Bill Culp is a full-time, Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and entertainer who performs approximately 200 shows per year and includes Canada, the USA, Europe and Australia among his musical travels. As a solo artist, Bill first rose to prominence with the 2005 release of “Roots’n’Roll” on Bullseye Records of Canada. As a musician, he has performed with an interesting array of notable names including CCMA winners Sean Hogan, Keith Glass and Joan Besen of Prairie Oyster. As an actor, Bill is best known for his co-starring role in the musical play “Good Rockin’ Tonight: The Sun Records Story”, the official, international touring show of the legendary Memphis-based record label that launched the careers of numerous rock & roll pioneers. In this show, Bill portrays Carl Perkins “the king of rockabilly” and the author of the classic tune “Blue Suede Shoes”. Tune in to hear all about Bill's musical journey - and hear 2 of his songs including a new Chrismas release featuring Marie Bottrell (7-time Juno nominee, 2-time CCMA Female Vocalist of the Year, and 2010 Inductee into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame).

Dr. Jocelyn Neal is an associate professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a BA from Rice University and an MA and Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music at University of Rochester. She is the author of The Songs of Jimmie Rodgers: A Legacy in Country Music (Indiana University Press, 2009), which received an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award and an ARSC Award, and co-author of the 3rd Revised Edition of Country Music U.S.A. (University of Texas Press, 2010). Dr. Neal's country music research appears in academic journals including Musical Quarterly and Music Theory Spectrum. She is co-editor of Southern Cultures, an interdisciplinary quarterly published by the Center for the Study of the American South, and she regularly presents at national conferences on popular music and analysis. She joins me on the show to discuss various aspects of traditional & contemporary country music.

Canada's Larry Wayne Clark has found success as a Country Music songwriter, producer & journalist. The first records he produced were for Lisa Brokop. He went on to win the British Columbia Country Music Association's Producer of The Year award from 1990 to 1994. When he set his sights on Music City in the early 1990s, he soon had songs & hits recorded by Lee Greenwood (Between A Rock And A Heartache) & The Statler Brothers (To Make A Long Story Short) - and more recently songs recorded by (and some written with) Buddy Jewell, Chris Young, Colin Amey & Adam Gregory - and the list goes on. "I'm a songwriter who writes songs for other people to sing. Nothing gives me greater joy than hearing a truly blessed singer creating magic with a song that I've written, or had a hand in writing", comments Larry. Tune in to hear this talented hitmaker - who now lives in New Brunswick - discuss his musical journey, his approach to songwriting & much more. I'll be playing two of his past hits for Nashville artists & one 'future hit' for a Canadian artist.

Canadian Country artist Chris Cummings has released five albums, racked up multiple hits at Canadian Country radio & had several number one videos on CMT Canada. In addition, he's earned multiple CCMA, RPM, ECMA, and Juno nominations as well as a Grammy nomination for a song of his recorded by Alabama. You'll know his hits - "I Waited", "Lucy Got Lucky", "The Kind Of Heart That Breaks" & "No One Hurts Me More Than Me" - to name just a few. His new album, Give Me Tonight, is a winner with existing fans and continues to win him new fans - with songs like his current radio single, "Leaving's Not An Option". It all began in 1990 when Chris released an independent CD which found its way to Reprise Records president Jim Ed Norman. Chris signed onto the label in 1992. At that time, just 17 years old, he was the youngest artist they had ever signed. Over the years, he's written songs with some of Nashville's top hitmakers and toured with big names like George Jones, Garth Brooks and Dwight Yoakam. Tune in to hear stories from past to present along with some songs from the new album.

Country artist Lee Greenwood's lengthy string of hits includes such classics as "I.O.U.", “Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands,” “It Turns Me Inside Out,” “I Don’t Mind The Thorns (If You’re the Rose)” and “Dixie Road.” He became a working musician at a young age and was very focused on his career. He even skipped his high school graduation ceremony because he had a show to play at the Golden Hotel & Casino in Reno, Nevada. “I needed to put my next foot forward,” says Lee with a smile. “So I skipped graduation and headed for Nevada.” Eventually, he opted for the bright lights of Las Vegas where he became one of the most popular entertainers on the competitive casino circuit. There he perfected his live performance skills and developed his craft as a songwriter. Famed Country Music manager Larry McFadden discovered Lee and brought him to the attention of MCA Records Nashville where he teamed with acclaimed producer Jerry Crutchfield to record his debut Country album, “It Turns Me Inside Out.”

