Canadian folksinger, Valdy (vawl-dee) grew up in Ottawa the son of a portrait photographer Paul Horsdal and Lillian Horsdal (néé West) a nurse, writer and independent thinker. Valdy and his wife Kathleen (artist, sculptor, writer) live in Western Canada, where they share a lakefront home with 2 cats and 3 dogs on British Columbia’s Southern Gulf Islands.

Immediate family are: daughter Chelah (24) of Vancouver, sons Theo (25) of North Vancouver, Yani (23) of the Sunshine Coast, and sisters Elsa (retailer- Love My Kitchen on Saltspring Island) and Marlyn (publisher – Horsdal Schubart Publishing of Victoria, BC).

Remembered for "Play Me a Rock and Roll Song," his bitter-sweet memory of finding himself, a relaxed and amiable story-teller, facing a rambunctious audience at the Aldergrove Rock Festival circa 1968, Valdy has sold almost half a million copies of his 13 albums, has two Juno Awards, a total of seven Juno nominations, and four Gold albums to his credit.

Along the way, he's taken his music to a dozen different countries from Denmark to Australia, been an invited performer for five years in a row at the prestigious Kerrville Festival in Texas, and played a lead role in an episode of The Beachcombers. Valdy tours close to two hundred days each year performing in theatres, community halls, school auditoriums and a string of festivals and clubs. He plays from coast to coast in Canada and continues to be an effective musical ambassador abroad. Valdy also enjoys producing, arranging for ensemble or vocals, and is involved in music publishing.