wheatley, Marianne Girard, Heather Katz and guest vocalists Chris MacLean and Juanita Wilkins. The CD release concert is scheduled for Saturday November 15th, 2008 at the Orangeville Opera House. This will no doubt mark a new and very positive direction in Laura's musical journey.