Singer-songwriter/ Producer/ Teacher
Jack Connolly

From a tender age, BC born Jack Connolly felt the call of music and the thrill of dropping a needle on his dad's old records. From age 15 he started a band and began playing in coffee houses on Vancouver Island, recording his first album, Open Stage, in 2001. His second album, 2004’s The Empty Café brought forth critical acclaim and the title of Songwriter of the Year at the Vancouver Island Music Awards. Ever persistent and never liking to get too comfortable with staying in the same place musically, Jack went on to be a regular at folk festivals and local venues, often sharing the stage and earning praise from such distinguished artists as Tom Cochrane, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and Spirit of the West.
In 2009 a yearning for new adventures and experiences pulled Jack east to Toronto, where he continued to refine his craft by playing in selected venues and recording an 8-song acoustic album, Soulcraft, in the process. In 2013 opportunity came knocking for Jack with the news that he was one of six jury-selected finalists from across the country participating in the Canadian Country Music Association’s (CCMA) prestigious 2013 Discovery Program. To say that this inspired Jack to push forward with his musical career and look at his methods in different ways is an understatement, and the Discovery program exposed his sound to a whole new crowd of people who very quickly became fans.
Jack Connolly’s latest album, Great Big Soul, was not originally intended to be an album, but more of a collection of 50 or so songs, several of which were co-written with his father, to tuck away in his notebook. But circumstances shifted for Jack and he found that he was in a position to naturally create an album using 12 of the songs he felt were the best out of the 50. While combining the soulful, heartfelt lyrics of the old country and folk records that inspired him as a child, along with a big rock sound, Great Big Soul has the grandiose energy of a big band.
In 2016 Jack returned to Vancouver Island to teach music at Adage Studio, persue a Songwriting and Production degree from Berklee School of Music and create Heartwood, a dynamic folk duo with songwriter Genevieve Charbonneau. In 2019, Jack produced Genevieve's Heart is a Tower album, which went on to reach the top 20 of the NA Folk DJ charts. A gifted teacher, Jack inspires kids of all ages and continues to thrill audiences with his natural stage charisma, stellar voice and impressive guitar skills.