Born January 27: Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies), a family affair...

She was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1961. Her entire singing career was spent with the delightful (and delicious) Cowboy Junkies.

Of the six children, four have at one time or another contributed to this unique musical family history. Even today, almost four decades after their debut album “Whites Off Earth Now!!!” (1986), Margo continues to write lyrics of fragile delicacy and poetry, while her brother Michael hones and refines his guitar arpeggios at her side. 

When she's not recording with her two brothers Michael and Peter, who are still with her today, she vacillates between city life in Toronto (Canada) and the peace and quiet of the countryside. More often than not, she opts for the venerable century-old farmhouse she acquired with her husband in Grey County, Ontario. Unsurprisingly, it's in this timeless setting that she admits she feels most at home.

In the twenty or so albums they've released since 1986, the Cowboy Junkies have remained both true to themselves and subtly different. As the years go by, Margo's voice has gained depth and maturity, but retains that touching fragility that's all her own.

One of their most acclaimed albums is “The Trinity Session”, recorded in 1988 under live conditions and featuring a heart-rending cover of Lou Reed's “Sweet Jane”. The band appreciated this exercise in improvisation, and repeated the process with “Trinity Revisited” (2007) and “Sharon” (2022), which featured pedal steel guitar accompanied by a little accordion. And, you know what, their latest studio production “Such Ferocious Beauty” (2023) lives up to its title admirably. A pure gem!

(Stéphane Soupart - Tr.: MH - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: Margo Timmins with the Cowboy Junkies on stage at the Beurschouwburg in Brussels (Belgium) on June 22, 1989.