September 14, 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
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
// 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
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”. […]
July 6, 2021
If you don’t know Charissa, now is a wonderful time to get yourself introduced. The Burlington, ON singer-songwriter draws from the sounds and vibe of Americana and classic Soul to craft her style, and it’s working. For Ontario country fans who don’t know her yet, that introduction can happen live at the 2021 Country Music Association of Ontario New Faces Showcase and Concert (September 3, 2021) at the Ancaster Fairgrounds in Hamilton. Charissa will perform alongside emerging favourites, including Robyn Ottolini, Aaron Allen, Genevieve Fisher, and more! Still in her mid-20s, Charissa is no stranger to the stage, with more than a decade under her boots already. In fact, you can go back to the summer of 2009, when a 12-year-old Charissa wowed the judges […]
July 6, 2021
// by Larry Delaney // (Brian Good – Born January 27, 1946 – Toronto, Ontario Bruce Good – Born January 27, 1946 – Toronto, Ontario Larry Good – Born January 25, 1952 – Newmarket, Ontario) (#51 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Twin brothers Bruce and Brian Good began their music career during the late 1960s folk music scene in Yorkville (Toronto) with the folk music group The Kinfolk, which also featured Bruce’s wife Margaret. Brian and Bruce later teamed up with James Ackroyd to form the trio, James & The Good Brothers. The act was part of the fabled “Festival Express” train tour across Canada, which also featured Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, Ian & Sylvia, etc. The Good Brothers once listed their […]