Amy Graham | Cape Breton Singer-Songwriter
Amy Graham is a singer-songwriter from Cape Breton Island whose musical sound draws from Rock, Roots, Folk, Celtic and Country influences.
Musical Roots & Cape Breton Family Heritage
Amy grew up in Judique, Nova Scotia, a small village on the Ceilidh Trail approximately 20 kilometres north of the Canso Causeway. A member of a musical family steeped in Cape Breton traditional fiddle music and Gaelic culture, she began singing, step-dancing and dabbling with the fiddle and piano at an early age.
On her mother’s side, Amy is a granddaughter of renowned Mabou fiddler and composer Donald Angus Beaton and pianist Elizabeth (MacEachen) Beaton, whose musical tradition became widely known through The Beaton Family of Mabou. Her mother, Mary (Beaton) Graham, is an accomplished Cape Breton pianist who carried that tradition into the next generation. Amy’s father, Danny Graham, is a well-known Gaelic and folk singer, and the Graham side of her family also has strong ties to Cape Breton music and step-dancing. Danny’s uncle was Alex Francis MacKay, the renowned fiddler from Glendale, Nova Scotia, while Amy’s paternal grandfather, Alex Graham, was among the step-dancers who performed at the first Judique on the Floor Days Concert in 1957.
Amy’s brother, Glenn Graham, is a Cape Breton fiddler, composer and songwriter. Growing up surrounded by music and dance on both sides of her family helped shape Amy’s own musical path. She also plays acoustic and bass guitar, and her exposure to a wide variety of musical influences helped develop a vocal style that crosses Pop, Rock, Country, Folk and Roots music.
Early Performances
Amy’s earliest public performances reflected the variety of music around her while growing up. She sang her first folk song when she was seven, Alistair MacGillivray’s “Sea People,” at a local ceilidh in Judique and went on to perform folk songs at ceilidhs and concerts throughout Inverness County. She later sang her first pop song at a Winter Carnival concert at her school in Judique and continued to sing at local concerts, often accompanied by her mother (Mary) and sometimes herself on piano throughout high school.
Recording and Touring with Glenn Graham
Amy made her professional recording debut on Glenn Graham’s album Step Outside in 2000. She sang lead vocals on three songs written by Glenn: “Tomorrow,” “Don’t Go Away” and “Whispers from Heaven.” “Tomorrow” was later featured in an episode of Party of Five included in the Fox DVD box set, while “Whispers from Heaven” appeared in an episode of Dawson’s Creek on the WB network. When Glenn released a compilation album in 2007, Amy was again featured as lead vocalist on “Silent Heroes,” another song written by Glenn.
While promoting Step Outside, Amy toured and performed with Glenn and some of Cape Breton’s most innovative musicians. Her appearances included California’s Villa Montalvo, the Celtic Colours International Festival, Stan Rogers Folk Festival, Saint John Festival by the Sea, the East Coast Music Awards, Granville Green Concert Series, the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, Kintyre Farm, the Broad Cove Scottish Concert, Judique on the Floor, Chestico Days, and numerous other venues.
Songwriting and Original Music
In 2001, Amy began pursuing her own songwriting and recorded three original songs. One of those songs, “Sooner Than You Know,” was later featured on the WB network's Dawson’s Creek Season 2 DVD box set, released worldwide by Sony Pictures Television.
Amy later released two additional original songs that received radio airplay. “A Gentleman Always Knows,” written by Amy, received local radio play in 2014. That same year, “Waiting on a Light to Change,” which Amy co-wrote with Jamie Foulds, Tess Carrigan, Glen Carabin and Joe Gillis, received airplay on radio stations across Canada.
Two other songs written by Amy, “Lie Down” and “Days Spent with You,” can be heard here on Amy's Music Playlist, which features some samples of her original songs.