In The Country with Dave Woods

When The Stellas took their first trip to Nashville in 2008, they were still a relatively unknown husband-and-wife duo from the Toronto suburbs, armed with little more than two voices, one acoustic guitar, and a catalog of smart, catchy songs.  These days, The Stellas are songwriters who have written 90% of the material on their own albums, as well as songs for other artists. They’re parents of Le...

No matter what you call him - genius, recluse, friend, foe, outgoing, unapproachable, giving, kind, or thoughtful - there is so much more to Nova Scotia's J.P. Cormier beneath the surface. Celebrated as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, recording artist, teacher, collaborator, innovator, and award winner, J.P.’s talent is comparable to none. He’s praised in superlatives, but e...

For Jack Connolly, the song is everything. Free of pretensions or pomp, his Country folk-tinged tunes are all about vivid storytelling, and this talent shines on his latest album, Great Big Soul. The Toronto-based songwriter has been involved in the Canadian music scene for more than a decade. Having grown up playing coffee houses on Vancouver Island, he released his debut Indie album Open Stage i...

Peterborough, Ontario's NIKKI ENGLISH has spent the last few years making music with Canadian Country Trio Western Avenue. Their 2013 self-titled debut album includes the radio singles Highway Headin' Out Of Town, This I Promise You and Wherever You Are. They filmed music videos for a couple of the songs. The trio was nominated for CMAO Group or Duo of the year in 2013. Nikki has been singing sinc...

In The Country with Dave Woods is all about Country music & conversations with Country artists. The show has been broadcasting online since 2009. On this episode: Julian Austin, John Landry & Stacey Lee, Lindsay Broughton, Victoria Banks, Neal McCoy, Kira Isabella, Matt Williams and Tia McGraff. All of them have great songs and stories to share. You'll hear about artists' influences, their...

For Lindsay Broughton, Country Music is home. It’s the quiet, country house, white picket fence, and the rocking chair on the porch. Not a surprising association, as she was raised with music as a constant companion throughout her childhood in Brooklin, Ontario. For all her life, no matter what changes headed her way, music has always been there for her. Initially gaining inspiration from her perf...

Country-rocker JULIAN AUSTIN - born in Sussex, New Brunswick - climbed the charts and appeared in videos on CMT with hits like Little Ol' Kisses, Hard Time Loving You, What My Heart Already Knows and Back In Your Life. His first album earned him a certified CRIA gold record (50k+ sales) and the 1997 Wrangler Rising Star Award from the Canadian Country Music Association. His first single Little Ol’...

Described as having "a voice stolen from angels", Tia McGraff first stepped into the international spotlight on a CBC TV special with Johnny Cash and June Carter. Johnny was so impressed with Tia, he invited her into June's dressing room to introduce the two. Johnny Cash wasn't the only one who recognized a shining star! Soon the likes of Randy Bachman (BTO), Dan Hill (Celine Dion), Andrew Gold, a...

Three popular Canadian Country artists join me on this episode of In The Country to talk about their music careers and share their latest radio singles. Music has always been an undeniable passion for Cobourg, Ontario's MATT WILLIAMS for as long as he can remember. “I remember from a very early age singing in the stands at baseball games with my mother”. Years later it was a Tom Petty & The He...

Born and raised in Stratford, Ontario, KRISTEN HAWLEY started singing Country music at the age of 12. In 2007, she competed in and won a local singing competition called Stratford Star. One of the contestants in the competition was Justin Bieber. This past Febuary, she recorded her first EP, and was flown to New York City to play the lead single Might Be Right and be interviewed on Dateline NBC. “...

Country artists John Landry & Stacey Lee won the CCMA Vocal Collaboration of the Year in 2001 for their duet My Heart Says Yes. Now, on John's fifth studio album entitled Don't Look Back, the pair have teamed up again to put their voices together on the song We Won't Stop. It's the album's new single being released to country radio now. John Landry started his climb on the country charts in 19...

Joining me on this episode are three talented Canadian Country artists: Ontario's Adrienne Taylor, Nova Scotia's Makayla Lynn and Saskathewan's country duo Marshal Reign.  Being raised on a farm, 24-year-old Adrienne Taylor grew up riding dirt bikes, driving trucks in fields, shooting guns and running through cornfields. Her first job was raising chickens on her farm and selling eggs door-to-door....

