William Prince is having a banner year

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/07/2023 (835 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The last shall be first, the Bible says.

So it also goes with the 2023 Winnipeg Folk Festival, where William Prince will be the first performer to grace its new mainstage when the event begins tonight at 6:30 p.m.

When the smooth-singing Peguis First Nation songwriter made his folk-festival debut in 2016, his name was the final one on the event’s promotional poster, mentioned in the finest of print.

Seven years later, Prince has three critically acclaimed albums and has made an appearance at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, shared the stage with Willie Nelson at the outlaw-country legend’s ranch in Texas, made network television appearances on CBS and earned a nomination for an Americana award in the United States.

His Juno Award win a year after his folk-fest debut has almost become an afterthought.

A lot has changed in his own life, too.

“I think Winnipeg was my first folk fest. I would have debuted in 2016, a month before my son was born,” Prince remembered in an interview with the Free Press that coincided with April’s release of Stand in the Joy, which earned three Western Canadian Music Award nominations Tuesday.

“I’m so thankful for the love I get here at home… It’s nice to go and play an epic gig and then get to sleep in your own bed and feel at home. It’s going to be great.”

He had that experience last November when he headlined a near-sold-out concert at the Burton Cummings Theatre, where he showed off a polished stage presence, a couple of new tunes and band member Alyshia Grace, would soon become his fiancée.

Prince toured the United States in the spring, and has more dates to come later this summer after he performs at the Cambridge Folk Festival in England on July 30. He also has 14 concerts in Europe in the fall.

He’s building his career but also trying to blaze a trail for other First Nations artists; he feels the more he is seen performing, the more it becomes normal for audiences to see Indigenous performers take the stage.

“A lot of (glass) ceilings to be smashed on this journey and I’m happy to do it so more can come after me,” he said.

Tonight’s folk-fest appearance is the latest step on his trek musical notoriety, one he dreams will never end.

“I hope I never make it. I want to continue making it my whole career.”

Alan.Small@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @AlanDSmall