Along with her sister Anna, Kate McGarrigle’swas a wry voice dipped in sweet nostalgia. A friend gave me an album of theirs (Love Over and Over) when I arrived in NYC and I was immediately entranced. What was it about those seductive harmonies, often accompanied by an accordian peal? I suspect it tempered the big bad city’s influence–theirs was the sound of innocence melding into maturity, a benchmark and a model for the adult I hoped to grow into. In later years, she’s been notable mainly as the mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright, but not to worry Kate–some cats know.
Above, Kate left, with Anna on their debut album cover