In The Country with Dave Woods

"Folk music is all about telling stories", explains Toronto singer-songwriter GLEN HORNBLAST. "Songwriters are impossible dreamers trying to change the world with their songs. And sometimes it works." A self-confessed 1960's hippie, Glen travelled across Canada during the late 60s & early 70s like an old-fashioned troubadour. His musical influences include Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Jame...

Continuing to build on the acclaim of her self-titled debut album, PEI-born, Toronto-based WHITNEY ROSE joined reunited Americana legends The Mavericks this month for a number of dates on their current Canadian tour. Whitney began attracting attention from the moment she started appearing on Toronto club stages, gaining support from Blue Rodeo's Bazil Donovan and Bob Egan. Donovan and David Baxter...

Alberta Country group Domino is made up of Kent Nixon, Luanne Carl, Russ Carl & Scott McKnight. In September 2013, they released their album Scrapbook featuring the popular single 2:15. With their sound established, they realized guidance would be required and signed a Developing Artist Management deal with Sirroma Entertainment in late October 2013. Domino is extremely excited for this next c...

ELYSE SAUNDERS is a talented artist and humanitarian who believes that music is a great way to bring people together for a greater cause. This year, Warm Coats Warm Hearts Benefit Concert will be held on Sunday Nov 24th at The Revival on College Street in Toronto. The admission is a gently used or new coat/winter wear with a goal to raise 200 coats. The evening will include the incredible magician...

MEAGHAN BLANCHARD, a vibrant red-headed singer-songwriter, grew up in the rolling hills of beautiful Prince Edward Island. Although a shy and quiet child, Meaghan gravitated towards music with a natural ability to write & hum her own tunes at a very young age. As she grew up, Meaghan’s natural vocal ability had her front and center of a number of community gatherings, children’s choirs and kit...

Seven-time CCMA Award winner DEAN BRODY is set to release his highly anticipated fourth studio album entitled Crop Circles on November 5, 2013. Featuring the Top 10 hit Bounty featuring Lindi Ortega, Dean showcases his abilities as a singer-songwriter to push the boundaries of traditional Country music on the new album. This past September, Brody was honoured for the second time in a row with the...

Tune in for this radio special celebrating the hits of Canadian Country artist Charlie Major. UP TILL NOW is the name of this program whichfeatures songs from Charlie Major’s latest album The Best 20 of the Last 20 - The Greatest Hits. This special presentation looks at Charlie’s successful musical career by sharing some of the hit singles throughout the past 20 years along with two new singles on...

JUSTIN MOORE'S hit songs include Small Town USA, If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away, Bait A Hook and Til My Last Day. His first two albums JUSTIN MOORE and OUTLAWS LIKE ME were certified GOLD for sales of over 500,000 copies. Justin recently wrapped up his first-ever headlining tour as well as support dates with Darius Rucker. In September 2013, he released his brand new album Off The Beaten Path featur...

JUNO & CCMA-nominated Saskatchewan Country artist DONNY PARENTEAU introduced the anti-bullying campaign Bully Free Zone to Canada recently. At a media conference/school presentation at James L Alexander School in Saskatoon Fairview, Donny spoke about the epidemic of bullying and premiered his new song and music video for Imagine A World. MLA Jennifer Campeau, Legislative Secretary to the Minis...

In Merle Haggard: The Running Kind, DAVID CANTWELL takes us on a revelatory journey through Haggard’s music and the life and times out of which it came. Taking in the entire breadth of the Hag’s career, David focuses especially on the 1960s and 1970s when Haggard created much of his best-known and most influential work. Listening closely to a masterpiece-crowded catalogue (including such songs as...

Carleton Place, Ontario Country artist BREA LAWRENSON'S collection of songs reflects her own personal experiences and aspirations. Her musical career has taken her across Canada, and to London, UK. She frequently travels to Nashville to write and record. She's worked with many different songwriters and producers including Stu Epps (UK producer who has worked with the likes of Elton John and Led Ze...

In Dwight Yoakam, award-winning music journalist DON MCLEESE offers the first musical biography of this acclaimed artist. Tracing the seemingly disparate influences in Yoakam's music, Don shows how Dwight has combined rock and roll, rockabilly, country, blues, and gospel into a seamless whole. In particular, Don explores the essential issue of "authenticity" and how it applies to Yoakam, as well a...

The new single Let It Burn for Country artist LISA BROKOP was recently released to Canadian radio and was produced by her friend and fellow Country artist Carolyn Dawn Johnson (who also co-wrote the song). The two of them are co-producing Lisa's upcoming album. "This song so perfectly sums up where I am in my life and in my career," says Lisa. "I wrote the song with Carolyn and Brad Crisler just d...

