Meet Lowry

Lowry Olafson was born in Lahore, Pakistan, where his father worked with the United Nations. Upon returning from overseas the family settled on the Canadian prairies. Lowry's mother taught piano and he began playing piano at the age of five. He studied violin at the Regina Conservatory from age nine and was a member of the Regina Junior Symphony. He then added the guitar and songwriting to his musical accomplishments at eleven. He began public performances early, singing a wide range of material from folk to musicals. At age thirteen, the family moved to the Maritimes where Lowry continued performing throughout his high school and university years.

He began touring and performing and developing as a professional musician across Canada. A tour of Southeast Asia turned into a stay of four years in Australia, where his numerous adventures provided colourful material for his stories and songs.

Based in Perth, Western Australia, he played guitar, fiddle and mandolin for a variety of bands ranging from traditional folk to a sci-fi new wave band and renewed his studies in violin and music composition.

Lowry returned to Canada in the early 80's while continuing touring internationally to such events and venues as the Australian National Folk Festival and the Hong Kong Folk Club. In 1992 he released his first album, Wind and Rain. Several more recordings met with popular success, leading to his 1998 release of Little Mysteries, named the Number One New Release of the Year by Jurgen Gothe, host of CBC's Disc Drive.

He has performed with musicians such as Odetta, Dar Williams and Bill Morrissey, at numerous festivals, and at the legendary campfire sessions of the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. He has also appeared at Nashville's renowned Bluebird Café, and continues to tour in Australia and Southeast Asia, as well as North America.

He relocated to Gibsons on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast in 2001 where he renovated a heritage house and built a recording studio. He has released nine CDs on his independent label River Records.