Kipling, Saskatchewan's Alex Runions recently won the Saskatchewan Country Music Association awards for Male Vocalist of the Year and Fan's Choice Entertainer! 

HIs latest single is called If I Won The Lotto. The video for the song was shot in Nashville. Also on the show, you'll hear a great song Alex wrote called South Of The City. He wrote this song with Ontario's David Leask.

Performing across the province and throughout the country for over a decade, Alex has taken the stages at Big Valley Jamboree, Craven Country Jamboree, Dauphin Countryfest and is a regular on the Canadian Country club circuit including Eldorado Country Rock Bar (Regina), Ralph's (Medicine Hat) and Ranchman's (Calgary). He's opened for many prominent country acts including Gord Bamford, Aaron Pritchett and Rodney Atkins while also closing out performances from Dallas Smith, The Road Hammers and Neal McCoy. Charitable heart and minded, Alex was also involved in the Yorkton, Saskatchewan floods relief concerts.

One of the most masterful voices in Country music ever, Gene Watson still sings in the same key as 30 years ago and continues to prove why he is rightly referred to as “The Singer’s Singer”. His powerful voice and multi-octave range allows him to sing some of the most challenging songs with an ease that comes from pure, natural talent as well as from his many years performing onstage.

Real. Country. Music. finds the the 72 year-old Country legend once again proving he’s the master of classic Country music. He remains defiantly Country in the face of today’s more pop oriented offerings and is proud his legions of fans rely on him to keep traditional Country music alive and well. 

With that in mind, Gene delved back into history to pull out some overlooked gems in other artist’s catalogs as well  as a few of his own songs that are fan favorites but are no longer available.  As Gene noted, “Today’s songwriters  are not really writing the kind of songs fans of serious classic country are wanting. Traditional country is about life,  heartaches, loves and family. I’ve got to relate to the words as something that either happened to me or happened  to someone I know.  It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around a song that’s simply about riding a tractor or just  drinking beer with friends. I want more out of a song. So I went back to some classic songwriters like Kris  Kristofferson, Larry Gatlin, Bill Anderson, Keith Whitley, Dean Dillon, Hank Cochran and Dave Kirby – just to name  a few of the greats.”

With 4 top 50 hit songs already to her credit, Ontario's Genevieve Fisher continues to expand her influence on the Canadian Country music scene. Her performance at the 2012 CCMA New Artist Showcase in Saskatoon left an impression on all who were in attendance and helped her take another big step in the right direction. This was followed by Female Artist of the Year nominations at the 2013 and 2015 Country Music Association of Ontario Awards. And now she is nominated once again for Female Artist of the Year at the 2016 CMAO awards. Check out this great organization at www.cmaontario.ca 

When not performing at some of Canada’s largest Country music festivals, Genevieve finds herself collaborating with some of the brightest songwriters on both sides of the border. She has already shared writing credits with Jason Blaine, Steven Lee Olsen, Patricia Conroy, Jason Massey, Jennifer Schott and many more. If it is true that you can judge a person from the company they keep, Genevieve is poised to make her mark on the Canadian music scene.

Tune in for my chat with Genevieve and hear two of her latest songs!

Carleton Place, Ontario's Jordan McIntosh will release his debut album Steal Your Heart on April 15th. The lead single is the title track sure to climb the country charts. Jordan has become a country fan favourite with his previous releases "Grew Up In A Country Song" and "That Girl". Those songs are included on the album along with a duet with Country artist George Canyon. Jordan returns to perform at the Boots & Hearts Music Festival this summer.

Jordan’s first influence was his older sister, Melissa. “My entire family is musical, but I idolized my sister. She started to sing before I did and, being younger, I wanted to do everything she did. That’s how I found out I could sing. I never really studied music. I just sang all the time. I know there’s a one in a million chance that you can make a career of your ability to sing. That’s always kept me focused, but I couldn’t do any of this without my family.”

 Also, joining me on this episode is Ontario's Brittany Brodie. Her latest single is called "Love Anyone Else".

Fueled by Marty Raybon’s distinctive vocals and the band’s skilled musicianship, Shenandoah became well known for delivering such hits as Two Dozen Roses, Church on Cumberland Road and Next To You, Next To Me as well as such achingly beautiful classics as I Want To Be Loved Like That and the Grammy-winning Somewhere In The Vicinity Of The Heart duet with Alison Krauss.

 

Today that legacy continues as original members Raybon and Mike McGuire reunite to launch a new chapter in Shenandoah’s storied career. It all began when the guys got back together to perform a benefit concert for a friend  battling cancer. “We saw how folks reacted,” Marty says of the response to their reunion. “And then Jerry Phillips, son of legendary Sun Records producer Sam Phillips, said ‘You guys need to make a run at this. People still love what you do. You can tell by the reaction. There’s a lot of excitement in the air.’”

“It’s kind of like riding a bicycle,” McGuire says of the band reigniting that chemistry on stage. “We had done so  many shows over the years together, even though we spent 17 years apart, we got back up on the stage and it was like we never stopped. We knew those songs inside out. They were still dear to our hearts. It was great to get  back up there and do them together again.”

