Evan Westerlund is a former hockey player, radio personality & programmer, turned singer-songwriter who moved from his home country of Canada to Sweden in a whirlwind romance. It brought him to the shores of the country of his ancestors and relatives dating back as far as the records go into the late 1600s. He grew up listening to Kenny Rogers, Waylon Jennings, Ferlin Husky, Don Williams and others in his father's record collection, along with sounds of the 1970's southern rock scene of The Eagles, Allman Brothers, and the Marshall Tucker Band. Fast forward to present: Evan has just released a new album, his second, entitled "Still Crazy". The album is produced by Larry Marrs (once longtime bass player & harmony singer for Marty Stuart's Hillbilly Band) who also produced his debut project. The musicians playing on the album are some of Nashville's best and all songs were written by Evan with a few select co-writers from his new hometown in Sweden. As Evan explains, "I think the 11 songs balance a good package of endearment, fear, fun, and melancholy, and straight ahead honky-tonk. Most important for me has been to progress as a writer, and bring the songs to life in the right energy, to coincide with how they sound in my head."

My guest on this edition of In The Country is Dr. Kent Gustavson - the author of "Blind But Now I See: The Biography of Music Legend Doc Watson". Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. Despite losing his sight before his first birthday, he went on to become a legendary figure in music. He has won six Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. My guest Dr. Gustavson earned his PhD from Stony Brook University in New York, where he now teaches music, leadership, and language. He speaks around the world on both music and publishing.

When Country artist Jason Sturgeon sings about the simple life, he’s not just painting a picture of small town America. He’s describing who he is. Born and raised in Petersburg, IN, (pop. 3500), he grew up in a family of coal miners, oilmen and farmers who literally made their living off the land, and still do to this day. Running wild and free as the quarter horses he learned to ride and compete on from the time he was 14, he grew up listening to Country Music artists like Kenny Rogers, Alabama, George Strait as well the outlaws but indulged his rowdier side through acts like Pantera, Rage Against The Machine, and Godsmack, and all of those influences collide on his latest CD, the aptly titled, “That’s Me.” Jason visits In The Country to talk about his start in music, songwriting, his CD & more.

Ontario Country artist Jamie Warren recently released his sixth album entitled "Howl At The Moon". Over the years, fans and radio have made him a popular name in Country Music with hits like "One Step Back", "What A Womans To Hear" and "Sunny Day In The Park". His interest in music was likely genetic, since his mother sang and played piano, and his father played guitar and mandolin. Jamie had piano lessons at age 5 and guitar lessons at age 8, and by the time he was 10 years old, it was traditional for the Warrens to entertain after Saturday night eukre games. His earliest influences were whatever his parents listened to on the radio, and the only thing his parent’s radio seemed to play was Country Music. To this day, he’s still a huge fan of Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette and Patsy Cline. Tune in for great stories & great songs from this talented Canadian Country artist.

Stephanie Spence has big aspirations when it comes to her passion for singing Country Music. This BC girl has made up her mind that she will strive to become the very best at what she loves to do: sing live and record great songs. Her debut CD "Still Wanna Love You" was produced by Darcy D. former lead vocalist for Canadian Rock Group "Prism", and boasts some of the best talent in the business today. The musicians on this project have recorded with some of the biggest names in Canadian Country Music. The songs were written by some of the industry’s most prolific writers; people like Ron Irving (Boutique Records), Kathleen Higgins (The Higgins), Lynda McKillip (McKiller Music), Eden Langworthy and Darcy D. Stephanie joins me on the show to talk about her start in music & her debut album.

Ryan Cook is an award-winning Atlantic-Canadian songwriter from Yarmouth, NS. He performs a blend of folk, roots, jazz and country. Ryan has performed more than 260 performances since the release of his "Hot Times" album in the spring of 2008 which won the Country/Bluegrass Recording of the Year at the 2008 Music Nova Scotia Awards and was named the 8th best Canadian Country album of 2008 by Country Music News. He has performed on stages across Canada as well as at the Ryman Auditorium and the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree in Nashville. He also stars as Hank Williams from time to time in the play "Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave". In 2010, Ryan recorded & released his current album entitled "Peaks & Valleys".

Award-winning bluegrass group The Grascals have enlisted help from their musical friends on their latest CD of classic Country songs appropriately titled "The Grascals & Friends". Those friends include Brad Paisley, Charlie Daniels & Joe Nichols - and the songs covered include "Folsom Prison Blues", "Tiger By The Tail" & "White Lightning". Also on the CD is a new song entitled "I Am Strong" - an inspirational song - with guest vocals from Dolly Parton. Tune in as Terry Eldredge from The Grascals joins me to tell us all about the making of the CD. And there'll be no shortage of great music - I'll be playing 3 of the new tracks.

At only 13 years old, Alberta Country artist Adam Gregory had secured his first major label record deal, and by the time he made the move to Nashville in 2007, he was a Gold-selling artist in Canada. He climbed the radio and video charts with songs like "Only Know I Do", "Big Star", "The World Could Use A Cowboy" - to name just a few. He even recorded a duet with Billy Ray Cyrus entitled "When I Leave This House". Not long after making the move to Music City, Adam began writing with some of Nashville's finest hitmakers. Together, they crafted a number of songs that helped propel him onto the airwaves. His first single, "Crazy Days," was a Top 30 hit on the charts. After signing to Big Machine Records, Adam's second single was the more personal "What It Takes," which earned him even more popularity with radio & fans. "I've learned so much and met so many amazing people during this whole experience," says Adam. "I believe God put me on this earth to sing. He's blessed me with a gift, and I'm so humbled to share it with people."

Tara Lyn Hart's self-titled debut Country album was released on October 5, 1999. The lead single, "Stuff That Matters," soared up the Canadian country singles chart. At the 2000 Juno Awards, she was nominated for Best Country Female Artist, and the all-genre Best New Solo Artist. In April 2000, she was invited to perform on the Grand Ole Opry. When the nominations were announced for the 2000 Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards, she received six nominations. Tara Lyn won the FACTOR Rising Star Award at the September 11, 2000 ceremony. She also picked up a nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2001 CCMA Awards, competing against Lisa Brokop, Terri Clark, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Michelle Wright. She capped off 2001 with a SOCAN award for "Save Me," a song she co-wrote with Hal Draper and David Quilico. Her other hits include "I Will Be Loving You" and "What He Used To Do". Tara Lyn joins me on the show to discuss her music career and her brand new (and first-ever) Christmas album.

Shane Chisholm's country crooning can be dated back to a time when his mother put him on stage with his two siblings singing Country Classics in three part harmony. Shane commanded the bass lines with his deep and rich *two year old* voice. Growing up in a rural area outside of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, he found ways of expressing his creativity by singing and writing about future heart breaks. Shane has toured Canada with his own band as well as performing as a bassist and backup singer for many of Canada’s biggest Country Stars including Aaron Lines, Gil Grand, Aaron Pritchett & Steve Fox. He's been nominated for CCMA bass player of the year in 2003, 2004 & 2007. On the line from Alberta where he now calls home, Shane will talk about his music career and share a couple of his songs with us including a new one entitled "Christmas In The Country".