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Understandably, there will be those quick to include Mae Moore alongside such artists as Sarah McLachlan, Joni Mitchell, and Diana Krall. Yet in many ways, the acclaimed Canadian singer/songwriter stands apart, with a musical vision that remains steadfastly her own. Mae's soulful blend of rock, folk, and jazz carries a unique imprimatur, unencumbered by imitative links to others. That was true in the beginning of her career, and is true today.
Mapping the human heart has long been Mae Moore's calling, and her many fans on both sides of the border prove she's always been good at it. She got her start in the smoky folk clubs and coffeehouses of southern Ontario, later moving on to the thriving club scene of Vancouver, B.C. Her first big break as a songwriter came when she co-penned the lyrics to "Heaven In Your Eyes," the 1985 hit for Loverboy from the "Top Gun" soundtrack. A subsequent demo led to her first recording contract with CBS Records (later Epic/Sony) and her 1990 debut solo album Oceanview Motel. Released in Canada, the album spawned the hit single "I'll Watch Over You." Juno nomination in 1991 - Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year.
From there, Mae left for Australia to record her follow-up album Bohemia (1992), the title track from which went on to Triple AAA and Modern Rock chart success in both Canada and the U.S. Juno nomination in 1993 - Best Video for ‘Bohemia’ directed by Lynne Charlebois, For her 1995 third album Dragonfly, Mae set up shop in her own home, recording the album in those comfortable confines. The single "Genuine" from that album led to a SOCAN Award for Most Played Radio Track. It was around then that Mae undertook the search for the daughter she'd given up for adoption many years earlier. In time, that search proved successful, and now she and her grown daughter are very close.
Mae turned in a 1999 self-titled Big Hip Records release, produced by Jann Arden, followed by a lovingly assembled retrospective album Mae Moore: Collected Works 1989-1999, released in 2000. It offered fans and critics a good look at her remarkable musical growth over the years. At the same time, Mae relocated again to British Columbia, to live in the quiet woods of Vancouver Island, not far from the capital city of Victoria. To record Funny World, Mae once again felt there was no place like home. "It's a wonderful atmosphere," she says, "and far more personal." Producer Joby Baker, a brilliant musician himself, took advantage of every conceivable instrument... including the kitchen floor! The songs for that album are, as Mae points out, "reflective of where I'd been in the years of living by myself. They're about personal growth."
That growth was spurred by her artistic evolution. "I enjoy being a writer these days," she says, "because I do have a lot of life experience and perspective. I always thought of myself as a songwriter first, setting a landscape for each song, seeing things the way a painter does.".Oh My! was recorded with husband Lester Quitzau, and saw Mae return to her stripped down acoustic sound. That album garnered them a West Coast Music Award nomination. A life long visual artist, Mae had her first solo show in the summer of 2007 at the Tumbleweed Gallery in Penticton, BC. Later that year she was awarded a SOCAN Classic Award for 100,000 radio plays for the song ‘Heaven in Your Eyes’, a song she co-wrote with John Dexter.
These days Mae sees greater need for the healing power of music. "More than ever we need to connect in community," she says, "and not feel so isolated. Songwriters bring the world together. That's also my mandate: helping people feel less alone. When she is not in the studio, Mae can be found alongside her husband Lester Quitzau, working their organic garden and heritage apple orchard, or tending their flock of motley , but much loved hens. Mae has gardened organically for 35 years and is most at peace when doing just that.