"I always had in mind to do a bluegrass album someday,” says Country star Joe Diffie. “It was something I wanted from the first day that I got my country deal.” The artist who is no stranger to the top of the Country Music charts with hits like "Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox (If I Die)", "John Deere Green" & "Ships That Don't Come In" has now released his bluegrass album entitled "Homecoming". It includes collaborations with The Grascals & Rhonda Vincent. Joe visits In The Country to talk about the new album & his past hits.

The 'new Queen of Bluegrass' Rhonda Vincent visits In The Country to talk about her latest CD entitled "Taken". With over seventy awards to their name, Rhonda Vincent and The Rage (her longtime backing band) are the most celebrated band in bluegrass, with honors including a coveted Entertainer of the Year award from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and a staggering seven consecutive IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards. Special guests on this album include Dolly Parton & Richard Marx. “I don’t bring in guests just to bring in guests,” Rhonda explains. “It has to be something that makes sense musically. Like, when were doing vocals for ‘In the Garden by the Fountain,’ I could just hear Dolly Parton singing the high harmony in my head, so I called her, and luckily her schedule worked out.” Despite all that she has achieved, Rhonda is still seeking new challenges. For this new album, she reasserts herself as an instrumentalist, playing all of the mandolin on the album.

Alberta's 19-year-old Leah Durelle has already recorded 5 CDs and released 3 songs to radio that received airplay in Canada, the US and Europe. Her new song, "I Need To See You", finds her ready to make an even bigger impression with radio & Country Music fans. Leah has opened for and shared stages with the likes of Leann Rimes, Tanya Tucker, Doc Walker & Jason McCoy - to name a few. She has performed at renowned venues like the Ryman Auditorium & Tootsies Orchard Lounge in Nashville as well as at the Calgary Stampede. Says Larry Delaney of Canada's Country Music News, "Leah is going to be a star someday...she delivers the songs (on her albums) with flair and a vocal uniqueness that belies her tender years". Tune in to get up close & personal with this talented singer-songwriter working her way up to the top of the charts.

This past summer, Country artist Jayme Knyx helped put together and performed in a benefit music festival called Peacefest which raised money towards the brand new Performing Arts Centre in Dawson Creek, B.C. He's a firm believer in giving back and volunteering at various charitable fundraisers. One benefit concert helped a local woman raise enough money get life saving surgery for her multiple sclerosis. In Jayme's spare time he enjoys spending it entertaining seniors and chronically ill at local care homes. He's also shared the stage with some big names in Country Music including Doc Walker, Jamie Warren, Aaron Pritchett & The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. When Jayme was 15 years old, his mother (who also bought him his first guitar when he was only 6) dared him to enter a singing contest - after winning many of these contests, he decided to pursue a music career. His influences include members of his family involved in music as well as Country legend George Strait. Jayme is currently writing and recording his debut album.

The 2010 release of Libby McGrath's debut single "Blue Sky" marks the official starting point of a career that has been in the works since she was a child. Raised on the music of Tammy Wynette, Patty Loveless and Faith Hill, Libby and her siblings grew up playing and singing country music as a family. The sound of guitars, fiddles, banjos, drums and harmonizing voices could be heard drifting down the block from their Cambridge, Ontario home. No stranger to the stage, Libby has been touring the world backing up various artists for nearly ten years now. Her live performances are engaging and high energy. One of Libby's favourite memories on the road was getting the opportunity to sing a duet with Marty Stuart. She recalls, "I just started singing "We Must Have Been Out Of Our Minds" and he joined right in singing George Jones' part. When we were done he said, "Well thats our first duet sweetheart." Libby recently won the KIX 106 FM song contest with her entry, "I'm Not Gonna Cry".