By Mike Stevenson | January 13, 2026
Tonight on THE KINGSTON COFFEE HOUSE, we celebrate the music of our neighbor to the North, a nation whose vast landscapes mirror the depth of her musical artistry. We’ll hear songs from 60’s-era folk icons Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen – as well as a few lesser-known Canucks (David Wiffin, Ron Sexsmith, Mary Margaret O’Hara) whom I expect will become favorites.
Listen to a full replay of “O Canada”, below
GLORIOUS AND FREE
– The Royal Canadian Mounties “O Canada”
– Neil Young “Ohio” (Young) 1970 CSNY So Far
– Dolly, Linda & Emmylou “After the Goldrush”(Young) Trio II, 1999
– Gordon Lightfoot “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” The Way I Feel, 1967
- WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNIN’
– Ian & Sylvia “Early Morning Rain” (Lightfoot)1965
– Gordon Lightfoot “Steel Rail Blues” Lightfoot, 1966
– Ian & Sylvia “Katie Dear” Newport Folk Festival 1964
– Ian & Sylvia “Someday Soon” Newport Folk Festival 1964
– We Five “You Were On My Mind” (Sylvia Fricker)You Were on My Mind, 1965 - HEROES IN THE SEAWEED
– Neil Young “Til the Morning Comes” After the Goldrush, 1970
– Rick Danko “Twilight” (Robertson) The Best of Mountain Stage 1989
– Joni Mitchell “Morningtown” Ladies of the Canyon,1970
– Joni Mitchell “California” Blue,1971
– Leonard Cohen “Suzanne” - RING THE BELLS THAT STILL CAN RING
– Perla Batalla, Julie Christensen “Anthem” (Cohen) I’m Your Man
– Jesse Winchester “Sham a Ling Dong Ding” Love Filling Station, 2009
– Steve Barakatt “O Canada” (instrumental piano) - GAILGRAITH ST. GOODBYE
– Kate & Anna McGarrigle “Kiss And Say Goodbye” Heart Like a Wheel, 1976
– Ron Sexsmith “Gailbraith Street”, Ron Sexsmith 1995
– Neil Young “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” After the Goldrush, 1970
– David Wiffin “Skybound Station” Coast to Coast Fever, 1973
– Jerry Jeff Walker “More Often Than Not” (Wiffin”)Bein’ Free, 1970
– Joni Mitchell “You Turn Me On I’m a Radio”, For the Roses, 1972
“Cause who needs the static – it hurts the head”
- WHISPERING PINES AND CALLING ANGELS
– Lucinda Williams & Boz Scaggs “Whispering Pines” (Robertson/Manuel)
– Cowboy Junkies “Mining for Gold” (trad) The Trinity Sessions, 1988
– Jane Silberry & KD Lang “Calling All Angels” When I Was a Boy, 1993 - STILL I WISH YOU’D CHANGE YOUR MIND
Neil Young “Comes a Time” (1976) Comes a Time, 1976
Neil Young “Four Strong Winds” (Tyson) Comes a Time, 1976 - ALL THE PEOPLE WERE SINGIN’
– Daniel Lanois “Jolie Louise” Acadie, 1989
– Joan Baez “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (Robertson) Blessed Are, 1971
– Gale Garnett “We’ll Sing in the Sunshine” (1964) • Grammy winner 1965 for Best Traditional Folk Recording - PROBABLY BE ROOM IN HEAVEN
– Ocean “Put Your Hand in the Hand”, 1971
– Cindy Walker “Blue Canadian Rockies” (C Walker) 1964
– Judy Collins “Someday Soon” (Tyson) Who Knows Where the Time Goes? 1968
– Ann Murray “Danny’s Song” (Loggins) 1972 - BIGGER AS WE GO
– Bruce Cockburn “You Get Bigger As You Go” Humans, 1980
– Mary Margaret O’Hara “Dear Darling” Miss America, 1984
– Jennifer Warnes “If It Be Your Will” (Cohen) Famous Blue Raincoat, 1986
– Toronto Symphony Orchestra “O Canada” (en francaise) - GOODNIGHT / HARVEST A NEW DAY
– Rufus Wainwright & Andrew Bird “Harvest” (Young) Folkocracy, 2023
– The Band “It Makes No Difference” from The Last Waltz
– Mary Margaret O’Hara “Anew Day” Miss America, 1982
Toronto’s Mary Margaret O’Hara. One critic observed, “Her angelic voice seems to be almost a cross between Doris Day and Bjork”
SHOW NOTES:
In the second hour of the show, I read a bit from public television’s popular travel guide Rick Steves’ open letter to Canada
Additionally, you can visit the Rick Steves Europe blog for an enlightening and (sometimes) encouraging interview with two prominent Canadian authors sharing their perspective on today’s strained political relationship between the US and its northern neighbor. [FREE]
