Newsletter – Page 16 – Country Music Association of Ontario

September 14, 2021

Artist of the Month: Jessica Sole

From small-town Shelburne, ON and ready to make waves in country music, Jessica Sole has arrived. Her new single, Think Of Us, was released to digital platforms and country radio in mid-August, and is already picking up steam through playlists, streams, and spins. The track has landed on curated playlists at Amazon Music, and made it to Sirius XM CBC Country, cracking the Top 40 on the CBC chart just two weeks after its digital release. With inspirations like Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift, Jessica Sole has dug into her songwriting and sound, carving out her space and building her audience as she goes. Those inspirations shine through in Think Of Us, with early Swift-esque storytelling and charm from beginning to end. On […]

September 14, 2021

Ontario’s Country Music Pioneers: Sylvia Tyson

// by Larry Delaney // (born: September 19, 1940 – Chatham, Ontario) (#53 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Sylvia Fricker was born September 19, 1940, in Chatham, Ontario. While still a teenager, she moved to Toronto to pursue her interests in singing and soon crossedpaths with Ian Tyson. Shortly after they met in 1959, they began collaborating vocally and as songwriters, composing songs together and individually. Within the year, they launched the duo Ian & Sylvia, attracting attention to their folk/country music throughout North America, highlighted by what would become a Canadian classic: Four Strong Winds. Sylvia and Ian were married June 26, 1964. They recorded a dozen albums and by the late 1960s, were fronting the country/rock band Great Speckled Bird. During this time, […]

September 14, 2021

In The Country with Dave Woods: One On One With Bree Taylor

Ontario’s Bree Taylor – recently nominated for a 2021 Mississauga Arts Award (MARTY) in the Music: Solo Vocalist — Emerging category – began writing her own songs when she was a teen and found early success with her pop debut EP Unbreakable. Shortly after, she found herself drawn to the country genre – and her fans came along for the ride. Bree’s 2020 single “Cry” gained an impressive 70,000+ organic streams, and her most recent single, “Burning Bridges” soared to #1 on the Canadian Indie Charts in October of last year (#17 of 50 in Indie Songs ranked overall for 2020). Bree’s new single “Kryptonite” has her looking truthfully at the relationships that draw us in regardless of the heartbreaking consequences. Written by Bree and […]

September 14, 2021

Patrice’s Pick: Emily Clair

This month, our feature video from Patrice Whiffen at Country Music Junkies profiles Canadian country music singer/songwriter, Emily Clair! Emily talks about staying busy during the pandemic, co-founding The Songbird Series, and so much more! Emily also shares the story behind her sultry new tune, “Drive Me Home,” and what’s next for this rising star! For more information about Country Music Junkies, visit www.countrymusicjunkies.com.

September 14, 2021

In The News (September 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”. […]

August 5, 2021

Artist of the Month: Smoke & Ashes

Sometimes things come together really fast and you can’t stop them once they start rolling, and that’s the story of Smoke & Ashes in a nutshell. The new Canadian country music duo describes their coming together as a match thrown on gasoline, ever since their first songwriting session in April 2021. Now, just a few months later, the pair have released their first single, High On Sunday, and are preparing to release their debut EP later this year. Smoke & Ashes is the partnership of industry veteran (musician, singer, writer, producer, and more) Pete Lesperance and the 2020 Country Music Association of Ontario Awards’ Rising Star winner, singer-songwriter Aaron Allen. If High On Sunday is a taste of what we’re going to get on the […]

August 5, 2021

Ontario’s Country Music Pioneers: JK Gulley

// by Larry Delaney // (Born: John Ken Gulley – October 11, 1955 – Toronto, Ontario) (#52 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) A guitar whiz since early childhood, JK Gulley first performed professionally in support of Canadian artist Alfie Fromager, then became a founding member of the country group Dusty Road (with Les Childs and Brian Callan). The trio released a self-titled LP (Thunderbird Records) which featured five songs written by Gulley. JK Gulley next joined the Ontario-based group Whiskey River, and by the late 1970s, was playing lead guitar in Billie Jo Spear’s Nashville touring band, with his first show date with the band taking place at the 1979 Wembley Festival in England. Following a near three-year stint with Spears, JK moved on […]

August 5, 2021

In The Country with Dave Woods: One On One With Carson Janik

Tecumseh, Ontario’s Carson Janik comes from a long line of diverse musical family members including accredited guitar, piano, drum, brass, and string players, as well as seasoned recording artists, vocal, stage, choir, and opera performers that span just about every genre. Carson is the first in his family to pursue Country music. Carson started showing musical talent at the age of 3, when he proved that he couldn’t keep quiet and needed to constantly sing along with the radio. Initially drawn to pop music and playing the piano/singing along to the likes of Shawn Mendes and Bruno Mars, Carson had little interest in the guitar or a different genre – that is until he heard his first Luke Combs song. Tune in to hear my […]

August 5, 2021

Patrice’s Pick: Lemon Cash

This month, our feature video from Patrice Whiffen at Country Music Junkies profiles Canadian country music duo, Lemon Cash! Ottawa born brothers, Jeff and Cory Papineau talk about growing up playing music together, and the story behind their single, “Wine Tonight,” and MORE! For more information about Country Music Junkies, visit www.countrymusicjunkies.com.