Andrew Huggett Ottawa Manotick Citizen
The
HUGGETT FAMILY
The Huggett Family were Canadian international recording artists who performed traditional and contemporary folk songs with music from the renaissance and baroque periods during the late 1960s to early 1980s. Andrew Huggett Ottawa Manotick Citizen
The Huggett Family in Dorset, England 1972
ABOUT
MEMBERS OF THE HUGGETT FAMILY
The Huggett Family, natives of Ottawa, Canada, consisted of parents Margaret and Leslie and their four children: Andrew, Jennifer, Ian, and Fiona.
In the 1970s, there was a revival of interest in medieval and renaissance music throughout Europe and North America. The Huggett Family were early participants in this movement and played a significant role in finding new audiences for this rediscovered music. They played and sang a unique mixture of folk and early music on contemporary and ancient instruments to audiences across Canada, Europe, and the United States. They considered their shows "entertainments," a happy balance between a concert and a show, and they were equally well received by urban, rural, young, and old audiences alike.
The Huggett Family was one of only two Canadian artists produced by Beatles producer George Martin, the other being Celine Dion. As proud Canadians, the Huggetts toured Canada extensively, performing in over 350 Canadian municipalities, from Fort McMurray to Montreal, Dawson City to St. Johns. They were invited to return to perform in many of these cities multiple times. In Europe, the United States, and Canada, they set many early music box office records that remain unbroken to this day.
This site is a chronological account of the group's 13-year career which started professionally when the children were 14, 12, 10, and 8. It is a story that could only have happened in the 1970s in the wake of the Sound of Music, the Partridge Family, the Osmonds, and the Jacksons when family music groups were all the rage. This was a brief period in history when folk music was considered mainstream, Canada was still predominately eurocentric, and Canadian provincial and federal governments and broadcasters actively promoted unity by sponsoring cultural initiatives across the country. It was a time of relative prosperity for the arts in Canada which quickly disappeared during the economically challenged eighties.
Though the time was right, it would be a mistake to think that the Huggett Family's success came free of hard work and dedication. The Family took personal responsibility for all aspects of their enterprise. They practiced and sang for a minimum of 6 hours a day, were self-managed, drove themselves from one gig to the next, carried their own bags, made their own costumes, and researched and wrote their own shows. Their 13-year journey is unique.
The Huggett Family welcomes you to this site. They appreciate your interest and hope you enjoy reading about their exploits.