Andrea's Biography · 9.06.07
Andrea House is a singer with a penchant for melody. Her voice is reminiscent of the great singers of the 1940’s and 1950’s and her songwriting is dedicated to the exploration of these older forms of music.
Her earliest memories are of church hymns and country music. Records by Tom T. Hall, Don Williams and Dolly Parton made up her parents ‘modern’ music collection. Andrea’s musical education consisted of singing with her Grandma in a small white church in Arrowwood, Alberta, and watching her father pick out anything and everything on the guitar by ear.
Andrea spent her early twenties acting in musicals and theatre productions. She has been nominated for three Elisabeth Sterling Haynes Awards, and won Best Actress in 1990 for her role in “Babes in Arms” at the Citadel Theatre. With the encouragement of her guitar teacher, Terry McDade, Andrea started to play in and around Edmonton and in a short time was embraced by the local folk community, playing for such groups as the Northern Lights Folk Club, Uptown Folk Club and the Alberta Roots Music Society.
Encouraged by community support and the initial success her EP “Twilight, she went to work on her first full-length album in 2003. “Heart’s Hotel” was released to a sold out crowd at the Winspear Rehearsal Hall in January 2004. Since then, Andrea has toured to Winnipeg, Toronto and Ottawa, where she performed at Alberta Scene in 2005. She has played the South and North Country Fairs, the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival and the Edmonton Folk Festival.
Andrea’s most impressive achievement to date, however, is the family she has made with her partner, Chris Smith. Together they parent two lovely girls. Andrea is also very proud to say that she has a degree in French Literature and is a Registered Acupuncturist. In every area of her life, she believes in the joy of doing. So, to this end, Andrea spends her time working, writing music, doing the laundry, playing hopscotch with the kids and playing live shows.