January 12, 2022
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”. […]
December 17, 2021
If it looks like Nate Haller has too much to celebrate, well… that’s all his fault. OK, let’s do a little inventory: Nate’s debut track, “Lightning in a Bottle”, released earlier this year, invaded the Top 10 at Canadian country radio; he was named as iHeart Radio’s Future Star; his current tracks have amassed over three million global streams; he was featured on Spotify’s RADAR program; then he signed a management deal with Starseed Entertainment (James Barker Band, The Reklaws, Jade Eagleson). If we stopped there, wouldn’t that be more than enough to pop some champagne? You would think so, but the story gets deeper. “Lightning in a Bottle,” was actually the #2 most added track in its week of release (week of 04.20.21) at […]
December 17, 2021
// by Larry Delaney // (Born: February 6, 1955 – North Bay, Ontario) (#58 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Randall Prescott is in the middle of a rare Canadian country music generational family tree: his father is Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Famer, Irwin Prescott; Randall is himself a multiple Hall of Fame inductee; and more recently, Randall and his wife Tracey Brown (of Family Brown) celebrate with great pride the emergence of their daughter, Kelly Prescott, on the Canadian music scene. That’s three generations of music-makin’ Prescotts. Randall Isaac Prescott was born in North Bay, Ontario. He and brother Ron Prescott followed their father Irwin Prescott when he relocated to Ottawa in 1971. Irwin Prescott founded and operated the famous Golden Rail club […]
December 17, 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”. […]
November 22, 2021
Brothers Cory and Jeff Papineau have made a life out of turning lemons into lemonade and with that in mind, the Ottawa-born country music duo’s name, Lemon Cash, is perfect for them. The singer-songwriters come together with a lifetime of musical pursuit, shared experiences (good and bad), and a love of everything they put into their music. The brothers hail from a musical family – singing, writing and performing together (even for the answering machine) years before forming Lemon Cash, initially as an alt rock cover band. At the urging of their family, Cory and Jeff made the move to country (keeping some of the rock edge where it’s needed). With artists like Patsy Cline, George Jones, George Strait, Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw and Garth […]
November 9, 2021
// by Larry Delaney // (Born: March 20, 1937 – London, Ontario) (#57 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Tommy Hunter has affectionately been dubbed “The Country Gentleman”, thanks largely to a legion of fans he developed through his 27 years of hosting “The Tommy Hunter TV Show” on CBC-TV (1965- 1992). Many of the faithful who followed him on the television show also attended his concerts during his almost-annual tours across Canada. The TV show was unceremoniously cancelled by CBC after 27 years, to the dismay of his fans, who petitioned the CBC for its return, to no avail. Several seasons of the show were also televised on The Nashville Network. At its peak in Canada, the show was drawing a weekly audience in excess […]
November 9, 2021
With a natural talent for telling stories through music, rising Canadian country artist Jade Turner continues to share and support the Indigenous culture that inspires her. Recognized for her original songwriting and stunning music videos, the member of Misipawistik Cree Nation has already established a diverse audience attracted to her energetic stage presence and singles like “Somehow Someone,” “Hangover Blues,” and “Worth.” “I can only have my own stories, so if I want the music to be true to me, it all has to be coming from my point of view. The stories I tell will be different but I feel we’re all the same in different ways,” she says. “In the communities where I grew up, we’re storytellers and we’ve always been storytellers. Country […]
November 9, 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”. […]
October 13, 2021
What happens when three experienced country music voices come together to try a new vibe and sound? New Moon Junction happens. Barb Doran, Tamara Maddalen and Matt Rogers came together to create the new country music trio, offering something new to fans and listeners who may have already known them on their own. And that was intentional. “That was the idea right from the start. Typically, my music is quite serious – even depressing at times – but the great thing about the three of us together is that we very much focus on being positive and upbeat.” said Doran about the group’s sound and mission statement. In 2021 (so far) the trio has released their first 2 singles. Real Good Kinda Thing came first […]
October 13, 2021
// by Larry Delaney // (Born: October 28, 1947 – Ottawa, Ontario) (#56 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Wayne Rostad has long been one of Canada’s most visible country music entertainers, thanks to his long-running TV series “On The Road Again” – a homespun weekly show that featured vignettes on everyday people and places from all corners of the country. In fact, the TV series was so popular that it interrupted Wayne’s career as a country music recording artist and songwriter. Born October 28, 1947, in Ottawa, Wayne Rostad paid his dues in Canadian country music as a radio DJ at stations in Smiths Falls, Ottawa, and Kingston, Ontario and in Grand Falls, NL. During the 1970s, while in Ontario, Wayne was also the front-man […]
October 13, 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”. […]
September 14, 2021
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
// 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, […]