Well-travelled troubadour tromps into town

It’s tough to beat a true road warrior such as western roots singer-songwriter Gary Fjellgaard. This coming August, the Gabriola Island resident celebrates 40 years on the touring circuit.

“That really says something about the music we do. Our music has a timeless quality. It’s like when the first musician left his town to become a troubadour – that’s what we do. We’re troubadours,” says Fjellgaard, who on Friday loaded up the bus for a mini-tour of Alberta.

Along with The Great Plains – comprised of Darrell Delaronde and Saskia Overbeek – Fjellgaard is dropping by the St. Albert United Church on Sunday, June 2 for a church fundraiser.

“Churches are wonderful acoustically. It’s almost to the point of being ethereal, and churches have an air of being warm and beautiful,” Fjellgaard said.

Over the years, the acoustic-based trio has developed a comfortable rapport with friendly audiences, forking out humourous stories and songs.

Most prairie audiences readily connect with their tunes about calloused hard-working blue-collar folks, farmers, miners and cowboys. And yes, there’s a touch of the windswept lands and living a romantic life in rural simplicity.

Two songs in particular resonate and speak deeply about Fjellgaard. After the federal government apologized to First Nations for the handling of residential schools, Fjellgaard wrote I Apologize, “a tune about an old redneck like me saying I’m sorry.”

And Somewhere on the Island carries a strong environmental message taken from the perspective of a native elder lamenting the loss of an old way of life.

But then there’s also the fun stuff such as Dance With This Old Cowboy, a recording with Brett Kissell that climbed the charts to become song of the year.

“Fans not only love, but completely understand the lyrics to the songs,” writes Overbeek in an e-mail to the Gazette.

Over the years Fjellgaard has criss-crossed Canada multiple times and traveled to Europe to meet his extended fan base. But despite a common touch and extensive popularity, he paid the bills for 57 years as a British Columbia logger.

“Those experiences gave me lots to write about and I was inducted into the B.C. Country Music Hall of Fame and won a Juno for it,” Fjellgaard notes.

The elder statesman of music first learned to play a guitar at age six partly from passion and in part out of necessity.

“When I was a little kid growing up in east-central Saskatchewan, the only entertainment we had was a battery radio. We heard Wilf Carter, Eddie Arnold and a lot of other western singers.”

He was so intrigued by the guitar, he picked up his brother’s unused instrument, started pickin’ and never looked back.

Through the decades Fjellgaard has fronted bands and sung solo. Years ago when Overbeek asked him to participate in the recording of a charity CD, they had no way of knowing it was the beginning of an enduring partnership.

“She would do the phoning and booking for me, while she and Darrell were the opening act. We’ve been involved so long they’ve become an integral part of each other’s act. It makes it a fun evening and it’s always full of surprises.”

With 16 albums to his name, Fjellgaard can pick and choose from his vast catalogue.

“The beauty of not having monster hits is that you can drag up songs you haven’t heard for years and sing as if they were the first time,” he says.

“So come out to the show. We guarantee a relaxed time and an introspective moment or two, a few tears and a few laughs.”