Stephen Fearing

Stephen Fearing (born 1963) is a Canadian roots/folk singer-songwriter.[1] In addition to his solo career, Fearing co-founded Canadian roots-rock supergroup Blackie and the Rodeo Kings with Colin Linden and Tom Wilson.[1] He is one half of the duo Fearing & White, with Irish artist Andy White.

Stephen Fearing was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and raised in Dublin, Ireland.[2] He returned to Canada in 1981 via Minneapolis, Minnesota,[3] and began pursuing a career in music. Soon after his return, he released a cassette-only, self-titled album in 1986.[4] He was then signed to the Canadian label Aural Tradition. In 1988 he released Out to Sea, which was co-produced by Steve Darke and Fearing in Vancouver. The album was followed by Blue Line, in 1991, which was produced in London by Clive Gregson and features B.J. Cole on pedal steel.

Soon after, Fearing was signed to True North Records. It was also at this time that he began working with manager Bernie Finkelstein. True North re-released Fearing’s first two efforts Out to Sea and Blue Line. His first official release for the label was The Assassin’s Apprentice, in 1994. Produced by Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, the album features musical contributions from Sarah McLachlan and Richard Thompson. It was nominated for Best Roots & Traditional Album at the 1995 Juno Awards.

In 1996, Fearing joined forces with Colin Linden and Tom Wilson to form Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.[1] Originally teaming up to record a tribute album to the work of Ontario-born songwriter Willie P. Bennett,[4] the band has gone on to write and record original material for a series of critically acclaimed albums.

Fearing returned to his solo career with 1998’s Industrial Lullaby.[2] The album features two co-writes with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings bandmate Tom Wilson. It also includes a collaboration with Willie P. Bennett on the track “Coryanna”. The album went on to earn a Best Roots & Traditional Album nomination at the 1998 Juno Awards.

In 2000, Fearing released So Many Miles. Recorded by Colin Linden, the album compiles two nights of performances at Toronto’s Tranzac and is made up of songs from his catalogue and a cover of Neil Young’s “Thrasher”, which he had originally recorded for the 1994 album Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young.