Inside Today's Country

Colin Amey

Born April 21st, the youngest of three boys, Colin Amey hails from Dunnville, Ontario but spent most of his childhood in Whitehorse, where the cold Canadian Yukon did nothing to cool his driving passion to be a singer and songwriter.

At a young and early age, Colin's early influences came from listening to the radio and watching the hits on MuchMusic, where the performances of Bryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen inspired his young heart. In the small town of Marmora, Ontario, at the Country Fair, three-year-old Colin Amey won Second Prize in the Annual Junior Talent Show, giving a heartfelt rendition of 'Delta Dawn'.   He continued to enter local and regional talent competitions, usually placing first, hands down.

When the family moved and settled back in Ontario, Colin began a stretch of singing demos and jingles in a small studio, then released his first single in 1988, a pop power ballad “Gonna Last Foreve”, with a video to follow that received national airplay.

The stage was set, and he began writing material to record his first CD, released a few singles that received some airplay and started on his way to being hooked on songwriting.  Colin eventually teamed up with the legendary Barry Brown (formerly of Family Brown) to collaborate on his second album, gaining radio recognition with two singles that included the title track 'What My Heart Don't Know' and 'If I Didn't Call It Love'.

This radio awareness of his career garnered Colin two nominations that included Independent Male Artist and Rising Star at the Canadian Country Music Awards.

Looking for new direction, Colin moved into the Greater Toronto Area, and began collaborating with Thomas Wade, Jamie Warren and also with Brian Allen who co-penned the hit song, 'What About Love' for the American Rock band, Heart. 

Colin continued to co-write with the likes of Dean McTaggart, known for penning the hit song, 'Birmingham' performed by Amanda Marshall, and songwriter Tim Taylor, who's written many hits with and for the likes of Aaron Pritchett, Gord Bamford & The Road Hammers, just to name a few. 

 The year 2006, brought the release of his third album 'Getaway' produced by award winning producer, Rick Hutt, with credits for his work with Tom Cochrane, Northern Pikes, Gil Grande, and Jamie Warren.  The "Getaway" record spawned half a dozen radio singles, including the title track, which was added on medium rotation at many major market radio stations nation wide. 

Over time, Colin continued writing with good friend, Thomas Wade and sang on numerous demos and recording projects, which eventually led to the formation of "Wade Amey Wade." 

In November 2011, they released the Christmas single, "I Can't Wait for Christmas" and donated all download sales to the Sean Hogan's Christmas Wish. In 2012, when Wade Amey Wade disbanded, Colin was free to pursue his solo career once again.  In 2013, Colin released a 5 song EP, entitled "Just Do What You Do" which included a remake of the mid 80s hit from Kim Mitchell, "Go For A Soda" which coincided with a video released to Youtube. 

Over the past several years, Amey has been releasing singles to radio and iTunes, including "Sunday Drive, Drinkin' Time”, “A Million Tears Ago”, and “Welcome To the World" which happens to be a very personal song about the very day his daughter, Ryleigh was born. 

With the current global pandemic, like many other artists, Colin is performing online shows on Facebook Live, and currently gearing up to release a brand new single cowritten with Hamilton guitarist and band mate, Darren Lachance. The track is entitled “Life Goes By” and will be going to radio in early July of 2020.

 

https://colinamey.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/ColinDAmey
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/colin-amey-mn0001936210
https://twitter.com/colinamey1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
https://www.instagram.com/colinamey1/?hl=en
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/colin-amey/83934322https://open.spotify.com/artist/67irjD3ABHK8fvIqnr4Ugp

Alex Runions

Well before he won the 2016 Saskatchewan Country Music Association Fan’s Choice Entertainer of the Year award and Male Vocalist of the Year award, Alex Runions was widely considered as an artist to keep an eye on in Canada’s country music scene. With more than a decade of memorable live performances at some of the most iconic venues in the country, including Big Valley Jamboree, the Grey Cup, and the CCMA Awards Week Songwriters’ Series, it’s easy to see why Runions’ hometown of Kipling, Saskatchewan raised a billboard in his honour. 

