Victoria Banks - the Canadian Country Music Association's Female Artist of The Year for 2010 - joins me on the show to talk about her latest single (a duet with Jason Blaine), her recent tour with Reba in Western Canada, & much more. Along with writing and recording her own successful songs, Victoria has penned hits for One More Girl (When It Ain't Raining), Johnny Reid (Dance With Me), Jessica Simpson (Come On Over), Sara Evans (Saints & Angels) - to name just a few. She also wrote "City Of Dreams" - a song and video that raised funds for Tennessee Flood Relief. Tune in as this talented - and always entertaining - singer/songwriter catches us up on her latest news and shares some songs from her CD "When You Can Fly".

Born and raised in San Jose, California, Josh Damigo grew up in a very strict household. Only allowed to listen to KFRC, the local oldies station in the Bay Area, he found himself influenced by bands like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and much of the old-time, lyrically driven style of music. In first grade, his mother signed him up for piano lessons. "I absolutely hated piano because my teacher kept giving me classical pieces," Josh recalls. "I quit when I was in sixth grade." He only quit piano, not music. "At 16, I taught myself to play guitar. Two weeks after that, I had my first show. I was playing at churches. I was mostly singing - I was a much better singer than a guitar player." Fast Forward - Josh Damigo has now won multiple awards including winning the San Diego Music Award in the Best Acoustic category (September 2010). He also won the 2009 San Diego Music award for his album, "Raw". The album includes a duet with Country artist Shawn Mayer - who many will remember well from Nashville Star. Tune in to hear all about Josh's music career - and hear some songs from his album.

When she was just 12-years old, Atascocita, Texas Country artist Susan Hickman cold-called a talent agency and scheduled an audition. Why? "My mom told me I'd have to convince her that I was sure I wanted a career in music before she'd let me pursue it,” she recalls. “Making that call was my way of showing her that I was serious. She's been behind me every step of the way, ever since." Fast forward to today and the 24-year old singer's self-titled debut CD proves still very much determined to make a mark in the world of Country Music. Songs on the project have been written by Nashville hitmakers like Brett James, Mila Mason & Bobby Pinson. Closing the disc is Susan's soulful take on Gregg Allman's classic southern rocker, "Whipping Post." Over the past few years she has shared the stage with high-profile acts like Tracy Byrd, Jo Dee Messina, Steve Holy and Phil Vassar - to name just a few. “I love performing,” Susan says with enthusiasm. “When you can feel the audience’s energy, you know you’re doing your job.”

Rik Reese & Neon Highway earned a 2010 ECMA nomination for Country Album of The Year for their debut release, "Mama Raised A Good Boy". The band is made up of Rik, Pete King, Wayne Gallant & Jim Messer. The boys deliver what is called "Canada's Untamed Country/Rock Show". Tune in to hear Rik tell us all about that and much more - plus you'll hear some great songs from this talented New Brunswick group.

Born in Belleville, Ontario – now based in Stoney Creek, ON - the past seven years have found Country singer/songwriter Brad James on a musical journey since discovering his first acoustic guitar. “My friend left a guitar in my trunk and I started messing around with it. I learned a couple of chords and really came to enjoy it,”he recalls. “Working at a country bar, I got to know some of the bands. Eventually, one of them convinced me to get up on stage on and sing. Besides being ridiculously nervous, it was amazing.” Brad feels that his self-titled debut album is the perfect representation of his live performance. Rockin’ tunes like “If You Like That Sorta Thing” and ballads like “Bitter” will no doubt earn this talented Canadian artist a ton of new fans. Tune in to hear all about Brad's music career & some songs from his CD.

