Kate McGarrigle

Kate McGarrigle (born February 6, 1946, Montréal, Quebec, Canada - died January 18, 2010, Montréal, Quebec, Canada) was a Canadian multi-instrumentalist folk musician, singer-songwriter. Her music is a mix of Gallic style, from her roots in French-Canadian folk music, and bluegrass and country. The use of the accordion is particularly distinctive in her work, but she was also an accomplished pianist and banjo player.

In the late 1960's Kate toured the North-Eastern US on the folk club circuit in a duo with Roma Baran. After marrying Loudon Wainwright III she went busking in London with him, before returning to settle in New York state. She began circulating tapes around Greenwich Village, of herself and sister Anna performing. This attracted songwriting credits for names such as Linda Ronstadt and Maria Muldaur, raising the profile of the sisters and garnering them a recording deal with Warner Bros. Music. The sisters went on to have much success in the mid 1970's to early 1980's as Kate & Anna McGarrigle. She was made a Member of the Order Of Canada in 1994.

In 2006, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called sarcoma. Two years later she set up The Kate McGarrigle Fund to assist in raising awareness of this condition, which raises money through donations from concerts by her friends and relatives. She is the mother of Martha Wainwright and Rufus Wainwright from her marriage to Loudon Wainwright III.

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