In addition to charting singles such as "Passenger Seat", "South of the City", “FM Dial” and "Little Bit of Sunshine", Runions’ collaboration track "Just Watch Me" with Dean Kush and JJ Voss cemented the Saskatchewan-born artist’s status as a rising star on an international level, serving as the cornerstone to a fundraising campaign for the Canadian Cancer Society. Following the success of his latest single, "Heartland" featuring Erin Hill, Runions' stock continues to rise as he tours and performs live throughout the country. - Daniel Bell

VISIT ALEX ON SOCIALS:

WEBSITE: https://www.alexrunions.com/

INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/alexrunions 
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/alexrunionsmusic 
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCriCCvUl3moXy2SP751rgtg

 

 

Bobby Wills

Bobby Wills is BACK! "Wash My Truck" is the brand new single by Bobby Wills, written with Erik Dylan, lead singer of Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion and Nashville songwriter (Luke Combs and Riley Green). "Wash My Truck" as a song hits home for Bobby, bringing back coming of age memories with his father. The notion that you can't go out on that first date without cleaning and shining up the vehicle is a lesson Bobby's dad made sure he knew. "Wash My Truck" kicks off summer just in time for people, young and old to shine them up, and head out

Tenille Arts

n January she performed her single "Somebody Like That" live during her THIRD appearance on the hit ABC Television show "The Bachelor" , with the song subsequently picking up '#1 most-added' status at the Country radio format in the U.S.  -and six months later it continues to grow at U.S. Country radio where it is knocking on the door of going into the TOP-40 (#42 - #41 Mediabase U.S. last week). 

In Canada, "Somebody Like That" peaked at radio a couple of weeks ago, giving Tenille her first-ever (of many more to come) TOP-10 single!  THANK-YOU COUNTRY

Kelsi Mayne

SOS’s fun, unique production inspired by Kelsi’s Detroit roots, with hints of “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child in the beginning, to a Marvin Gaye, Motown/soul flavour at the end!

Kelsi is currently nominated for RISING STAR ⭐️ at the CMAO Awards!

Adrienne Taylor

When a relationship comes to an end it can feel like your whole world has been turned upside down. It’s difficult to remain grounded, bouncing around from one feeling to next, as though you’re on an emotional rollercoaster. Adrienne Taylor puts a deep sense of contemplation into her songwriting with the lyrically compelling track Rollercoaster. Filled with confusion over the differentiation of emotions, Rollercoaster is a manifestation of disorientation when being faced with a breakup: “Sad when the sun shines, but happy when the rain falls down.”

 

Find her online @adriennetaylor 

Kendra Kay

Award winning artist Kendra Kay was raised on the Canadian prairies and is true to her country roots. She won the 2019 Manitoba Country Music Award (MCMA) for Female Artist of the Year, as well as the 2018 and 2019 MCMA Fan’s Choice Award. The 23-year-old, known for high energy performances and down to earth personality, recently signed with Sakamoto Agency. She worked with producer Karen Kosowski (Brett Kissel, Madeline Merlo) for her latest single "Steady". Called ‘Canada’s Country Girl’ (Harlton Empire), she toured across Canada and played the CFL Banjo Bowl Halftime Show, opened for James Barker Band, Gord Bamford and performed with Tim Hicks.

Known for her powerhouse vocals, down to earth personality and high energy shows, she has firmly established herself as an artist to watch and a ‘rising countrystar’ (Brandon Sun) in the Canadian country music scene. Her latest single ‘Steady’ is a modern take on the traditional country sound, written by a stellar group of female songwriters including Madeline Merlo (NBC Songland), Victoria Banks (Jessica Simpson, Sara Evans) and Karen Kosowski (Brett Kissel, Tim Hicks), with Kosowski also taking the reigns on production duties.

VISIT KENDRA ON SOCIALS:

 

Website: http://www.kendrakaymusic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KendraKMusic/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kendrakaymusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kendrakmusic 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0xPkmc7nXv31emdwlk3KFA 

Greg Rider

Real change can only happen when a pivotal moment in our lives takes place. For some, those moments come early in life and to others it is later, if at all. For Greg Rider, it was a fateful car accident at 21 years old. Growing up in Water down, Ontario, Greg lived a life very different to what he wanted. Yet, he was too afraid to change it. In his heart, he felt destined to create something bigger than himself and his entrepreneurial spirit was about to set those wheels into motion. The accident had awakened him to how he wanted his life to be. If he had of died in that car accident, how would people remember him? To him, it was not positive, and it was time to do something about it. 

