Gerry Wall was born and raised in Saskatchewan, travelled throughout Canada and eventually settled in Ottawa. He is a singer songwriter who also holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature as well as a Ph.D. in Economics. 

 

"While growing up in Saskatoon, I tried to make a few bucks by delivering a weekly newspaper. Anyone who has tramped outdoors on Saskatchewan February mornings will fully appreciate that toes and fingers should never be taken for granted. One of my deliveries was to the Anderson household where the parents of Joni Mitchell lived. Joni was by that point already a bit of a legend. She opened the door one morning on collection day, surprising me. Although purely fortuitous, I believe that the fact she couldn't pay me, didn't know when her parents would be back, and didn't invite me in to get warm somehow still inspired me to a musical career. Well . . . she did smile at me—both warming and inspirational."

 

Taking his cue from Joni, and hearing a band of Prairie boys called The Mozart Group (who looked like they came from any place but the prairies) perform soaring falsetto harmonies and laying down a cavernous Motown groove, got Gerry hooked on a kind of music with no limits and no pretension. This led him to his unique ‘roots’ sound—call it Canadiana, with an emphasis on the lyrical. 

 

Since 2000, Gerry has released four albums—most recently ex Patriots' Day (2007) which received extensive airplay on Canada's CBC and elsewhere. Tobermory (2000), Returning Fire (2004) and Winter Grass (2006) are filled with deceptively honest song writing. Stand-out tracks include "Fire in Saint Peter's" and "Your Fabulous Life" on the 2004 album, while the title track of the third album "Winter Grass" and "Poor Man's Train" continue to receive critical acclaim.

 

Gerry is working on his fifth album and performs his original music in the Ottawa area.