In The Country with Dave Woods

When Country artist Jason Sturgeon sings about the simple life, he’s not just painting a picture of small town America. He’s describing who he is. Born and raised in Petersburg, IN, (pop. 3500), he grew up in a family of coal miners, oilmen and farmers who literally made their living off the land, and still do to this day. Running wild and free as the quarter horses he learned to ride and compete...

Ontario Country artist Jamie Warren recently released his sixth album entitled "Howl At The Moon". Over the years, fans and radio have made him a popular name in Country Music with hits like "One Step Back", "What A Womans To Hear" and "Sunny Day In The Park". His interest in music was likely genetic, since his mother sang and played piano, and his father played guitar and mandolin. Jamie had pian...

Stephanie Spence has big aspirations when it comes to her passion for singing Country Music. This BC girl has made up her mind that she will strive to become the very best at what she loves to do: sing live and record great songs. Her debut CD "Still Wanna Love You" was produced by Darcy D. former lead vocalist for Canadian Rock Group "Prism", and boasts some of the best talent in the business tod...

Ryan Cook is an award-winning Atlantic-Canadian songwriter from Yarmouth, NS. He performs a blend of folk, roots, jazz and country. Ryan has performed more than 260 performances since the release of his "Hot Times" album in the spring of 2008 which won the Country/Bluegrass Recording of the Year at the 2008 Music Nova Scotia Awards and was named the 8th best Canadian Country album of 2008 by Count...

Award-winning bluegrass group The Grascals have enlisted help from their musical friends on their latest CD of classic Country songs appropriately titled "The Grascals & Friends". Those friends include Brad Paisley, Charlie Daniels & Joe Nichols - and the songs covered include "Folsom Prison Blues", "Tiger By The Tail" & "White Lightning". Also on the CD is a new song entitled "I Am St...

At only 13 years old, Alberta Country artist Adam Gregory had secured his first major label record deal, and by the time he made the move to Nashville in 2007, he was a Gold-selling artist in Canada. He climbed the radio and video charts with songs like "Only Know I Do", "Big Star", "The World Could Use A Cowboy" - to name just a few. He even recorded a duet with Billy Ray Cyrus entitled "When I L...

Tara Lyn Hart's self-titled debut Country album was released on October 5, 1999. The lead single, "Stuff That Matters," soared up the Canadian country singles chart. At the 2000 Juno Awards, she was nominated for Best Country Female Artist, and the all-genre Best New Solo Artist. In April 2000, she was invited to perform on the Grand Ole Opry. When the nominations were announced for the 2000 Canad...

Shane Chisholm's country crooning can be dated back to a time when his mother put him on stage with his two siblings singing Country Classics in three part harmony. Shane commanded the bass lines with his deep and rich *two year old* voice. Growing up in a rural area outside of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, he found ways of expressing his creativity by singing and writing about future heart breaks. S...

Bill Culp is a full-time, Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and entertainer who performs approximately 200 shows per year and includes Canada, the USA, Europe and Australia among his musical travels. As a solo artist, Bill first rose to prominence with the 2005 release of “Roots’n’Roll” on Bullseye Records of Canada. As a musician, he has performed with an interesting array of notable names inc...

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...

Canada's Larry Wayne Clark has found success as a Country Music songwriter, producer & journalist. The first records he produced were for Lisa Brokop. He went on to win the British Columbia Country Music Association's Producer of The Year award from 1990 to 1994. When he set his sights on Music City in the early 1990s, he soon had songs & hits recorded by Lee Greenwood (Between A Rock And...

Canadian Country artist Chris Cummings has released five albums, racked up multiple hits at Canadian Country radio & had several number one videos on CMT Canada. In addition, he's earned multiple CCMA, RPM, ECMA, and Juno nominations as well as a Grammy nomination for a song of his recorded by Alabama. You'll know his hits - "I Waited", "Lucy Got Lucky", "The Kind Of Heart That Breaks" & "...

The 'new Queen of Bluegrass' Rhonda Vincent visits In The Country to talk about her latest CD entitled "Taken". With over seventy awards to their name, Rhonda Vincent and The Rage (her longtime backing band) are the most celebrated band in bluegrass, with honors including a coveted Entertainer of the Year award from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and a staggering seven consec...

Alberta's 19-year-old Leah Durelle has already recorded 5 CDs and released 3 songs to radio that received airplay in Canada, the US and Europe. Her new song, "I Need To See You", finds her ready to make an even bigger impression with radio & Country Music fans. Leah has opened for and shared stages with the likes of Leann Rimes, Tanya Tucker, Doc Walker & Jason McCoy - to name a few. She h...

This past summer, Country artist Jayme Knyx helped put together and performed in a benefit music festival called Peacefest which raised money towards the brand new Performing Arts Centre in Dawson Creek, B.C. He's a firm believer in giving back and volunteering at various charitable fundraisers. One benefit concert helped a local woman raise enough money get life saving surgery for her multiple sc...

The 2010 release of Libby McGrath's debut single "Blue Sky" marks the official starting point of a career that has been in the works since she was a child. Raised on the music of Tammy Wynette, Patty Loveless and Faith Hill, Libby and her siblings grew up playing and singing country music as a family. The sound of guitars, fiddles, banjos, drums and harmonizing voices could be heard drifting down...

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' balla...

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 retur...

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, “M...

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 t...

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 ov...

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....

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, Da...

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 f...

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 Cochr...