He made up his mind to live life being fearless, not fearful. Music had been an influence on Greg, but he never did anything to pursue it until his 20’s. In time, this was to change. As he built his confidence, he began to play locally in a duo. When the duo disbanded, it was time for Greg to take his next leap of faith. He accepted a job as a Bartender in the Cayman Islands and spent his off time writing and performing at open mic opportunities. One day, he met someone who convinced him he should be in Nashville and not long after that, he made the move. 

Since living in Nashville, Greg has submerged himself in music and grown considerably as an artist and songwriter. He had the chance to play on Grand Ole Opry radio station “WSM” and played at the renowned venue Whiskey Jam. For one year, he had a full-time residency on Nashville Broadway’s top venues and was playing full-time at FGL House (Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean) with his band. Greg also played acoustic gigs around town and participated in weekly writing rounds at the most respected venues in Nashville. 

After a year and a half, Greg wanted to get back to his roots to really focus on his own material and came back to Ontario. The artist released his 3rd single “Baby Girl” and started working towards the production of his first full length album to be released in 2020. He is currently travelling across Canada with a Canadian charity called “Live Different”. Greg shares his story of resiliency with the audience and plays a couple original songs. He will perform at over 75 schools and reach over 30,000 students.

https://gregridermusic.com

https://twitter.com/gregridermusic

https://www.instagram.com/gregridermusic

John Anderson

This week John Anderson is my guest.  We chat about his name, new music, baseball and more.

 

find him on line at www.johnandersonmusic.com 

John was born and raised in Barrie, Ontario. John's passion was being on the baseball field but has now transferred that passion to his music. He has won many awards and contests such as Magna Hoedown, Nashville North Kicxfm, Wasaga Idol. Josie award nomination for best vocalist any genre, Barrie emerging artist, Simcoe Readers Choice for his great voice and stage presence.

John will be releasing "Grew Up On It" to live streaming sites in December 2019 and to Canadian radio January 2020.

 

He plays upbeat Country (rock/pop) with some classic rock splashed in. Country fans and non Country fans will both become John Anderson Music fans after a show

Stephen Adrian Lawrance

As an indie record label, we love to share great talent - and often we find them behind the scenes, like Stephen Adrian Lawrance.

Lawrance is a singer/songwriter and artist developer who hit number one on CMT Television's Chevy Canada Top Twenty Countdown and number 5 on Billboard Canada Country chart with his song "When a Mommas's Boy Meets A Daddy's Girl" co written with Aaron Goodvin and Miriam Webber. The song is featured on the CCMA award winning artist Aaron Pritchett's Juno nominated hit album "The Score" on Big Star/Universal Music distribution. The groundbreaking video from Cal Northey has earned nearly two million views on YouTube to date. 

Lawrance has written with Aaron Goodvin, Steven Lee Olsen, Jade Eagleson, David Kent, Byron Hill, Trent Wilson, Stone Aielli, Mike Fiorentino, Bruce Wallace, Bernie Nelson, Danielle Bourjeaurd, Brad James, Kelsi Mayne, Brandon Zeppieri and Miriam Webber.  Lawrance met a young Steven Lee Olsen in 2005 and was instrumental in working with him to help garner a Nashville publishing contract that started him on his journey to US number one hits such as the Grammy nominated "Blue Ain't Your Colour" and "More Girls Like That"

In October 2018 Lawrance was named "One to watch" by the NSAI or Nashville Songwriters Association International, an industry advocacy group that also owns and manages the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. In addition to Aaron Pritchett, Lawrance has also had cuts with Country Music Factory featuring Jordy Jackson, Danielle Bourjeaurd, Brad James, Redneck Millionaires, and Myriam Webber. His latest cut "A Little Bit of First Kiss" was released to Canadian Radio in February 2020 by rising star Jayme Lynne.

 Enjoy "Cold Comfort" by Stephen Adrian Lawrance