Album Notes

Sailing the Empress of Ireland

On May 29th, 1914, the great steamship liner Empress of Ireland collided with a collier in the St.Lawrence River off the coast of Rimouski, Quebec, Canada. Within 14 minutes the ship capsized and sank. In all, 1012 souls were lost. Out of 137 children on board only four survived. The Empress was one of three great ships that would sink within four years:Titanic in 1912, Empress of Ireland in 1914 and Lusitania in 1915.

The music on the CD is dedicated to the memory of those who were lost on the Empress of Ireland, to her crew, and to the 117,000 immigrants she brought to Canada during her years of service between 1906 and 1914 as a Canadian Pacific Steamship liner, along with her great sister ship the Empress of Britain.

Jeremy Spencer and Susan Spencer: Canadian composers and producers, Jeremy is the great-great grandson of David and Bertha Creighton, who both perished on the Empress in 1914. Jeremy has always felt a special connection to the Empress of Ireland tragedy, and has written five of the songs on the CD as a tribute to the legacy, and to those who lost their lives that fateful night. Jeremy’s connection to the Empress is reflected in the depth and richness of his music, themes and arrangements. Susan Spencer also contributes two original pieces to this CD and her songs mirror the same quality and depth as her colleague Jeremy.


J.P. Ranger: A Canadian singer/songwriter and storyteller who was lured to the tragic story of the Empress of Ireland in October 2006. He first wrote a surrealistic short story fiction of the Empress of Ireland about two of its most famous passengers—actors Laurence Irving and his wife Mabel Hackney who both perished in the sinking in 1914.

J.P. presents three songs on this CD and is accompanied by members of the J.P. Ranger band consisting of Alain Labelle on lead guitar, Louis Bétournay on bass and Gilles Cholette on drums. J.P.’s lyrics, vocals and acoustic guitar playing give the three pieces he presents a folk-rock touch reminiscent of Gordon Lightfoot and Leonard Cohen. J.P\'s songs celebrate the living years of the Empress in her service for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and Steamships from 1906-1914.

Marion Kelch: A Canadian playwright and composer. In 1992, Marion wrote and produced the play “Empress of Ireland” that also included songs she had written about the storied liner. Her music is reminiscent of what it must have been like to listen to someone playing the grand piano in the Music Room of the Empress of Ireland. Marion is also the chairperson of the Empress of Ireland Artifacts Committee, which is an organization dedicated to the preservation of the Empress of Ireland’s historical artifacts and ensuring that these artifacts remain in museums for the public to enjoy and not in private collectors’ hands.


All artist proceeds for the sale of this music CD go to the Empress of Ireland Artifacts Committee so they may continue their great work in preserving, protecting and promoting the Empress of Ireland’s memory and legacy.