James Keelaghan is one of those artists whose music I love that often gets lost in the shuffle. His album House of Cards was released back in 2009 and, for the longest time, wasn’t available on Rhapsody or Napster. The other day I finally found it on Rhapsody, and James has another winner!
2026 Update:
Looking back more than fifteen years later, I still think House of Cards ranks among Keelaghan’s finest albums. Revisiting it reminded me just how timeless his storytelling is and why he remains one of my favorite Canadian singer-songwriters.
About James Keelaghan
Keelaghan is another of my many Canadian favorites. He was born in Calgary but now calls Winnipeg home.
He is a Juno Award winner, and many of his songs have a historical basis. “Kiri’s Piano” tells the story of the internment of Japanese Canadians, while “October ’70” was inspired by the FLQ Crisis in Canadian history. Other songs, such as “Cold Missouri Waters,” take listeners south of the border, recounting the story of the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire in Montana.
For me, Keelaghan is the complete package: a rich baritone voice, strong guitar work, and, above all, exceptional storytelling. One of my longtime favorites is “Number 37,” a wonderful song about a young woman and her horse competing in a rodeo.
Keelaghan says this about his songwriting:
“I’ve always had the urge to write,” says the Calgary native who has been calling Winnipeg home for the past few years. “Some things weren’t being said in the way I wanted to say them. Some things were not being written about at all. That’s why I started to write the historical material. That led me to writing my own personal narratives as well.”
He lists his influences as:
Early on: traditional Irish and English ballads, Liam Clancy, Ewan MacColl, sprinkled with Led Zeppelin, Santana, Neil Young, Jesse Winchester, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cockburn, and Valdy. This was followed by Captain Beefheart, The McGarrigles, King Crimson, Talking Heads, Stan Rogers, Jonathan Edwards, Alan Stivell, Paul Brady, Andy Irvine, Emmylou Harris, Norma Waterson, Nic Jones, Nick Drake, and Pied Pumpkin.
House of Cards
House of Cards (2009) was produced by James Keelaghan and features ten original songs, some co-written with Karine Polwart, David Francey, and others. On my first listen, the tracks that stood out were the title song, “House of Cards,” inspired by the 2008 financial meltdown, and “McConnville’s,” a warm portrait of a neighborhood bar and its regulars.
Here’s how Terry Wickham, producer of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, sums up Keelaghan’s music:
“James has become the complete artist. A brilliant tunesmith who has become one of the most engaging performers of our time. You always know the journey with James is going to be great; you just never know what all the destinations are. That is why the curve on his career continues to rise.”
Here’s James performing “McConnville’s” from House of Cards.