Moncton, New Brunswick Country artist Ivan Daigle is one of those artists that writes & sounds unmistakably Country. Larry Delaney of Country Music News states, "If you enjoy hardcore, traditional country music, Ivan delivers the goods, with his outstanding collection of original tunes." His album, Here Goes Nothin', features fun, uptempo songs like "C'mon Baby Let's Dance" & hurtin' ballads like "Overnight Low". Writing since he was just 10, Ivan knows how to write a song that either makes you move or moves you. Over the years, he's shared the stage with great Canadian Country artists like George Canyon, The Wilkinsons and Chris Cummings. In 2011, he'll be opening for one his favourites & one of his influences - Joe Diffie. Tune in to hear all about this talented singer-songwriter's music career and to hear some of his songs (and the stories behind them).

At the forefront of the Jo Hikk sound are the robust vocals of Kelly Sitter. He's equally at home singing passionate ballads and driving country-rock tunes. The songs are always perfectly framed by the versatile guitar work of brother Kenny Sitter and the skilled accompaniment of two music veterans, keyboardist Don Jorgenson and drummer Al Doell. To help make their new CD "The Game", Jo Hikk returned to Toronto producer Bob Foster (best known for his work with Jann Arden). Kenny co-wrote 6 of the tracks with Canadian hitmakers like Steve Fox, Julian Austin & Troy Kokol. The Calgary-based band has been nominated in the CCMA Awards 'Rising Star' category for the last three years. This new CD finds them at the top of their 'game' and headed for a regular place at the top of the Country charts. Tune in to hear Kelly talk about the band's career highlights, the new CD - and I've got a couple of songs from it to play including their latest single "With A Smile Like That".

Canada's JK Gulley is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, musician & producer. He's toured throughout Canada, the US & Europe - released three albums - won SOCAN & CCMA awards - and has been part of countless sessions as a studio guitarist. His songs have been recorded by artists such as John Landry, Jamie Warren, Colin Amey & John McDermott. JK also co-wrote the new Ambush single, “My Little Girl”, that is climbing the Canadian Country charts. His list of achievements goes on - including being the founder of the CCMA Songwriters Cafe. Tune in for great stories, great songs and all the latest news from this multi-talented music maker.

Levi Hart may be a new name to the Country music industry, but his voice, sound and talent are easily and clearly recognized as “seasoned“ to anyone given the chance to hear him sing. With a deep soulful vocal tone, he's been known to capture audiences within the first notes of a song. With more than a decade of experience as a musician, writer and singer in the entertainment industry, it's easy to understand why so many of his peers call him a "triple threat" and say he's going all the way to the top. Having been invited to perform and sing at the 2007 Canadian Country Music Awards songwriters showcase, he had the opportunity to let industry & fans see/hear his talent. Originally from Ottawa, Levi now calls Nashville home. His debut album, "Faith And Love", was released earlier this year.

Keith and Renee have been touring and recording albums over the past 10 years. Their fourth album which was released this year is called "Detours". In 2008 & 2009, the duo was asked to join Craig Kielburger’s Free The Children foundation which had them performing in 150 schools across Canada, speaking to youths about positive change and spreading their message through their music - reaching over 100,000 young people. Through this organization, they also travelled and performed for two summers in Kenya, Africa, and Dubai. Keith and Renee’s song "Good Year" off the Revolution album was chosen as Manitoba’s Homecoming 2010 official anthem song alongside Bachman Turner Overdrive’s "You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet". Many will remember Keith from Canadian Idol - he finished in the top 10 in 2006. Tune in to hear this dynamic duo discuss their music career & the stories behind their songs.

Ottawa's Rory Gardiner is a passionate and energetic live performing artist - playing over 100 live shows a year showcasing his music. He's been featured on a CMT nationally broadcasted reality show, as well as the CMT Top 20 Countdown with Casey Clarke. Encouraged by a musically talented family, Rory’s music career began on the drum set at the early age of eleven playing modern and classic rock. It wasn’t long before he picked up the guitar and began exploring Country Music, focusing his efforts on singing and songwriting. His reputation garnered him an invitation to teach a course in Effective Songwriting. In 2009, Rory released his debut album entitled "Break Free" - co-produced by JR Vautour. A radio single - and video - called "There You Go Again" has just been released.

Canadian singer/songwriter DAN HILL began writing songs at age 14 and was playing professionally in small gatherings and coffee houses by the time he reached age 17. In 1978, he wrote and recorded the smash hit Sometimes When We Touch. He went on to write and release a long list of hits including Never Thought (That I Could Love), Unborn Heart, I Fall All Over Again & Can't We Try. In 1997, Dan teamed up with Country producer/songwriter Keith Stegall and the duo soon proved to be a successful writing team. Sammy Kershaw took their song Love Of My Life to #1 on the Country charts and then Mark Wills reached the top slot again with the Hill/Stegall composition I Do (Cherish You). Other Country songs of Dan's have been recorded by Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire and Jamie O'Neal - to name a few. He recently released an album called Intimate and a memoir called I Am My Father's Son. Dan joins me to talk about his first big hit, songwriting, his Pop & Country Music successes & much more.

Music has always been important in Mike Gouchie’s life, a testament to the influence of his late father Ernie, a preacher, gospel singer, and pillar of his northern aboriginal community. While instilling in his son the value of family and compassion, Ernie also cultivated Mike’s love for music, sharing with him the sounds of classic country legends – Hank, George, Buck, and Merle, to name just a few. After his school years, Mike honed his musical abilities on the road as a member of the country rock band Gunshy. Then, as the years went by, life's joys and tragedies took center stage in his life. Fast forward to today: Mike’s new album, Shattered Glass, has all the hallmarks of a breakthrough in the making – expect to hear great songs, great production, and great performances. “Country Music has always been based on real life experiences. I believe it would be impossible for me to write and sing purely from the heart, if all I had ever seen was sunshine.” This talented Country artist joins me on the show to discuss his music career, his new album & more.

At age 17, Country artist Steve Wariner joined Dottie West’s band as a bass player. A few years later, Chet Atkins (one of Steve’s heroes) hired Steve as his bass player and signed him to his first “singles” deal with RCA Records. Steve soon began a run of successful radio hits with songs like "Kansas City Lights", "Some Fools Never Learn", "The Weekend" and his chart-topping duet with Anita Cochran, "What If I Said". In 1996, Steve was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He released an instrumental album that same year featuring Chet Atkins, Vince Gill, Bryan White and many others. He's a Grammy, ACM and CMA award winner. Steve joins me on the show to discuss his amazing music career & to talk about his CD entitled Guitar Christmas - an instrumental collection of Christmas standards that he arranged and produced.

HoneyGrass formed in the summer of 2005 when two of the founding members met at the River Valley Bluegrass Festival in beautiful Northern Ontario. The group showcased at the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association’s “World of Bluegrass” conference in Nashville, and won the "Most Promising Band" of the year award at the 2007 Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards (CCBA). They received three CCBA nominations in 2008 and again in 2009. Their debut CD "She's Running Wild" was released in June 2008 and received a very favourable review in the December 2008 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited. HoneyGrass has also contributed original work to each of the award winning 2008 and 2009 "North To Ontario" compilation CDs, which receive extensive international airplay. They have been playing at major festivals in Ontario and New York State - and are visiting In The Country to talk all about their music and to share some songs from their album.