October 16, 2020
Oakville’s Nicole Rayy has worked hard to reach new heights and recognition in her country music career. With the release of her recent single, Broken Boys, and her 2020 EP, All Woman, she’s showing everyone that she’s certainly well on her way to becoming a known and celebrated artist in Ontario and beyond. The 2020 Country Music Association of Ontario Female Artist of the Year nominee has been busy during the pandemic. She’s released new music, done press rounds to promote it, performed in live streams and at drive-in concerts (including the CMAOntario Awards in London, ON), creating her own opportunities with HarmoniaFest, and more. None of this busy schedule is new to Nicole. Her career has already taken her to big Canadian festivals and […]
October 16, 2020
Born: December 9, 1942 – Grande Prairie, Ontario (by Larry Delaney) Bob Lucier was born in Grand Prairie, Ontario – a small community near Chatham – and he has been playing steel guitar since his late teenage years. He first played professionally with his hometown-based Myers Brothers & The Jubilaires. He would later become a renowned steel guitarist for several of Canada’s top country bands, including Eastwind – a group headed up by Johnny Burke; and with the Caribou Showband, with that group hosting their own TV series At The Caribou. Bob also was the steel guitar player in the house band backing Canadian legend Tommy Hunter, host of the long-running CBC-TV series, The Tommy Hunter Show. He was also the steel guitarist in the […]
October 16, 2020
Dave catches up with Mike Robins about his debut solo single “Lightning Don’t Strike Twice”. Mike hit it big on the country music scene in 2013 with his group Autumn Hill, achieving radio success with multiple top 10 and 20 singles including “Anything At All,” “Mixtape,” and “Can’t Keep Waiting.” The music video for the groups hit single “Blame” also topped the CMT charts reaching #1. As part of Autumn Hill, Mike has been nominated for 4 Canadian Country Music Awards, 2 JUNO Awards, and 5 Country Music Association of Ontario Awards, and won awards for the CMAOntario’s Rising Star and Best Group/Duo. In The Country Radio Show · Interview With Mike Robins (October 2020) Dave Woods is a monthly columnist for the CMAOntario Newsletter and […]
October 16, 2020
This month, our feature video from Patrice Whiffen at Country Music Junkies profiles Canadian country music artist, Elyse Saunders! Elyse shares the story behind her new tune “Free,” fills us in on her vlog and what’s coming up soon for this inspiring Ontario artist! For more information about Country Music Junkies, visit www.countrymusicjunkies.com. Listen to the exclusive interview here and below: About Patrice: To Patrice Whiffen, country music is a lifestyle. As the appropriately deemed, “Country Music Junkie,” she strives to share her passion for country music with the world. As a radio broadcaster with an inside view of the world of country music, Patrice currently works with radio stations across Ontario to bring listeners the newest of new country music. You can find out more […]
October 16, 2020
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”. […]
October 5, 2020
The Country Music Association of Ontario Announces Winners of the 8th Annual CMAOntario Awards October 4, 2020 (TORONTO) The Country Music Association of Ontario (CMAOntario) tonight celebrated the talent and achievements of Ontario’s country music industry across 17 categories. The 8th Annual CMAOntario Awards was the first ever, live drive-in country awards show, and took place on The Raceway at the Western Fair District in London, Ontario. Meghan Patrick from Bowmanville, Ontario led with three wins, followed by Tim Hicks, James Barker Band, and The Reklaws with two wins each. These wins mark a historic run for CMAOntario artists: Meghan Patrick has won the CMAOntario Female Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year for three consecutive years. She has won Album of the Year for two […]
September 18, 2020
Aaron Allen has had a pretty good 2020 (all things considered) and it’s not over yet. This spring he released a new EP, Highway Mile, was named Apple Music’s New Artist of the Week, AND he earned two nominations for the 2020 Country Music Association of Ontario Awards where he is up for Rising Star and Male Artist of the Year. The London, ON singer-songwriter and tattoo artist knew in his teens that country music was where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do, but like many artists before him, it was a long and winding road. When asked about country music, what it means to him and what draws him into it, he says, “I’ve always loved how simple and direct […]
September 18, 2020
Dave catches up with rising country artist Elyse Saunders about her new single & music video “Free” and all the great strides she’s made this year in her music career! In The Country Radio Show · Interview With Elyse Saunders (July 2020) Dave Woods is a monthly columnist for the CMAOntario Newsletter and has been hosting the popular online radio show In The Country with Dave Woods since 2009! To hear episodes, please visit www.inthecountryinterviews.com, www.soundcloud.com/dave-woods-3 and iTunes.
September 18, 2020
Born: May 22, 1960 – Kitchener, Ontario (by Larry Delaney) Paul Weber was raised in a Kitchener, Ontario-based country music family. His father – Howard “Smoky” Weber – played in various local bands in Southwest Ontario, and his older brother Mike Weber was a gifted steel guitarist. In 1985, the Webers celebrated the family’s collective talents with a full-length album, “The Webers – Together.” In the mid-1970s, Paul Weber joined his brother Mike as a member of Joe Firth’s Promised Land band; a group that toured extensively across Canada. By the early 1980s, Paul Weber would strike out on his own as a solo artist, recording albums on the Boot and Great North American Phonodisc (GNAP) labels. Later CD albums were released on Cardinal […]