Wayne Lavallee is a Métis actor and singer-songwriter from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.Niki Graham, "Lavallee proud of his musical heritage". North Shore News, November 26, 2004.
He began his career with Vancouver's Spiritsong indigenous theatre company in 1990.Shelley Arnusch, "Lavallee unplugged". Pique Newsmagazine, June 10, 2005. His stage roles have included productions of Drew Hayden Taylor's alterNativesPeter Birnie, "Digging in the darkness: Playwright Drew Hayden Taylor seems happiest when his work enters the uncomfortable space surrounding his First Nations heritage". Vancouver Sun, November 4, 1999. and The BuzGem Blues.Peter Birnie, "Straight-ahead comedy looks at true love". Vancouver Sun, April 2, 2004.
Concurrently with his acting career he also performed as a musician in the Vancouver area, later releasing the album Green Dress in 2004.Janine Toms, "Wayne Lavallee, Green Dress". Exclaim!, January 1, 2005. The album won the Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for album of the year in 2004,"Aboriginal music winners named". Orillia Packet and Times, November 29, 2004. was a Juno Award nominee for Aboriginal Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2005,"Juno nominees". North Bay Nugget, February 8, 2005. and won the Canadian Folk Music Award for Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year at the 2nd Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2006."Veteran Lang tops Canadian folk awards". CBC News, December 11, 2006.
His followup album Trail of Tears, released in 2009, won the awards for Best Male Artist, Best Rock Album and Best Acoustic Folk Album at the 2010 Aboriginal Music Awards,Graham Rockingham, "Hat trick for Lavallee at Aboriginal Music Awards". Hamilton Spectator, November 27, 2010. was a Juno nominee for Aboriginal Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2010,"Juno nominations for northern musicians". CBC North, March 3, 2010. and a Canadian Folk Music Award nominee for Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year at the 6th Canadian Folk Music Awards.
In recent years he has composed music for theatre, film and television, including the films The Road Forward,Michael D. Reid, "A quest for Indigenous rights, in song; Marie Clements'The Road Forward is a surprisingly entertaining documentary on B.C. Aboriginal activism". Victoria Times-Colonist, November 17, 2017. Red Snow,Janet Smith, "Marie Clements's Red Snow takes a head-spinning trip through the Arctic and Afghanistan". The Georgia Straight, March 11, 2020. Bones of Crows,Stuart Derdeyn, "Zubot shifts from touring musician to film composer". Vancouver Sun, October 1, 2022. Broken Angel,Tyler Treese, "Exclusive Broken Angel Trailer Previews Indigenous Drama". Coming Soon, October 7, 2022. Lay Down Your Heart, Sweet Summer Pow Wow and How We Stand, the television series Dr. Savannah: Wild Rose Vet, and Taylor's stage play Cerulean Blue.Shawn Conner, "Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, on bus to Dead Rat River". The Province, October 7, 2021. He received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Original Song at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023 for "You Are My Bones", a song cowritten with Marie Clements and Jesse Zubot for Bones of Crows.John R. Kennedy, "Ian LeFeuvre Up For 2 Canadian Screen Awards". iHeartRadio Canada, February 22, 2023.
He also has a small acting role in How We Stand, playing singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson.
References
External links