// by Larry Delaney // (#85 in the Ontario Country Music Pioneers Series) Family Brown, an Ottawa Valley-based group, achieved a level of success that has gone unmatched in the Canadian Country music industry. Their trophy shelf is filled with Juno Awards, “Big Country” and Canadian Country Music awards and CMAOntario’s prestigious Impact Award, among many other accolades. During the 1980s, they were named CCMA’s Group Of The Year on seven occasions. The Family Brown act was assembled in 1968 by Joe Brown. He had performed for years; first, as a member of the Nova Scotia-based “Hillbilly Jewels” and later, heading-up the Ottawa Valley group, “The Happy Wanderers”. As several of his talented children showed special interest in music, he formed the act with son Barry […]

// by Larry Delaney // (#84 in the Ontario Country Music Pioneers Series) The Canadian Country music landscape is filled with gifted, creative songwriters. Right at the top of that list is Ontario-bred songwriter, CYRIL RAWSON – the man has 1,155 working titles filed in the BMI Song Registry, and likely tons more sitting in his guitar case waiting to be finished. Music has surrounded Cyril Rawson throughout his years. He was born in Newcastle-On-Tyne, England, and raised in Peterborough, Ontario, where his family operated Rawson Music Stores in town and in nearby Lindsay. Cyril was given the opportunity to be part of that lifestyle, but chose to devote his talents to the songwriting sector of the music industry… There wasn’t much of a learning […]