THE ANGELA McCLUSKEY FOUNDATION
THE SPARK IS GONE BUT THE LOVE LIVES ON
“Angela McCluskey is a singer songwriter of pathos, beauty, sadness, tempest, magic, love of life and joy.
She is the voice of all things."—Michael Stipe
THE ANGELA McCLUSKEY LEGACY AWARD
We are proud to announce a partnership with The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund in creating the Angela McCluskey Legacy Award. This yearly award is to recognize and benefit somebody who has dedicated their lives to the arts and who, in mid-life or old age—and for reasons beyond their control—find themselves in a period of personal difficulty and subsequently feel isolated.
The $5,000—$10,000 award will hopefully help to ease their immediate needs while the foundation’s members consider longer term collaborative solutions that will help to support the artist’s needs.
This award is in memory of Angela and her overwhelming belief in people. Throughout her life she put people together in the hope they might form a deeper connection and by doing this she affected so many of our lives—not only by her creative matchmaking but by including us all in her social universe— treating everyone compassionately and equally—and it is with that in mind that we have created this award. There will be more details in the coming weeks as we finalize the details of the award’s administration
“Angela McCluskey’s voice will break your heart and gently piece it back together again—all in one
single, unforgettable, breath.”
— Paste Magazine
WINE AND CUPCAKES
Filmmaker Bruce Weber's tone poem to New York City is set in Central Park, where Scottish singer Angela McCluskey and her husband, composer Paul Cantelon, walk to the tune of "Autumn in New York" (performed by Angela).
“Angela is the voice, the wings, the aura, the rings, the cloth, the sail in the wind, the energy, the path, the clear bow, the ethos, the lipstick, the emotional glue, the tone, the end of many beginnings, the golden red, the moon, the sheltering sky, the beauty turned into the echo of the big bang. She is, she will. “— Ruth Bazza
ANGELA T-SHIRT
With the help of the wonderful Pamela Bell at Prinkshop we have created a T-Shirt to commemorate Angela. We intentionally have kept it simple so you might wear it on the days you want to hang out with Angela. There are 3 different options. All proceeds go to the foundation, which at this early stage is designed to help her husband Paul as he negotiates the days ahead as well as protecting Angela’s long term legacy.
“The striking vocals of Angela McCluskey will make you remember the first time you heard Miles blow his horn or Billie sing the
blues. That’s not inaccurate. People bandy phrases like this around, but let it be known that Angela McCluskey is no less than
the real deal.”
– Hits Magazine
"Every so often you trip up or tumble over something which is so very excellent it lights up your heart and might just save your soul – the music of
Wild Colonials is one of those rare somethings.”
- DETOUR
ALL EYES TURN (BIO)
Trying to describe Angela McCluskey in words is not the easiest thing to do. If you met her, or saw her live, you would understand. As a person, she was a force of nature; when Angela walked into a room, all eyes turned as lights dimmed and lit candles magically appeared. In another life she might have been a great painter or writer, but just be thankful that in this lifetime she chose to sing and grace us with her empathy and kindness…...
ANGELA’S MESSAGE FROM
THE FUTURE
This is something Angela posted on her socials shortly before she left us.
“For everybody under 25 this is a message from the future(rant on living too long and if we should even try).
So, I was just musing about people who want to live as long as possible and I thought this would only appeal to me if I could still get around—you know and do stuff I love, like perform, write songs, paint etc—I don’t want to be navigating a zimmer/walker down to the community center to play bingo.
There is literally nothing to do after 70 unless you're in peak form— I mean I’m feeling my knees creek and my eyes focusing more -I mean it hits you like “hey wtf why do I need glasses suddenly to read the New Yorker “
It just happens out of nowhere, Wednesday your fine, Thursday suddenly you have a….
“Angela is an incredible juxtaposition of the greats: Beth Gibbons, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone”
UPCOMING PROJECTS AND EVENTS
We are planning on hosting a concert to celebrate Angela in New York City in early 2026. During the event, in partnership with Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, we will also announce the recipient of the inaugural Angela McCluskey Legacy Award.
PRESS ARTICLES
“If you’ve ever been to a bar, shopped in a boutique, or spent any time doing anything near a speaker, you’ve likely heard the voice of Angela McCluskey.”
- Tidal
“…McCluskey has been releasing incredible solo records, most recently with her second album, You Could Start a Fight in an Empty House. It's a record that bristles with pop tension, haunted by McCluskey's strongest asset: her voice.”
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A board of directors as well as an advisory board is currently being put in place to oversee the foundation as well as Angela’s legacy.