There’s something about Valdy’s music that makes it memorable; between his soothing voice and captivating guitar, his songs have that comforting factor that make you want to always keep listening.
Paul Valdemar Horsdal (aka Valdy) is a Canadian folk and country musician.
With a career spanning nearly half a century, Valdy’s music has not only been a staple to our folk music industry, but an inspiration to Canadians nationwide. His songs of peace and joy have influenced audiences for decades and now he’ll be sharing them in An Intimate Evening With Valdy at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Feb. 10.
Valdy’s career took off when the then 23-year-old Ottawa native performed for an uninterested crowd at the Aldergrove Rock Festival in 1968. As a folk performer, the audience’s heckling and ridicule inspired him to write Play Me a Rock and Roll Song, which later became one of his biggest hits.
“I was hired as a folk singer to go and play at a rock festival,” said Valdy. “I was out of place… I got the reception I deserved, let’s put it that way. They wanted rock, they gave me a hard time about it, and I got a great song out of it.”
Valdy ended up defeating other Canadian musicians including Anne Murray, the Guess Who, and Neil Young for the 1972 Moffat Canadian Talent Award. He’s also won two Juno awards for Folk Singer of the Year and Folk Entertainer of the Year, as well as seven other nominations. He was awarded the National Achievement Award by SOCAN in 2005, and was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2011.
He has sold nearly half a million copies of his 13 albums, four of which are certified gold. Three of those albums were recorded with Canadian musician Gary Fjellgaard, and the duo still regularly tours together.
Valdy also has a few television appearances to his name, including Canada AM, Open Mike with Mike Bullard, and a lead role in an episode of The Beachcombers.
An Intimate Evening With Valdy’s unique cabaret style, with drinks allowed in the theatre for those over 19, is sure to create a performance that will give the audience an up close and personal look into Valdy’s iconic career.
Valdy will be taking the stage at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre’s Rotary Hall Studio Theatre on Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $35/adults, $32/seniors, and $30/youth, and can be purchased at the Centre Box Office, online at www.chilliwackculturalcentre.ca, or by calling 604-391-SHOW(7469).