Singer/harpist Loreena McKennitt was born in rural Manitoba, Canada in 1957. The daughter of a livestock dealer, McKennitt grew up playing piano, taking voice lessons and performing in local theater. She took up the harp in 1983 and released her debut album, Elemental, only two years later. McKennitt quickly won critical praise for her literate, Celtic-tinged compositions, expanding her following with several more poetic albums before breaking through to the mainstream with 1992's gold-selling The Visit. Throughout her career McKennitt has relied on a DIY ethic, self-producing and self releasing all her albums on her own Quinlan Road label. Her seventh album, Book of Secrets, was released in 1997.
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