It was just their luck the Winnipeg female folk trio The Wailin' Jennys happened to be at a music conference in Florida last February when country superstar outlaw Waylon Jennings breathed his last It was just their luck the Winnipeg female folk trio The Wailin' Jennys happened to be at a music conference in Florida last February when country superstar outlaw Waylon Jennings breathed his last.
They had only been together a matter of weeks and had really only joined forces for a one-off show but the response was so good they figured they'd keep it going for a while, see where it led. A friend from a local guitar shop had come up with the name and it turned out to be a great little calling card.
Except the folks at the Florida music conference thought they were making fun of their country icon and reportedly were quite annoyed about it.
In their short career together that's probably the only negative review Cara Luft, Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta have received. Each enjoyed her own career in the rich Winnipeg roots/folk world before they got together early this year to play that gig at Winnipeg's Sled Dog Music Store and Cafe.
Playing the guitar, mandolin, flute, keys and drums and deploying amazing harmonies they pulled out some obscure roots songs, a handful of originals and a few interesting covers such as the Waterboys' Mike Scott's "Bring 'Em All In" and Emmylou Harris' "Deeper Well."
The response was immediate. Offers for work poured in, more than any of them could fetch on their own, and they spent the summer playing folk festivals from Winnipeg to Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver Island.
You can see The Wailin' Jennys tonight at the Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir at Seymour (tickets $8 guests, $6 members). Get there early, it'll be packed.