December 21, 2016
The acts selected to open for award winning country artist, Brett Kissel, on the Ontario leg of his upcoming tour have been announced. The winners were selected from close to 100 entries vying to perform with Kissel through the “Kick It With Kissel” contest. Participants were asked to record a video of them performing their favourite original, cover, or Kissel songs and to post it to social media using the “#KickItWithKissel” hashtag. The winners were chosen by a panel comprised of Country Music Association of Ontario board members, Invictus Entertainment, and Kissel himself. “The response to the contest was tremendous,” commented Kissel. “I wish I had room to add more talent.” The winners include: Kansas Stone January 12, 2017 Kiwanis Community Theatre Sault St Marie, […]
December 7, 2016
Sorry for the headline, but I agonized over how to title this, for obvious reasons. Nobody wants to hear about a cost increase and I sure do respect that. So, I lifted some wording that I see regularly included with one of my favourite utility bills (another weak attempt at humour). Whenever I see “changing” I know for sure it doesn’t mean that costs are going down! And so I deliver this news while gritting my teeth, but the fact of the matter is, the CMAO’s costs aren’t going down either. Yes, our main funding sources are via grants and the generosity of Slaight Music, but those applications we fill out are heavily justified specific expenditures that qualify under the funders’ criteria. To keep this […]
December 7, 2016
Country from the cradle, Kelly Prescott was born to sing country music. As a third generation singer/songwriter, music is genuinely in her blood. With the release of her 2016 EP, Hillbilly Jewels, the Ottawa Valley songstress has allowed the country music community to get a closer look at what makes her tick. And after listening to the five song collection, it becomes quite clear that Prescott has made the right decision in following her musical path. With previous albums and recognition, including writing, producing and recording Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official 2015 campaign song with her brother Kaylen, Kelly Prescott isn’t new to performing – but she also isn’t at the point where she’s ready to kick back and relax. A busy stretch on the […]
December 6, 2016
// by Larry Delaney // Toronto-born singer Diane Leigh can be credited with opening the doors for female singers in Canadian country music. She was the first Canadian female artist to be featured as a regular performer on a country TV series and the first female to be recognized with major awards for her recordings, earning her the distinction of being dubbed “The First Lady Of Canadian Country Music.” Diane Leigh began her music career performing with the Pop band The Sapphires, influenced heavily by the recordings of American Pop stars Joni James, Peggy Lee and Julie London. In the early 1960’s, Diane was ‘discovered’ by Vic Siebert of the famed country & western group Sons Of The Saddle and for a short time, she […]