On his 5th album titled “These Days”, Canadian-born/Japan-based artist Kelly Pettit showcases exactly what makes his music so appealing. He is equally skilled at writing a great lyric as he is at creating a catchy and memorable melody. And his voice delivers the songs with believability and emotion. Ballads like "Into The Sea" & "You, The Melody" go straight to the heart while the title-track "These Days" is far from a throw-away uptempo song: the message (and brilliant rhymes) will keep you listening closely. Kelly has been slowly accumulating a loyal fan base since his first CD, “Life through A Windshield”. His new album was recorded in Melbourne, Australia and produced by the talented Greg Arnold. “I try hard to make each song not sound like the last one but what’s constant however, is my attempt to write catchy, meaningful songs that I can be proud of”, says Kelly. Tune in to hear great stories as well as "World Is Turning" from his previous CD entitled "Fuel". For more on this talented singer/songwriter, visit www.kellypettit.com.

Eastern Ontario's Greg Hanna grew up on a dairy farm, and is just as happy working cattle as he is performing on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans. From the first time he laid eyes on that old Sears guitar hanging in his aunt’s cold storage room, he knew he had to be on stage. But his heart is never far from the kind of lifestyle he grew up knowing. "If I wasn’t pursuing a music career, I’d probably still be there farming, because I love that life so much. I’d love to be sitting on a tractor right now in the heat -- you know, small town farm life. I grew up in the country…I am country music. I didn’t know much about rock and roll growing up…country was all I knew." Greg's songs have climbed the charts in America and here in Canada with "Song In My Head", "Love You For Life" & "Singin' To The Radio". Shorty after moving to Nashville, a song Greg had written was recorded by Country superstar Sammy Kershaw for his 2003 "I Want My Money Back" album. Greg currently has a hot new radio new single - and video - called "What Kind Of Love Are You On".

In the world of country music, there’s a lot to be said for family support. Talented Barrie, Ontario Country artist Derek James Tilley can attest to that. It was his sister who encouraged him to showcase his abilities at a singing competition in his hometown. “I can’t thank my sister enough for her encouragement”, says Derek. “That day, she changed my life.” He quickly became a fan favourite and eventually went on to win the top Country vocalist in that competition. It was because of taking a chance that fateful morning that Derek caught the ear of judges and music producers Marty Beecroft and Glenn Coulson. The three began songwriting together regularly and planning for Derek’s debut Country album "Angels & Outlaws". His distinct and comfortable sound has been called a mix of Gary Allan, Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts – a combination of Allan’s sensitivity, Aldean’s grit and the Flatts’ vocal range. The album features Derek's songwriting skills on three of the songs with other offerings coming from hitmakers like Tim Nichols, Cyril Rawson and Keith Urban. Lots of exciting things happening right now for DJT - tune in to hear his latest news and some songs from his current album.

Country artist Rhonda Towns made her debut as a country music singer on Ed McMahon’s Star Search as a champion female country music artist. She soon after attracted the attention of producer Norro Wilson (Kenny Chesney/Reba McEntire/Sara Evans/Shania Twain) after sending in a demo of cover tunes to the A&R Department of Mercury Records. “Shannon Scott (at that time Shannon Finnigan) set up a meeting for me with Norro Wilson. My husband and I took my karaoke box with us to the meeting and Norro told me to go back home and send him a demo. My husband immediately said, ‘wait a minute we flew all the way from Phoenix, Arizona, she’s going to sing for you right now.’ So he took the karaoke box out of the suitcase, set it up and I performed for Norro “A Picture of Me Without You”. Immediately, he decided he would produce some songs from her. Aside from performing her music, Rhonda has appeared in many TV comercials and hosts a radio show called "Plenty More Love".

Born and raised in Jonesville, Virginia, Kelley Nelson was exposed to traditional Country and Bluegrass music throughout her childhood. She began singing in her church choir when she was eight years old and performed with her high school chorale group for four years. After high school, Kelley continued to sing in church as she attended college and graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She began a career as a counselor for children and continues to work in that profession. Kelley has performed at many local and regional events within the past 4 years, often appearing as a guest with Lonesome Will Mullins, singing their crowd-pleasing version of the Johnny Cash and June Carter hit, “Jackson”. She's just released an album called "Yesterday's Blues" which showcases her bluegrass style (and some of her songwriting) on highlights like "Coal Miner's Queen" and "When I Hear That Rain". Tune in to hear all about this talented singer-songwriter's music career and to hear some songs from the new album.