The Good Lovelies

Good Lovelies
Background information
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
GenresAmericana, folk
InstrumentsAcoustic guitar, Electric guitar, Banjo, Keyboard, Bass, Percussion
Years active2006 (2006)–present
LabelOutside Music
MembersCaroline Brooks
Kerri Ough
Sue Passmore
Websitegoodlovelies.com

Good Lovelies are a Canadian Roots/Americana harmony trio, consisting of Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough and Sue Passmore.[1] At their core they can be described as folk-roots, with tinges of pop and western swing.[2]

History

The group's three members, Brooks from Whitby, Ough from Port Hope and Passmore from Cobourg, were all performing as solo artists in the Toronto area when they came together to do a show at Toronto's Gladstone Hotel on December 15, 2006.[3][4]

Forming an instant bond, the three continued working together, releasing their debut EP, Oh My, in 2007, in time for their debut on the folk festival scene at the Ottawa Folk Festival that summer. They released their first full-length album, Good Lovelies, in 2009, and followed up with the Christmas-themed album Under the Mistletoe later the same year. The latter would support the beginning of a long tradition of Christmas tours that continues to present.

Their album Good Lovelies won the Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Group at the 2010 Juno Awards.[5]

Good Lovelies performed at the Australian National Folk Festival in 2011 during their first overseas tour, playing songs from their 2011 album Let the Rain Fall;[6] they also performed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, playing at the Evolution Festival, UK, and other venues around the North East.

In 2012, the band recorded a live concert at Revolution Recording in Toronto, including a performance of their beloved version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. The recording was released as a 16-track CD called, Live At Revolution, which even includes three of their most told stage stories at the time.

2013 saw the Good Lovelies deviate from their regular Christmas tour plans in order to join Stuart McLean on the annual Vinyl Cafe Christmas tour. In 2015, the group release the 5-song EP Winter's Calling, which features a rendition of Winter Song requested by McLean for the Vinyl Cafe tour, as well as their cover of Gordon Lightfoot's, Song For A Winter's Night, performed as a waltz.

In February 2018, Good Lovelies released Shapeshifters, which featured a shift from their usual folk to a more pop music sound.[7][8] They recorded a track on Fred Penner's Juno Award-winning album, Hear the Music.[9] Later that year they performed at Massey Hall in Toronto[10], were nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award,[11] received a SOCAN #1 Award[12] for their song I See Gold.

We Will Never Be The Same was released in 2023. Produced by Joshua Van Tassel and Christine Bougie, the album received a nomination for Contemporary Roots Album at the 2024 Juno Awards[13], and was awarded Producer of the Year and Vocal Group of the year at the 2025 Canadian Folk Music Awards[14].

In April 2024, Armenian-Canadian children's musician and author, Raffi released a collaborative album with Good Lovelies, titled Penny Penguin, which was awarded the Juno for Children's Album of the Year[13] in March 2025.

Discography

  • Oh My! (EP, 2007)
  • Good Lovelies (2009)
  • Under the Mistletoe (2009)
  • Let the Rain Fall (2011)
  • Live At Revolution (2012)
  • Burn the Plan (2015)[7]
  • Winter's Calling (EP, 2015)
  • Shapeshifters (2018)[15]
  • Evergreen (2019)
  • B-Sides (2021)
  • We Will Never Be The Same (2023)
  • Penny Penguin (with Raffi) (2024)

References

  1. ↑ "A Good Lovelies night in Vermilion". Vermilion Standard, November 23, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Sheffield visit for Canadian folk trio Good Lovelies". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  3. ↑ "Good Lovelies offer up holiday fun". Calgary Sun, November 24, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Cobourg’s Sue Passmore of The Good Lovelies reflects on family life and music". Northumberland News, Sep 19, 2016 by Karen Longwell
  5. ↑ "Good Lovelies bring home Roots Album Juno". InsideToronto.com, May 9, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Album Review: Let The Rain Fall - The Good Lovelies". Female First, 9 May 2011
  7. 1 2 "Good Lovelies not afraid to change things up" Winnipeg Free Press, Erin Lebar, 05/31/2018
  8. ↑ "Q: The Good Lovelies on their new sound and latest album Shapeshifters". CBC Radio · February 8, 2018
  9. ↑ "Winnipeg’s Fred Penner wins 2018 Juno Award". Global News, By Logan Caswell
  10. ↑ "Massey Hall memories: Legendary musicians on why playing there meant 'you've arrived'". CBC News, Greg Hobbs · Jun 13, 2018
  11. ↑ "Award nominations for Whitby artists". Sept 27, 2018. Whitby This Week
  12. ↑ Megloranzo, Janeen (2018-03-12). "Exclusive: Getting to Know The Good Lovelies". The Country Note. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  13. 1 2 "Past Nominees + Winners". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  14. ↑ Canada, Roots Music (2025-04-07). "Here are your 2025 Canadian Folk Music Award winners (final list) | Roots Music Canada". Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  15. ↑ "New music: Reviews of this week's CD releases". Winnipeg Free Press, 02/8/2018