Back to her roots

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/10/2024 (534 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cathy Fink, a fixture of the 1970s Winnipeg folk music scene and a breakout star of the first Winnipeg Folk Festival in 1974, is back in town for a pair of performances this weekend with her partner Marcy Marxer.

Performing together for over 35 years, the folk artists — who play the banjo, the ukulele, the mandolin, the guitar and a creation called the cello-banjo — have been nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning back-to-back honours in 2004 and 2005.

Saturday night, Fink and Marxer take the stage at the Crescent Fort Rouge Arts Centre (525 Wardlaw Ave.) as the guests of honour at an all-star, old-fashioned kitchen party hosted by Daniel Koulack (Finjan). On Sunday, the duo visit the Fort Garry Hotel to perform with Jazz Winnipeg’s ongoing concert series in the historic downtown hotel’s wheelchair-accessible lower-level Club Room.

Originally from Baltimore, Fink began playing in the Canadian bluegrass and traditional scenes in 1973 in Montreal where she formed a partnership with multi-instrumentalist Duck Donald. Together, they released multiple albums and toured extensively, moving to Winnipeg in 1974, the same year the folk festival began at Birds Hill Park.

In 1977, Janice Keya of the Free Press wrote that what interested Donald and Fink wasn’t just song-singing, but song-rescuing.

“They have a special affection for old-fashioned country tunes, a musical style which has been sadly neglected in recent years,” she said.

Koulack, who’s helped to organize the Saturday night affair, met Fink when he was 12 years old and she was 22.

“She gave me a banjo workshop and didn’t charge me money for it. She basically taught me how to teach myself,” he says.

Shortly after, Fink’s career took her back to the U.S., where she won state-wide banjo-playing competitions and soon linked up with Marxer, whom Koulack calls an extraordinary musician in her own right.

A few months ago, Koulack says he was catching up with his friend and mentor when Fink brought up the idea of a return to Winnipeg.

“I thought it could be fun to put on a show and get a bunch of great musicians together,” he says.

Koulack called upon his Rolodex, building a lineup that includes Fink and Marxer along with songwriter Ted Longbottom and three-time Canadian grandmaster fiddler Patty Kosturuk; Myron and Victor Schultz of Finjan; Leonard Podoluk of the Duhks; Steinbach singer David Graham; guitarists Lindsey and Quintin Bart; and a trio of young musicians named Cai, Jonah and Shiloh Hebert.

“They’re absolutely top string players in town,” says Koulack, whose children Ameena and George will also perform Saturday night.

Admission to the Crescent Arts Centre show (7:30 p.m.) is $20 (free for children 12 and younger). The Jazz Winnipeg show is Sunday at 7 p.m., with tickets ($22) available at jazzwinnipeg.com.

ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com