• November 2, 1961
• Considered by many to have one of the most beautiful and distinctive voices in music, Kathryn Dawn Lang – known professionally as kd lang – developed a career that defies description. Beginning with her entry into the music industry as country singer with a unique style, then moving to her crossover pop smash album Ingénue, and then perfecting her craft as a crooner, lang has shown a versatility matched by few of her peers. Tony Bennett, who performed with lang on the 2002 album A Wonderful World, called her "the best singer since Judy Garland."
• Lang's debut album was the country offering A Truly Western Experience in 1984. It was a modest success, but her breakthrough came when she was chosen by Roy Orbison to collaborate on a remake of his classic "Crying." When they finally met to record the song, lang said that the two singers had a "tonal connection" that she liked to think "came from a spiritual place." The single won a Grammy in 1989. The following year, lang won a Grammy for the critically acclaimed country album Absolute Torch and Twang. However, lang's outlandish style, which she referred to as a "hootenanny wingding, daddy-o of a good time," did not mesh well with Nashville and she was never completely accepted by the Country music industry.
• The crossover album Ingénue, featuring the radio-friendly hit single "Constant Craving," marked lang's departure from a pure Country singer. The album was nominated for four Grammy awards in 1993 and lang won for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Later that year, she inducted Etta James into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her career took another turn in 1995 when she collaborated with Bennett on Moonglow. Following the success of A Wonderful World and now firmly wearing the label of crooner, lang stepped back from the spotlight for several years. Asked if she had regrets about that period in her life in a 2010 interview for Maclean's, she said no, but added she was "really glad it's in the past."
• Lang was thrust back into the spotlight with her performance at the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The native of Canada gave a stirring rendition of "Hallelujah," written by fellow Canadian Leonard Cohen. Her version was lauded by many in the media, but lang believes that the version done by the late Jeff Buckley is the best of them all.
• In 2011, lang moved away from her image as a crooner and released the album Sing it Loud with her band Siss Boom Bang. She described it to interviewer Tavis Smiley as her "sassier side" with a bit of her "country DNA showing." When asked how lang can withstand jumping from genre to genre and still be a successful musician, Rolling Stone contributing editor Alan Light said in 2011 that lang's choices have been "very smart," although it all begins with the power of her singing. "Hers is a voice that persevere through different trends.
• A panel of producers and hosts From Canadian national network CBC compiled a list of the 25 Greatest Canadian Singers Ever. They announced on March 31, 2013 that Lang had topped the survey, followed by opera singer Maureen Forester, The Guess Who rocker Burton Cummings and folk songstress Joni Mitchell.
• Her first musical influences were classical. Lang told Mojo magazine: "All my siblings were accomplished pianists, so I got Chopin, Haydn, Beethoven and Bach for hours and hours everyday, which I think developed my ear."

Comments

More Songfacts:

FrankensteinEdgar Winter

"Frankenstein" by Edgar Winter got its name because it was a monster to edit; they pieced it together like Frankenstein's monster.

I Will SurviveGloria Gaynor

There was only one Grammy ever given for Best Disco Recording. It went to "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor.

The House Of The Rising SunThe Animals

"The House Of The Rising Sun" is a traditional folk song, either about a brothel or a prison.

SkyscraperDemi Lovato

Demi Lovato recorded a Spanish version of her song "Skyscraper," but she doesn't speak Spanish. She performed it on a Latin music awards show with help from a teleprompter.

Cradle Of LoveBilly Idol

When singing "Cradle Of Love," Billy Idol typically changes a line to, "This song is so cheesy."

Crazy TrainOzzy Osbourne

"Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne is about the Cold War concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (M.A.D.) should any nuclear missile be fired.

Editor's Picks

Taylor DayneSongwriter Interviews

Taylor talks about "The Machine" - the hits, the videos and Clive Davis.

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New YorkSong Writing

Our chat with Barney Hoskyns, who covers the wild years of Woodstock - the town, not the festival - in his book Small Town Talk.

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he InspiredSong Writing

Before he was the champ, Ali released an album called I Am The Greatest!, but his musical influence is best heard in the songs he inspired.

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.