Bill Gallaher, based in Victoria, British Columbia, is one of the most original songwriters in Canada. Frequently mining Canadian history for his memorable songs, Gallaher's work is akin to that of Stan Rogers and James Keelaghan, two other writers with a gift for capturing Canadian history in lyrics. For several years Gallaher teamed up as a duo with his music partner, Jake Galbraith, bass player, guitarist, and harmony singer. The duo released three cassette albums under the name Bill Gallaher & Jake Galbraith: The Grand Illusion (1989); Home to the Island (1991); and The Road West (1993). The highlights of these recordings were compiled into a CD, The Last Battle: The Best of Bill Gallaher & Jake Galbraith (1995), making them available to a wider audience.

Gallaher songs such as "The Last Battle," about the last stand of the Métis in the Riel Rebellion, "Augustus and Catherine," about Augustus and Catherine Schubert, westward-bound pioneers who trecked from Winnipeg to BC, and "Newfoundland Sealers," about exploited young men in the seal-hunting industry, have become as integral a part of the Canadian folk repertoire as Stan Rogers' "Northwest Passage" or Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain." This wonderful CD is a essential purchase for any fan of Canadian folk music. After the release of this album, Bill Gallaher and Jake Galbraith received the Porcupine Canadian History Award for their work.

More recently Gallaher added two additional artists to his group. Now billed as Bill Gallaher with Harmony Road, Harmony Road consists of Jake Galbraith, Mike Jones, and Maureen Campbell. The new, richer sound is featured on Across the Divide (1997). Gallaher fans will be delighted to find new material here that matches up nicely with his earlier work. The opening track, "The Wild McLean Boys" is a modern, more sophisticated, treatment of the famous BC shooting spree incident than the "Four Rode By" version featured on Ian & Sylvia's Northern Journey album some thirty years earlier. Across the Divide also includes more of Gallaher's humour, including "The Good Guys Wore White Hats" and a sequel to "The Male Bonding Song" called "All You Need Is a Rock." The combination of Gallaher's trademark twelve-string guitar rhythms, his pleasant singing voice, excellent backup and harmony from the rest of the group, and memorable songs mark this as another album you'll want to add to your collection.

The Last Battle: the Best of Bill Gallaher & Jake Galbraith *
1995 Bill Gallaher / Theatre Erebus (BGM 1002)

The Last Battle; Augustus and Catherine; Shadow Boats; 1914 (The Grand Illusion); Male Bonding Song; Newfoundland Sealers; The Hold Up; Mary and the Seal; Traveller's Song; The West in Her Eyes; Canadian BBQ; Three Dollar Dreams; The Chilkoot Pass; The Ballad of Ginger Goodwin 72:08

Across the Divide *
1997 Bill Gallaher (BG01)

The Wild McLean Boys; The Good Guys Wore White Hats; We Danced; Fishing with John; A Song for Angela; The Promise (Narration); The Promise (Song); All You Need Is a Rock; I Will Be the One; Lunenburg Town; Gift of the Sea; Sufferin'; The Newfoundland Sealers; The Company Man; The First and Last of Your Kind 71:49