April 13 2026

John Wort Hannem brings folk sound to northwestern Ontario

John Wort Hannam is an acclaimed Canadian folk musician and we are lucky to have him touring here in our region. He will be giving concerts in Sioux Lookout, Red Lake, Fort France and Atikokan from April 14th through 17th.

Born on the island of Jersey in the UK, John immigrated to Canada at the age of nine, and like a lot of performers, he began his singing career in a choir – the Calgary Boys Choir.

He later discovered the guitar and his knack for writing songs in his early thirties while working as a teacher on the Kainai Nation in Blackfoot country.

In 2001, John quit his teaching job and made himself a promise – he would try his hand at writing songs for 10 months or until his employment insurance ran out. When time was up, he had a handful of songs. Those songs would become his first recording, “Pocket Full of Holes”.

Since then, he has released eight full-length albums and earned several prestigious accolades, including multiple Canadian Folk Music Awards and a Juno nomination.

John was kind enough to speak with us over the phone on route to northwestern Ontario. You can listen to some of his thoughts, feeling and comments in the audio clips below.

This is a singer-songwriter and musician that you won’t want to miss!