Hacking released a greatest hits album with four new songs, Skysongs... A Writer's Collection, and returned to more active performing. In 1996, and again in 1997, he was artistic director of the Caledon Folk Festival. A group of Canadian and American songwriters recorded 18 of his songs for a tribute album, One Voice: A Tribute to Norm Hacking, Vol. 1, in 2001. Wayne Marshall of Three Flamingos Music initiated the project. The performers on the album included Michael Peter Smith, Alan Rhody, Mikel Miller, Roger James, Nancy White, Chris Whiteley, Ron Nigrini, Jory Nash, Slowpoke, Jason Fowler and many others. Hacking released I Am The Night, a collection of 33 original spoken word selections – poetry, prose, and lyrics – in 2005. Richard Christy, of the Kingston Whig-Standard, described each piece as "a very real slice of life. They are easy to relate to yet are neither simple nor boring... Hacking, like John Steinbeck, understands the depths of very simple situations and the simplicity of very complicated events." On October 4, 2006, Hacking's mother Kathy died, with Norm at her side. He had spent most of his time since July with her at Scarborough Grace Hospital. Her death came as a profound emotional blow to Hacking, whose health deteriorated noticeably in the last few months, friends said. Along with performing, in 1992 Hacking started writing a column, Racetrack Hack, for Taxinews, a monthly publication for and about Toronto's taxi industry. Death A chronic leg infection limited his mobility in his final years. Norm Hacking died in his sleep from an apparent heart attack in his home on the night of November 25, 2007. "What I admired most about Norm and his songs are their realness, their honesty," said Chris Whiteley. "He made no excuses and his songs were those of a hopeless romantic. His best work was filled with a sense of wonder, and I hope those songs will be around for a long time for others to sing." Discography 1977: Norm Hacking Live 1980: Cut Roses 1988: Stubborn Ghost 1993: A Day in the Studio 1996: Skysongs: A Writer's Collection 1999: The Ache 2003: Orange Cats Make the Very Best Friends (with Kirk Elliot) 2005: I Am The Night 2005: When Cats Go Wrong (with Cynthia Nugent; includes book , publisher: Raincoast Books) References External links Official Website 1950 births 2007 deaths Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian male singer-songwriters Musicians