In The Country with Dave Woods

Tune in to this edition of Country Up Close for the latestCountry Music newsplus reviewsand artist spotlights. Dave is joined by Karlie Justus - a country music blogger/journalist based in Raleigh, North Carolina. She writes for roots music website Engine 145, has written for the pioneer country music website The 9513 as well as Country Standard Time. In addition, she has appeared on CMT Network's...

Get to know some of the Young Country talent on today's music scene! This special will feature stories & songs from my three guests: Celeste Kellogg, Melanie May & Jenna-Nicole. Each one of these artists has a passion for singing & the ability to write great songs. Hear how they got their start, which artists have influenced them, how they approach songwriting & much more. It's an...

Born & raised in Bracebridge, Ontario - and now living a few miles outside of Nashville - Country artist Deric Ruttan continues to enjoy a successful career with 4 nominations at the upcoming CCMA awards. He's nominated for Male Artist, Songwriter, Single and Video of the Year. The last 3 nominations on the list are for his song That's How I Wanna Go Out from his most recent album - his third...

Alberta Country artist Colleen Rae has many reasons to be proud of her debut CD What You Need Is Me. It has earned her nominations from the Western Canadian Music Awards (WCMA), Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA), and Toronto Independent Music Awards (TIMA). Over the last decade, Colleen has toured as part of the band Cornerstone throughout Western Canada. They've shared the stage with arti...

Dean Brody – originally from Jaffray, BC & now living in Nova Scotia – is riding high on the success of his 2nd album Trail In Life. He’s earned five Canadian Country Music Association award nominationsincluding Male Artist, Songwriter and Fans’ Choice Entertainer of the Year andAlbum, Song & Single of the Year. The awards will be handed out in Hamilton, Ontario in September. The current a...

Alberta Country artist Tanya Ryan loves playing at local venues like Gitter's Pub in High River where she got her start as a singer-songwriter. In June 2010, she took her first of several trips to Nashville to learn more about the business & art of making music. Asked to name her favourite artists, the list includes Ray Charles, Zac Brown, Johnny Cash, and Jason McCoy. You can see & hear T...

Grande Prairie, Alberta Country artist Tenille is nominated for the 2011 CCMA Female Artist of the Year. Prior to the awards ceremony in Ontario in September, this talented 17- year-old will open a show for Country star Easton Corbin ("A Little More Country Than That") in Grand Prairie. Earlier this month, Tenille performed her song Real Me - from her debut CD Real - on CTV's Canada AM. Her video...

Country artist Christi Bauerlee has been singing melodies since before she could put sentences together. As she grew up, she never stopped singing, writing and performing. Along the way, she added modelling and acting credits to her resume - including appearing in movies that starred Demi Moore & Corey Feldman. Her version of the Edwin Starr song War aired every Monday night for 2 seasons as t...

62 North is a rockin' Country band based out of Peterborough, Ontario. The group's members areDylan Mader, D.J. Brown & Frank Towns. They recently released a new album entitled Quit Work, Make Music - 3 of the 9 songs are originals. Some of the selections are songs made famous byBrooks & Dunn, Jason Aldean and Hank Williams Sr. This hard-working group has opened up shows for Country stars ...

Saskatchewan's Codie Prevost is nominated for Rising Star at this year's Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) awards. He's already won the Saskatchewan (SCMA) Fans Choice Entertainer of the Year three times - as well as many other SCMA awards. His current album Get Loud was produced by Vancouver's great Tom McKillip. Rolling Back To You - the lead off single/video from the album - proved succ...

Nikki Shae grew up on a horse farm in a small town just north of Toronto. Her interest in singing began at an early age & she started writing songs at age eleven. After high school, Nikki studied Entertainment Management at a private school in Toronto to gain a thorough understanding of the music business & to ensure she was prepared to succeed in it. Nikki’s breakthrough came when she ent...