Life is painful and impossible and breathtaking and beautiful. I have to write what I feel. That’s where Victoria Banks' third album Indigo comes from. "These songs aren’t written to fit a genre, or to meet an expectation of a sound,” she says. “They’re built from bare-bones midnight recording sessions in my attic. They’re things that I need to say."  Victoria’s list of accolades as an artist is l...

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® and fan-favorite country music artist Neal McCoy announce the upcoming CD release of Pride: A Tribute to Charley Pride: Deluxe Edition, which will be available on Nov. 3rd exclusively at all 633 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® locations and online at crackerbarrel.com.  Pride: A Tribute to Charley Pride: Deluxe Edition contains two exclusive bonus tracks not fou...

Sakstachewan's JESS MOSKALUKE is the 2014 CCMA Female Artist of the Year. It's been an amazing year for her with her single Cheap Wine and Cigarettes going gold. She performed the song on this year's CCMA broadcast. The album Light Up The Night also features the popular single Good Lovin' and the new single Used. Jess had a Nashville showcase in August at The Rutledge. CMT has begun playing the vi...

TWOSHINE COUNTY is made up of singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Daron Schofield and Dennis Hann. They are high energy, veteran performers who have united to bring their guitar-infused, raw and honest music to country music fans from coast-to-coast. Inspired by influences like Garth Brooks, Merle Haggard, the Beatles, Kris Kristofferson and U2, Daron and Dennis recently recorded their f...

Ottawa-born Country artist KIRA ISABELLA will release her new album Caffeine & Big Dreams on October 14th. It features the powerful first single Quarterback and the new single Gone Enough. She wrote the majority of songs on this album and teamed up with several hit songwriters including Deric Ruttan, Rivers Rutherford and Chris DuBois. Kira was named the 2013 CCMA Female Artist of the Year and...

In 1999, Ontario Country artist Shelley Buffitt released her debut album My First Love. The acclaimed album received airplay world-wide and garnered Shelley the 1999 Nashville Tracker Magazine "Female Vocalist of the Year" (European market). Shelley was nominated at the OCMAs for Female Vocalist of the Year, as well as Album of the Year in 1999. Riding on the success of her debut album, Executive...

Alberta's PAUL BRANDT -  the most awarded male Canadian Country Music artist in history - climbed the charts once again this summer with his song Forever Summer. It's another title on his long list of hits which include My Heart Has A History, I Do, That's The Truth, Small Towns & Big Dreams and Didn't Even See The Dust.  A former pediatric registered nurse, Paul had a passion for words and po...

Producer, musician & songwriter Doug Romanow works his musical magic at Noble Street Studios in Toronto. He's worked with Ontario Country acts like Johnny Reid, Ann Chaplin, Cadence Grace, Mike Butler and Tori Hathaway - and even pop star Justin Bieber - to name just a few. He's the Musical Director for the Canadian Country Music Association's Gala Dinner & Industry Awards Show. Doug is al...

MYRIA WEBBER is a Canadian Country Music singer/songwriter. Born in farm country and raised in apple country in Quebec, Myria is the only child of her French Canadian mother and English Canadian father. She has been singing and performing since she was seven and is happiest to be on stage and share her music with others. Her love of music is a family affair as both her grandfathers were musicians...

After spending his teens and most of his 20s playing in rock bands, Ontario's TERRY FERNIHOUGH made a decision to quit, and put his energy into what he really loved, which was writing songs. Terry explains that he was "too rock for country in the 80s, and too country for rock." Then everything changed. Some called it "New Country", some called it "Country Rock". Terry just called it good music. As...

ALANNAH MCCREADY recently released her debut EP Love Hangover produced by award-winning Nashville publisher Dan Hodges and renowned Los Angeles based producer John Fields. Alannah began singing, appropriately, in cowboy boots and hat. But it wasn’t in Nashville, at the Ryman Auditorium. It was north of Minneapolis in the ex-urban flatlands of Blaine, Minnesota where she stood atop the back of a co...

Award-winning music biographer Jake Brown returns to store shelves nationwide with a shift from the rock world to the country world with his new book Nashville Songwriter: The Inside Stories Behind Country Music’s Greatest Hits which includes exclusive interviews with country legends Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and a long list of hit songwriters.  The book features interviews with the writers be...

Born on a farm outside of Hamilton, Ontario, AMY CHURM was destined to be a country singer. At the age of 3, she gave her first performance and belted out a version of Rhinestone Cowboy. By age 7, Amy was performing on stage. Her first musical influences include Tanya Tucker, Loretta Lynn, Don Williams, and Glen Campbell. Amy has performed at local charity shows including the Canadian Country Musi...