Abbotsford, BC Country artist Stacey McKitrick was singing from the start. At the age of nine months, she would often be heard around the house singing along to her favourite artist, Reba McEntire. By the time she was 10, she was spending every free moment singing and making stage shows for friends and family. Along with singing, she embraced songwriting early on: "I've been writing my own songs since I was nine years old - my first song was called 'If You Could Touch A Rainbow'. When I was thirteen years old, I began writing songs as a way to release my feelings and channel my creativity; songwriting continues to be a strong artistic outlet for me." She's been to Nashville to write with some of the top writers around. Stacey's debut CD is set for release shortly and will take her that much closer to being a big name in Country music.

Langley, B.C. Country duo Robyn and Ryleigh Gillespie are part of the wave of young Country performers coming from the West Coast of Canada. Their debut EP entitledLove, Alwaysis available on iTunes. Like many of their contemporaries, they take modern, youthful pop influences and blend them with traditional country elements of acoustic instruments, meaningful lyrics, and sibling harmonies. Their original songs take moments from their lives and set them to music while they put their own stamp on favourite standards. In the last two years, the girls have been honing their music on stages around B.C.'s lower mainland. Their shows have ranged from intimate coffee shop open mics to high profile events, like the 2010 Olympics and the BC Summer Games. They were recently showcased at the British Columbia Country Music Industry Awards Show.

Collingwood-born and raised - now living in Toronto - Donna Ferra released her debut album Waited Long Enough in 2003. The title track - released as a single which got attention for Donna - featured the late great Jeff Healey. Based on that success - and subsequent well-received singles - she toured festivals in Ontario opening for artists like Jason McCoy, Doc Walker, and Aaron Lines.  Along the way in her career, she's had the opportunity to co-produce her songs with producer Peter Linseman. She's travelled to Nashville many times to perform in the local songwriter rounds and to write songs. Popular Nashville venues she has performed at include The Broken Spoke, The Boardwalk Cafe, and The Commodore Sports Bar. Most recently, Donna is excited to be back on the music scene after a bit of a break. Her new radio single Little Red Dress is getting a lot of airplay and it's clear that Country music is happy to welcome this talented artist back!

Kate Taylor's passion for music began when she was a little girl in toe shoes as an aspiring ballerina. Growing up, her mother enrolled her in piano, violin and dance classes. Her parents knew she was gifted but there weren't a lot of opportunities in their home town of Remus, Michigan. Kate pursued voice in college at Cornerstone University and hit the road for Nashville soon after achieving her degree. She worked hard to write with amazing published songwriters, sing with the best musicians and record withgreat producers like Steve Werbelow from Los Angeles. Ten songs she wrote and produced are signed to the be played on The Young and the Restless. Her songs like Confession and My Getaway will earn her new fans at first listen. Kate calls Williamson County - just outside of Nashville - home.

Born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia - and now living in Nashville - RyLee Madison showcases her beautiful voice and her ability to tell stories with her songs on her fourth album Where Does The Time Go. Listeners will be moved by the messages inThe Beauty of Forgiveness and Be Yourself. An end of a relationship is sung about in December Leave Me Alone and new beginnings are celebrated in Feels Like Something. There is also a little fun thrown in with songs like the tongue-in-cheek Run and the playful It Can't Be That Bad. RyLee co-produced the new album with her husband Clay (a Nashville session player and touring musician of 14 years) along with a collection of great musicians from Nova Scotia and Nashville. RyLee says, "Nashville is my second home. I've created family here with my husband and friends but my first home will always be Nova Scotia." Tune in to hear RyLee talk about her new album, songwriting & much more.

Country artist Deborah Allen returns to the music scene with her new album Hear Me Now featuring the current radio single Anything Other Than Love. She co-wrote that song with hitmaker Gary Burr. In fact, Deborah wrote or co-wrote every song on the album - and is a producer on it. But songwriting - and success with it - are nothing new for this Grammy-nominated artist. She's had her songs recorded by a long list of acts including LeAnn Rimes, Brooks & Dunn, Patty Loveless, Conway Twitty, Tanya Tucker, and even Fleetwood Mac. “Deborah is singing better than ever, which is saying a lot!” says her close friend, legendary CMA Hall of Fame songwriter Bobby Braddock, who produced three tracks on the album. Born in Memphis, she moved to Nashville at 18 years old and was soon discovered by Roy Orbison. Country fans know and love her biggest songs which include Baby I Lied (grammy-nominated), I've Been Wrong Before and I Hurt For You.

Country artist Jake Mathews - born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario and now calling Calgary, Alberta home - began pursuing his musical path at the age of 14 when he started singing & playing guitar. Fast forward to 2002: Jake released his self-titled debut album which generated several top 20 singles and videos resulting in a Rising Star nomination at the CCMAs. In 2011, Jake released his his third album Red Tail Lights through On Ramp Records/EMI which features the successful radio single If I Had It My Way. His new single Might Take All Night is a playful rockin' Country song which Jake co-wrote with fellow Canadian Country artist Deric Ruttan. Says Jake of Red Tail Lights, "I've taken my time with this album, writing and producing songs that I believe in and hope listeners believe in as well. I'm excited for fans to hear, what I think is, my best material yet".

Tune in to this edition of Country Up Close for the latestCountry Music newsplus reviewsand artist spotlights. Dave is joined by Karlie Justus - a country music blogger/journalist based in Raleigh, North Carolina. She writes for roots music website Engine 145, has written for the pioneer country music website The 9513 as well as Country Standard Time. In addition, she has appeared on CMT Network's artist profile series. Karlie is here with news & reviews from the world of Country Music. And we'll put several artists in the Country Up Close spotlight - including Alberta's Tenille who'll call in to update us on her time at the CCMAs & to share a song.

Get to know some of the Young Country talent on today's music scene! This special will feature stories & songs from my three guests: Celeste Kellogg, Melanie May & Jenna-Nicole. Each one of these artists has a passion for singing & the ability to write great songs. Hear how they got their start, which artists have influenced them, how they approach songwriting & much more. It's an hour of conversation & music you won't want to miss - brought to you exclusively by In The Country with Dave Woods. To comment on this show, please e-mail [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners!

Born & raised in Bracebridge, Ontario - and now living a few miles outside of Nashville - Country artist Deric Ruttan continues to enjoy a successful career with 4 nominations at the upcoming CCMA awards. He's nominated for Male Artist, Songwriter, Single and Video of the Year. The last 3 nominations on the list are for his song That's How I Wanna Go Out from his most recent album - his third - entitled Sunshine. "That has been a special song for me, and one that seems to mean a lot to fans as well - I'm proud to see it acknowledged with some nominations." Deric first found a home at the top of the Country charts & CMT with his debut single When You Come Around in 2003. He's also had great success as a songwriter writing hits for artists like Aaron Pritchett, Doc Walker, Eric Church & Dierks Bentley - to name just a few. Deric joins me to talk about his start in music, songwriting, his latest album & more. To comment on this show, send an e-mail to [email protected].