June 2021 – Country Music Association of Ontario

June 24, 2021

Performers Announced for the CMAOntario New Faces & Legacy Revival Drive-In Concerts

THE ROAD HAMMERS, ROBYN OTTOLINI, THE GOOD BROTHERS and more! Announced as Performers for the CMAOntario New Faces & Legacy Revival Drive-In Concerts June 24, 2021 (TORONTO) The Country Music Association of Ontario (CMAOntario) is excited to announce The Road Hammers, Robyn Ottolini, The Good Brothers and more will perform as part of the CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend, taking place September 3 – 5, 2021 at Ancaster Fairgrounds in Hamilton. The CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend will host three drive in concerts in Hamilton including the New Faces Showcase & Concert, the Legacy Revival, and the 9th Annual CMAOntario Awards, presented by Slaight Music. On Friday September 3 the New Faces Showcase and drive-in concert will give fans a chance to take in […]

June 8, 2021

Artist of the Month: Elyse Saunders

Elyse Saunders is a Peterborough, ON native and a 2-time 2021 Country Music Association of Ontario Awards nominee. This talented singer-songwriter has spent the last few years working hard to share her music with country music fans in Canada and beyond. The 2021 Rising Star and Female Artist of the Year nominee’s most recent release, Sunshine State Of Mind (May 14, 2021), is timed perfectly, as we head into the summer months – still searching for our way back to comfort and togetherness and a sense of normalcy. It’s a smooth track, designed for Saunders to show off her vocal skills, groove through the lyrics and take you to another place while you listen. In a social media post a week after the single release, […]

June 8, 2021

Ontario’s Country Music Pioneers: Wendell Ferguson

// by Larry Delaney // (Born: February 28, 1954 – Streetsville, Ontario) (#50 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Wendell Ferguson is the “Mr. Do-It-All” of Canadian country music. A guitar player, a singer, a songwriter, a producer, a band leader, a comedian, an industry executive… and probably a whole lot more. Born and still residing in Streetsville (Mississauga), Ontario, Wendell became fixated on being a guitar player after hearing Chet Atkins play the instrument. Although he took several years of formal guitar lessons, Wendell was off-and-running as a guitar player, fueled more by listening to and emulating the recordings of some of his guitar idols: Chet Atkins, Les Paul, The Ventures and other guitar gods. In 1987, after years of practice and dues-paying, Wendell […]

June 8, 2021

In The Country with Dave Woods: One On One With Meghan Patrick

CCMA, Juno & CMAOntario winner Meghan Patrick visits the show to chat about her new album Heart On My Glass – available June 25th – featuring “My First Car”, “Never Giving Up On You” & “Mama Prayed For”. Meghan also talks about her debut album Grace & Grit released 5 years ago, her vow to always be an authentic artist, winning a Juno (for Album of the Year) during a pandemic, the story behind her #1 song “Walls Come Down”, working on a US music career, what whiskey she prefers and so much more! This year, Meghan has 5 CMAOntario nominations heading into the September 5th Drive In Awards show at the Ancaster Fairgrounds. You can pre-save/pre-add the upcoming album here: MeghanPatrick.lnk.to/HeartOnMyGlass Get the latest […]

June 8, 2021

Patrice’s Pick: Dustin Bird

This month, our feature video from Patrice Whiffen at Country Music Junkies profiles Canadian country music artist, Dustin Bird! Dustin fills us in on his new record deal with Open Road Recordings, and his brand new album, Unscripted. He talks about his journey as an artist, and how this new record is raw and authentically, ‘him.’ For more information about Country Music Junkies, visit www.countrymusicjunkies.com.

June 8, 2021

In The News (June 2021)

This section of the newsletter is comprised of news stories, press releases and links to Internet articles that are sent in by our members who believe they will be of general interest to the membership. We include them as a courtesy to our members but do not verify or edit their content. Their inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by the CMAOntario nor do their contents reflect the views or opinions of the CMAOntario. If you would like to have something included in the newsletter, please send us a short synopsis, a photo or graphic and the hotlink that can be included in the news listing. Submissions can be sent to verle@cmaontario.ca. Please make sure the Subject Line reads “For inclusion in the CMAOntario Newsletter”. […]

June 1, 2021

Canadian Country Artist Discovery: Mallory Johnson (NL)

2017 CCMA Spotlight Winner Mallory Johnson, has been turning heads in the country music scene. Following the success of her ECMA award-winning debut EP, the 5x MusicNL nominee released a digital 45 in 2019 with the singles “Drunk Mind, Sober Heart” and “Hungover,” earning her recognition at the 2019 ISC, The 18th Independent Music Awards, the 19th NSAI Song Contest and the 2020 MusicNL Awards. Most recently, Mallory collaborated with west coast duo Twin Kennedy on a song called “Wise Woman.” The single has already received high praise from publications like The East, The Bluegrass Situation, and Billboard: “[A] gorgeous tale of vulnerability that strikes just the right chord” – Billboard. Coinciding with the single release, Johnson and Twin Kennedy shared a powerful music video directed by Cecil Johnson, […]