Award-winning Country artist DERIC RUTTAN will release his new album entitled Take The Week Off on October 15th. The lead single is the title track and is now the fastest rising single of his career. The new project was recorded in Nashville and produced by Deric and Grammy-nominated producer Luke Wooten (who has also produced for Brad Paisley & Dierks Bentley). No doubt you've heard Blake She...

Originally from Manhattan, Kansas and now living in Nashville, Country artist LARA WISDOM is currently working on her third album. It'll be the follow up to her previous albums Someday and Enough Is Enough. Her passion is not only in performing songs but in writing them as well. Her influences include Trisha Yearwood, Linda Ronstadt and Jann Arden. These days, her favourite venues for taking in li...

Collingwood, Ontario country music artist GRAHAM TRUDE is also known as The Singing Soldier (a title given to him by the legendary Good Brothers). He's an avid outdoorsman who shares his love of life and Canada through his music. In 2007, Graham joined the Canadian Forces and served as an armoured crewmen for five years in Edmonton, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario. Training several areas around the w...

ANN CHAPLIN is a singer/songwriter from Deep River, Ontario. Her 2008 debut EP What I Meant To Say received 4 nominations from The IMAs (Independent Music Awards). Her Country album Drive was released in January 2013. Growing up in Northern Ontario, Ann began writing songs on the family piano as soon as she was tall enough to reach the keys, and was a part of every choir and band that her school h...

JIM WITTER released his self-titled debut album in 1993 resulting in a string of top 10 hits: Everything & More, Stolen Moments, Distant Drum, Sweet Sweet Poison & Chevy Coupe. He followed up that success with an album entitled All My Life. The title track - which also climbed the charts - was a co-write with Country artist Steve Wariner. Jim has won several CCMA awards and has been nomina...

Produced by Grammy award-nominated producerDave Cobb (Jamey Johnson, Secret Sisters, Shooter Jennings), LINDI ORTEGA'S new album Tin Star (to be released Oct 8th) builds on the success of her previous two critically acclaimed works - 2011’s Juno Award-nominated Little Red Boots and 2012's Cigarettes & Truckstops (longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize). “It’s always my goal to raise the b...

JULIEN KELLAND is a 14 year old Canadian singer/songwriter from Uxbridge, Ontario. She started singing around the same time she started talking and has been singing with her band in and around Uxbridge & Durham Region since a surprise wedding performance at the age of six. Julien quickly realized that singing and performing were her passion, and that it was all she wanted to do. Her Dad helped...

On a Sunday night in September, In The Country once again taped an on location episode at Paul Malysa's Studio. The guest performers include Tia McGraff & Tommy Parham, Chase Stevens, All Night Mule and Kent Leggett. Tune in for a mix of conversation & songs - and some very special musical moments. For more Country music interviews, be sure to visit www.inthecountryinterviews.com.

VICKI LAWRENCE'S comedic adventures as Thelma Mae Harper - better known as Mama - began on the classic and much-loved Carol Burnett Show. Soon after, Vicki starred in six seasons of Mama's Family throughout the 1980s until the final episode in February of 1990. Along with her TV success, Vicki can claim the original recording of the hit song The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia. Her recording...

Manitoba Country artist KIM ERICKSON held her CD Release Party recently at the Park Theater in Winnipeg. Her debut CD is entitled Miss Me and features her previous single Girl Thing as well as her brand new single Miss Me Song. Kim began singing at family weddings at just 4 years of age with her Dad. At age 12, she started studying with well-known vocal coach Cindi Cain. Soon, Kim was participatin...

ROBYN OTTOLINI is a seventeen year old singer-songwriter who has been immersed in the magic of music since the age of 3. In Uxbridge, Ontario - her home town - she is known for singing throughout the halls of her high school. ‘Without looking, teachers know it’s me when I get into class,’ Robyn says with a smile. She remembers coming up with melodic ideas as early as ten years old and wanting to w...

Tune in for this one hour Magna Hoedown Radio Special featuring Marshall Dane, Leah Daniels, Chris Seldon, Adrian Gross (from The Slocan Ramblers) and the Showdown Winner 2013Johnny Green! All these artists - along with popular & award-winning Country artist Terri Clark (who just won the CCMA's Fan Choice Award) - will perform at the Magna Hoedown in Aurora, Ontario on Saturday, September 14th...