Famous Canadian Folk Singers

Leonard Cohen was one of the most popular Canadian celebrities of all time. After starting his career as a poet and novelist, Leonard went on to become a famous singer-songwriter, exploring themes like sexuality, religion, depression, and romantic relationships in his work. Leonard Cohen was one of the inspirations for Steven Clark and Matthew Bissonnette's 2002 film Looking for Leonard.

Joni Mitchell is one of the most popular Canadian singer-songwriters. Widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, her songs reflect her feelings about joy, romance, disillusionment, and confusion. Apart from being a musician, Joni is also a visual artist who designs most of her album covers. In fact, she calls herself a painter derailed by circumstance.  

Canadian pop singer Shawn Mendes is known for catchy and soulful folk-pop songs. Stitches, Treat You Better, There's Nothing Holding Me Back, In My Blood, If I Can't Have You and Senorita are some of his popular and chartbuster songs. He was named by the Time Magazine in 2018 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Victor Garber is a Canadian singer and actor best known for his work in theatre, television, and film. Over the years, Garber has received nominations for several prestigious awards, such as Primetime Emmy Awards and Tony Awards. His work in critically acclaimed movies like Titanic, Argo, and Milk was also appreciated with Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

Known for her music that showcases the issues of Native Americans, Canadian-American singer Buffy Sainte-Marie became the first person from any indigenous community to win an Oscar, with the song Up Where We Belong. She had also been blacklisted by many radio stations earlier due to her activism.

Multi-dimensional Persian-Canadian musical artist and broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi is best known for his CBC show Q. Part of the folk-rock group Moxy Früvous, he has also launched a few podcasts. He was dragged into a sexual assault controversy, involving multiple charges, but was later acquitted of all charges.

Canadian folk musician Stan Rogers is remembered both for his baritone voice and for his 6’4” frame. The rock bassist was initially mistaken for Gordon Lightfoot for his singing style. He died in an unfortunate fire on an Air Canada flight in Ohio at age 33.

Born into a family of musicians, Canadian-American folk singer Martha Wainwright initially studied drama but later began her music career, performing at coffee-houses. She is talented songwriter, too and has performed as part of the duo known as the Wainwright Sisters, with her half-sister Lucy Wainwright Roche.

Ron Sexsmith is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He developed an early interest in music and began forming his own bands when he was a teenager. However, he began a serious career in music only after the birth of his first child. He has since collaborated with several artists and released 15 albums. He is also a published author. 

Canadian country singer Stompin' Tom Connors is remembered for his legendary tracks such as Sudbury Saturday Night and The Hockey Song. His many accolades include a Governor's General Performing Arts Award and an honorary degree, though he sent back all his Juno Awards to protest against its qualification guidelines.

Best known for the 1976 track Sonny's Dream, Canadian folk singer and songwriter Ron Hynes is referred to as “the man of a thousand songs.” Beginning his music career with the coffeehouses and pubs of Toronto, he eventually graduated to being named to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Born in Australia, Ruth Moody gained fame as part of the folk group The Wailin' Jennys. The Juno Award-winning singer and multi-instrumentalist is also the former lead singer of the roots band Scruj MacDuhk. Though initially aspiring to be a teacher, she later focused on folk music.

Oscar Brand had a long career spanning over 70 years and released more than 90 albums in his lifetime. The American folk singer roamed around and worked with the likes of Pete Seeger and was also the host of the long-running radio show Oscar Brand's Folksong Festival.

While Harry Hibbs was a factory worker as a teenager, he later began playing at clubs and eventually earned spots on TV music shows. He was part of the Caribou Show Band and The Harry Hibbs Show, and became a pioneer of Newfoundland music. He also owned a nightclub in Toronto.