Saskatchewan's Tenille Arts - now living in Nashville - has been nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year & Emerging Artist at the upcoming Saskatchewan Country Music Association Awards (April 24th). She's also one of the top 6 finalists in the CCMA Discovery Program this year. 

Tenille - barely into her twenties - has an old country soul that began at the tender age of 8. Her neighbor overheard her singing in the backyard and recommended she enroll in vocal training. The classical voice training rounded out her piano lessons and dance training so she was completely immersed in music. She picked up the guitar and penned her first song at the age of 13 and has been performing across the country at various events ever since. Tenille did her first television show Karaoke Star Junior (Corus Entertainment) at 14. That was the first time she heard a judge comment: “You have powerhouse vocals and perfect pitch” after singing Carrie Underwood’s song “Jesus Take The Wheel”. This would turn out to be one of many firsts for her.

Tenille lives by the motto: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” and a quote “20 Seconds of Insane Courage”. (She explains those inspiring quotes on the show.) That’s all it took for her to completely change her life and decide to move to Nashville after signing a publishing deal with Noble Vision Music Group.

Tune in to hear about her busy year and you'll also get to hear her latest song called Breathe.

With 5 nominations, Leah Daniels tops the list of artists nominated along with Jason Blaine & Tebey at the 2016 Country Music Association of Ontario (CMAO) Awards coming up at the end of May. Leah's nominations are for the following:

 

Female Artist Of The Year, Single Of The Year: “Go Back” , Album Of The Year: What It Feels Like, Songwriter Of The Year: Leah Daniels, Beverley Mahood, Patricia Conroy for “Dream Without You” , Video Of The Year: “Old Piano” .

Blending Leah's love of both modern and traditional country with a healthy dose of pop smarts, her CMAO-nominated album What It Feels Like features 10 tracks that range from the sassy opener "Boots 'N Jeans," to the soaring ballad "Old Piano," and the edgy "Your Kiss Is Killing Me."  Working with producers Dave ”Dwave” Thomson (Lady Antebellum, Autumn Hill), Gavin Brown (Three Days Grace, Barenaked Ladies), and Sam Ellis in the studio, What It Feels Like is the perfect introduction to Leah Daniels' powerful voice and undeniable charm, which have quickly built a loyal fan base from coast to coast.

Restless Heart lead singer Larry Stewart can remember the  exact moment and place his life began to change forever.

“I was driving east on I-40 from West Nashville into town to an appointment,” he recalls.“Back then, I was listening to what we were doing in my Jeep Cherokee every day. I had turned the radio on, and Let The Heartache Ride was right in the middle of the acapella intro.”

Larry had been living with the song for a while, and hearing it  through his car speakers wasn’t that big of a deal - until he  looked at the stereo and saw the numbers 97.9. “It didn’t sink in because I had it in the tape deck for days, then I realized  ‘That’s the radio. It’s WSIX.’ I pulled over on the shoulder around White Bridge Road and sat there with my car idling. It was like yesterday.”

John Dittrich, Greg Jennings, Paul Gregg, Dave Innis, and Larry Stewart - the men who make up Restless Heart - have enjoyed one of the most successful careers in Country Music history, placing over 25 singles on the charts - with six consecutive #1 hits, four of their albums have been certified Gold by the RIAA, and they have won a wide range of awards from many organizations – including the Academy of Country Music’s Top Vocal Group trophy.

Dynamic and determined are just two words that can be best used to describe Nova Scotian country singer Andrew Frelick!

From a growing online presence, artist showcase performances during CMA Fest & CCMA Week, to releasing his first single “Unlove You” from his debut Nashville recorded EP “Time Stands Still” to radio, 2015 was an amazing year of growth and opportunity.

Kicking off 2016 with the release of “Time Stands Still” via Lauren Tutty Promotions, the EP’s title track is receiving great reviews and radio play in both Canada & the U.S.

Andrew is a natural talent with rich, unique sounding vocals, delivering top notch country guitar work, and a polished live off the floor sound…

Born into a musical family, Andrew was surrounded by country music and soon given his first guitar. Performing on top local stages by the time he reached his teens, hesoon developed a natural comfort that would compare to that of a seasoned performer. His love of country guitar, and passion for being on stage would continue to be showcased; both in his music; and in his live performances. Over the next years, influences from various artists & genres would help shape a sound that many have come to identify and expect from this talented Canadian artist.

Ontario Country singer-songwriter Nicole Rayy is a musical powerhouse, known for possessing a flair for dynamic storytelling, soulful, honest lyrics, and electrifying performances. Having played at such festivals as TurtleFest, Manitoulin Country Fest, and the Calgary Stampede to venues big and small throughout the country, Nicole is much known for her foot-stomping, energetic live performances as she is for her incredible recorded works.

To Nicole, creating music is a way of baring her soul to the world and honestly expressing her feelings, making for music that resonates with many of her listeners. While she would love to follow in the footsteps of country and pop stars Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and even Kelly Clarkson, Nicole has found that having the music set her own path is better than following the oft-travelled one. As a result, her music constantly evolves with each song, often combining influences from multiple genres of music from classic country to pop, dance, and rock, resulting in a fresh, unique sound that all manner of music lover can get excited about.

Nicole joins me on the show to talk about her latest single Bow And Arrow and much more!