Heather Dale: Celtic Singer/Songwriter

Heather Dale, alias Mistress Marian of Heatherdale to those in the Society for Creative Anachronism, is my all-time favorite singer and bard. She performs lyrical ballads drawing on medieval music and myth, particularly Arthurian and Celtic.

Some have compared her to Loreena McKinnett, but of course she has her own style, with an infectious joy in some of her songs that urges you to sing along.

She's an enchanting performer. Anyone who's ever seen Heather Dale in concert will not forget that smile.

Most of all, Heather is a kind and generous soul. She has encouraged, tutored and inspired independent musicians and amateur bards for many years.

This page is a heartfelt salute and thank you from a longtime fan. You've gotta hear this lady sing. (And you can, because she has a fair amount of free music tucked away on her website and YouTube channel.)

What lullaby would Morgan le Fay sing? Here's Heather's haunting answer (fan-made video). It's a fan favorite.

Bard, Dreamer, Free Spirit

I first met Heather Dale about fifteen years ago, when she already stood out as an exceptional performer and bard in our international medieval reenactment organization, the Society for Creative Anachronism. The SCA bards from eastern Canada ("Ealdormere") are some of the best, and she was one of their leading lights.

Since then I've watched from afar as her magical voice and imagination have begun to captivate mainstream audiences as well. Her albums are on sale on Amazon and iTunes. She's toured in North America and Europe. My jaw dropped when I first ran across a YouTube video with a very familiar song ("Mordred's Lullaby") as its soundtrack, but I shouldn't have been surprised. (Please see Heather Dale's FAQ for her policy on fanvids; let's return her generosity by respecting her wishes.)

in addition to writing and performing her own songs, she's also a talented musician: those instruments you hear (bodhran, penny whistle, dulcimer, harp, and more) are played by Heather and her steadfast partner, Ben Deschamps.

Heather Dale is deeply committed to independent music. She maintains her own label, Amphisbaena Music, which has supported and published albums by several other singers, storytellers, bards and indie musicians.

She will always be Mistress Marian to me, that luminous smile shining in the torchlight, pulling us all into a rousing chorus of "Come and Be Welcome" and spreading so much joy as she encouraged us to sing and pursue our dreams. The picture above right doesn't do her justice, but it's one of the few times I brought a camera and stopped singing along just long enough to snap a photo (Pennsic 34, Aug '05).

Here's a better photo...

One of the popular activities in the Society for Creative Anachronism is donning armor, making medieval weapons out of padded wood, and trying to capture something of the feel of medieval warfare and swordfighting (with hopefully nothing worse than bruises).

I was only ever a waterbearer, but Marian sometimes put down her harp and picked up a sword. This is a song about a woman that inspired her.

One of the joys of the SCA is bringing back stories about medieval heroes and legends. Here's Marian's, ahem, Heather's original song about Joan of Arc.

This is ten times more entertaining with the sweet lady acting out all the parts with comic body language and smiling like a perfect angel; the combination is rather incongruous.

It's still fun even if you only have the recording, though.

Here is Heather's Christmas album.

Beautiful, traditional carols reach back to another era, one with Yule logs and Good King Wenceslaus and soaring hymns in European cathedrals. I think you'll be delighted by this collection. (My personal favorite: "Coventry Carol.")

Most of Heather's music is available on Amazon, but I think she gets a greater portion of the sale if you buy it from her own site. Support indie musicians! (On the other hand, she also has a fair number of free-to-download songs available.)

Or go to her YouTube channel. She's put up quite a lot of her songs there, such as...