Jay Semko
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Jay Semko is a singer/songwriter and bassist with Canadian band, The Northern Pikes.[1] He is also a music composer for numerous film and television productions, most notably the successful Canadian television series Due South. Semko has been nominated for a Juno Award eight times as a member of the Northern Pikes, and also been nominated twice for a Gemini Award and received two awards from the Canadian Music Publishers Association for his songwriting.
His hometown is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
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[edit] Biography
Semko's first solo album, Mouse was released in 1995 following the (at-that-time) end of The Northern Pikes in late 1993. During this time, Semko was music composer for the Due South television series, (Pilot movie and 66 episodes 1994-1998, with co-composers Jack Lenz and John McCarthy), for which he received two Gemini Award nominations (1995 and 1996 - Best Original Score in a Dramatic Series). He subsequently has scored numerous other television series and films (see IMDB resume), and has released five solo albums. The Northern Pikes reunited in 1999, and continue to record and perform.
As a songwriter, Semko has co-written in Nashville and Canada with such writers as Willie Mack, Gilles Godard, Andrew Fromm, Roger Springer, Larry Haack, Jack Lenz, Tim Taylor, Steve Fox, Daryl Burgess, Sean Hogan, Paul Gross, and David Keeley. He has recorded with other artists including Garth Hudson (of The Band), the late Stan Celeste (of Jackson Browne & Crosby, Stills and Nash), John Sebastian (of The Lovin' Spoonful), Crystal Taliefero (of Bruce Springsteen & John Mellencamp), Margo Timmins (of Cowboy Junkies), Bob Egan (of Wilco & Blue Rodeo), Ashley MacIsaac, and Serena Ryder. He has toured with such artists as Bruce Hornsby, Robert Palmer, Tom Cochrane and Peter Frampton.
In addition, Semko's voice can be heard as the narrator for a number of documentaries, television and radio commercials, and has been involved in other projects including writing the music for a permanent installation at Saskatchewan's Western Development Museum. Semko has also co-produced a number of other artists, including Screwtape Lewis and Kim Fontaine. Since 2009, Semko has performed at the International Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN, South By Southwest in Austin, TX, and was a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest Gospel/Inspirational Category for "Jesus Is Gonna Help Me"
Semko released his most recent, self-titled album in August 2010 on Busted Flat Records, distributed through Universal Music in Canada. Semko's entire solo catalogue has now been re-released through Busted Flat. In November, 2010, Busted Flat Records released "Heartaches & Numbers", the first album from Semko Fontaine Taylor, a Saskatchewan folk/roots trio consisting of Jay Semko, Kim Fontaine and David J. Taylor. Semko's most recent projects include composing the score for "Dust Up", a six-part reality TV series airing on History Television, and touring across Canada in support of his latest album. Semko was nominated in June, 2011 for Songwriter of the Year in the Western Canadian Music Awards for "Before You Leave Canada", a song from the 2010 "Jay Semko" album.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Mouse |
| 2005 | Love Will Set You Free(3 song EP) |
| 2006 | Redberry |
| 2006 | Merry Christmas |
| 2007 | Live at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum |
| 2008 | International Superstar |
| 2010 | Jay Semko |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN AC | CAN | |||
| 1995 | "Strawberry Girl" | 22[2] | — | Mouse |
| 1996 | "Times Change" | — | 36[3] | |
| 2008 | "She Won't Be Lonely Long" | — | — | International Superstar |
| 2010 | "Comeback Kid" | — | — | Jay Semko |
| "Let's Wake Up the Moon" | — | — | ||
| 2011 | "Nobody's Watching" | — | — | |
| "That Kind of Blue" | — | — | ||
| "Party in the Parking Lot" | — | — | TBD | |
| 2012 | "Big Feet Big Shoes" | — | — | |
[edit] References
- ^ Pettipas, Keith. "Biography: Northern Pikes". AMG. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p13824/biography. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- ^ "RPM Adult Contemporary for November 27, 1995". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.2815&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=jn625m6ssjioev51vm12cg7617. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- ^ "RPM Top Singles for March 4, 1996". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.2906&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=jn625m6ssjioev51vm12cg7617. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
[edit] External links
- Jay Semko - Official Website
- Innerviews interview with Jay Semko
- Busted Flat Records - Record Label