Brian Allen’s resume includes positions as a touring musician, recording artist, songwriter, producer, A&R for a major independent label, department manager for a Performing Right Organization and, most recently, a part time music business instructor at Metalworks Institute. He has earned multi-platinum awards for his songs, productions and A&R endeavours. As a songwriter, Brian co-wrote W...

Born in Belleville, Ontario – now based in Stoney Creek, ON - the past eight 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...

Kal Hourd’s confidence in his lifelong dream of singing & songwriting must have soared after taking home awards for Album, Song and Single of the year at the 2010 Saskatachewan Country Music Awards. The award-winning album called Haven't Even Met Yet was also - believe it or not - launched into space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour with Canadian Astronaut Julie Payette in June 2009. Ms. Pay...

Jetty Road is now making waves in Canada and Europe as well as in their home country Australia. In January 2010, the group received one of Australia's highest Country music accolades, the CMAA Award (Golden Guitar) for Best Group. Group members are identical twin sisters, Lee and Paula Bowman as well as Julian Sammut and Simon Ross. Their new album - their fourth - is entitledFar Away Places featu...

Country legend Hank Williams died on January 1, 1953 - and just a few days later his daughter Jett Williams was born. "I maintain that as his soul was leaving this world my soul was coming into it," Jett reflects. She was adopted by Hank's mother and later by another family. It wasn't until the early 1980s that she learned who her biological father & mother (Bobbie Jett) were. In 1990, Jett pu...

Originally from just outside of Detroit, Michigan, Rachel Williams now calls Nashville home. A finalist on USA Network’s Nashville Star 2, this gifted singer-songwriter has released several CDs and EPs, all available on iTunes.  She has shared the stage with artists like Wynonna, Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, and Ronnie Milsap. Rachel's sound is Country at the core but reaches beyond into other genr...

Since arriving on the Country music scene in 2002, Alberta's Craig Moritz has been wowing crowds with his from-the-heart performances that are packed with lively vocals and rockin' beats. Born in Medicine Hat, Craig grew up listening to Country music and could often be heard singing along to Don Williams, Randy Travis and George Strait. After moving to Fort McMurray at age 12, Craig explored his p...

Country-Rock artist Steve Rivers released his debut album Beginnings Of A Work In Progress in 2008. That project has earned him success not only as a talented singer & guitarist, but also as an aspiring songwriter and producer. Steve performs regularly in Nashville and Canada. His music spills over into several genres: Country, Rock, Americana, and Blues. His musical influences include Kenny C...

Linda M studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music and has been privately mentored by hit songwriters from the U.S. including Pat Pattison. She is a professor of Songwriting, Artist Development and Music Collaboration at Seneca College in Toronto and is currently completing her Masters Degree in Music at York University. Linda has received awards from Billboard, Songwriter Universe, The Great Amer...

"I love helping songwriters and artists find their voice and their audience," says Nashville music producer Kim Copeland. Although she spent time early on in her career performing on the stage, her home and heart are in the studio. In addition, she's a gifted songwriter and a song troubleshooter/coach for TAXI, the NSAI and The Songwriters Connection. "I don't like to be locked into a single style...

Timmins, Ontario-born, Montreal-based Country artist Marven James knows the third time is the charm. His third album entitlted Tennessee Teardrops has all the elements needed for a great project: heartfelt vocals, strong songs and first class production. The album was recorded at Bayou Recording Studio in Nashville - as well as other studios. 9 of the 12 selections are produced by Canada's own Lar...

Friends of Jack consists of brothers Darryl and Chad John, cousin Paul John and long time friends - Kevin Connors and Steve Drake. All members of the band were born and raised in Newfoundland. Their music is high energy with sibling harmony - a key element to their sound. In 2008, the boys met Bruce Graham who has played a large part in the band moving forward - making key contacts in the music in...

For the past five years, Blind River has been busy at the Ontario Country club circuit - quickly climbing to the top as a fan favourite with their unmistakable signature upbeat tempo and full-throttle live performances. The group has developed their own brand of Country with a rock and roll edge that has earned them a place on stage with the likes of Aaron Pritchett, Aaron Lines, Deric Ruttan and...

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...