Newsletter – Page 8 – Country Music Association of Ontario

March 8, 2023

Ontario’s Country Music Pioneers: Winston James

// by Larry Delaney // (#72 in the Ontario Country Music Pioneers Series) WINSTON JAMES began playing guitar and fiddle when he was 12 years of age, at barn dances around his hometown of Sherbrooke, Quebec. He later became a member of the house band on the TV series “Jamboree”, hosted by Dick Curless and broadcast out of Sherbrooke. After relocating to Southern Ontario and making his home base in St. Catharines, James pursued his career with special guest appearances on shows in the Southern Ontario and New York regions, including opening shows for such stars as Buck Owens (in Buffalo, NY); Don Gibson, Faron Young, Kitty Wells and Tammy Wynette (at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-On-The Lake, Ontario); as well as an opening attraction at […]

March 8, 2023

In The Spotlight with Dave Woods: Angelica Appelman

Kitchener’s Angelica Appelman made her first appearance on the country music scene with the release of her song “Happy Place” just over a year ago and it was a great introduction to her! With a background in acting and having performed full band shows and songwriters’ events, she’s comfortable sharing her stories & songs in front of audiences and is a pro at being in front of the camera for her music videos. Angelica’s first released song reminds us all that we don’t have to travel far to find our own happy place. It’s usually where the people we love are. “My single, ‘Happy Place’, is a song that means so much to me, because it was my debut single, all about cherishing the simple […]

March 8, 2023

In The News (March 2023)

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”. […]

February 8, 2023

Artist of the Month: Rosewood Ave

From the twang-thang sound flowing out of husband/wife duo Rosewood Ave, it would be easy to think there’s a spiritual connection between Iroquois Falls, ON and the US Midwest, but somehow, Dave and Sabrina’s combined DNA just comes out that way. And like many good stories, it all started with a disaster. A paper mill shutdown can’t be classified as a good thing, but it relocated Dave’s family into a house across the street (or should we say… Ave?) from Sabrina’s and it didn’t take long for the sparks to fly. The value-add showed up when they discovered their voices meshed over shared musical taste. They married in 2017 and two years later, had become confident enough in their musical abilities to approach some music […]

February 8, 2023

Ontario’s Country Music Pioneers: Murray McLauchlan

// by Larry Delaney // (#71 in the Ontario Country Music Pioneers Series) Murray McLauchlan and the music he makes cannot be pigeon-holed into one category… he pretty much covers all popular musical genres – Folk, Pop, Rock, Cabaret – and, oh ya, COUNTRY. In fact, his “Farmer’s Song”, and its recording, is about as Country as it gets!! Murray McLauchlan was born June 30, 1948, in Paisley, Scotland. He came to Canada with his family when he was five years old, settling in Toronto. By the time he was in his early teens, he was learning his craft as a singer/songwriter/musician while haunting the coffee house scene in Toronto. After a brief stay in New York, Murray returned to Toronto and in 1970, he […]

February 8, 2023

In The Spotlight with Dave Woods: Nicole Rayy

Over 40K social media followers can’t be wrong! They know that Nicole Rayy has been delivering solid singles & captivating music videos since her introduction on the Canadian Country Music scene in 2012. Her biggest singles include “All Woman”, “Broken Boys”, “Feels Like Yesterday”, “House Of Cards” & “Graveyard”. The numbers don’t lie – over 3 million catalogue streams to date, with her single “Feels Like Yesterday” garnering over 600K streams alone. A four-time CMAOntario nominee, Nicole has received praise from country music outlets like The Boot, Complete Country and Top Country while finding her music added to popular playlists like Spotify’s New Music Nashville, Women in Country, Live Country and Best Country Songs of 2021 as well as Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Country and Fresh […]

February 8, 2023

In The News (February 2023)

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”. […]

January 17, 2023

Artist of the Month: Dayna Reid

Dayna Reid made her grand entrance to the country music scene at CCMA’s Country Music Week 2022. This was followed by the release of her debut EP, “Back To The Trailer”, later that month. Calling Elmvale, Ontario, home, Dayna grew up absolutely passionate about music. Her first performance for a crowd was the school talent show in grade two, where she performed Smash Mouth’s “All Star”. And look at her now: “Hey Dayna, you’re a rockstar.” Feeling like a career in music was out of reach, she turned to her second passion for a career – a deep love for helping others. Studying Autism Behavioural Studies, she worked with children and adults with autism. Dayna holds her work close to her heart, as her younger […]

January 17, 2023

Ontario’s Country Music Pioneers: Ron McLeod

// by Larry Delaney // (#70 in the Ontario Country Music Pioneers Series) Ronald (Ron) James Harry McLeod was born in Hamilton in 1933. Music always played a large part in his life. At age 15, he won a Gold Award playing the accordion at the Waterloo Music Festival. He was first discovered by Canadian dance band leader Slim Gordon, who hired Ron as an accordion player for his band. After honing his skills with the band, he joined up with Johnny Davidson and added Square Dance calling to his talent list. He also called for The Brady Square Dancers. Ron McLeod’s early career fame was likely best achieved when he became a regular on the Main Street Jamboree. In 1958, he spread his […]