Somebody
Wrote Love and so did Canyon
Pictou County singer to launch new CD, plays Stanfest tonight
By STEPHEN COOKE Entertainment Reporter
George
Canyon got a jumpstart on Canada Day this week, singing O
Canada on the occasion of the song’s 26th birthday as
our official anthem on CBC on Tuesday morning.
It’s
hard to think of an artist more Canadian than a Maritime country
singer who lives on the prairies to perform the task.
"They
asked me yesterday morning, at quarter to eight I believe
they called," the Pictou County native says from his
ranch outside of Calgary. "It was the anthem’s
birthday and they had this great thought, so I said sure.
"I
drove into town, and played it in an interesting way. As interesting
as I could make it, I guess. I’ve never actually played
it, I’ve always just sang it. At sports events, graduations,
funerals, there’s been lots things I’ve done it
for. It’s not hard, it’s a beautiful anthem, and
it’s quick. I just think of it as a story, and it works
for me."
Considering
all the things he has on his mind these days, Canyon is grateful
he didn’t pull a Robert Goulet and forget the words.
The strong-jawed singer celebrates a birthday of sorts in
his own world on Tuesday; the release of his third major label
CD Somebody Wrote Love (Universal Music), and he’s gearing
up for an intense schedule of promotion and performances to
launch it in style.
The
album’s lead-in track, the fun rocker Time for Goodbye
has a line about "life taking over our lives" and
the family man says he understands those words all too well.
"There
are times I’d concentrate on home, or the kids, or ranching.
Right now I’ve got five horses and 15 steers. I’ve
been fencing for the last two days, and I’m going out
on the road tomorrow morning. My whole body’s sunburnt,
it’s great."
"But
I know I can’t ignore music, and that includes going
to do this or talk to that. If it’s planned, it’s
great, but sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes it gets a little
carried away, but we’re careful to make sure I don’t
have to change my family plans."
Even
though touring takes him across North America, Maritime fans
will have a number of chances to see Canyon perform this summer,
with shows like the Brookfield Lotto on July 8, Rock the Dock
in Sydney on Aug. 12 and Country Rocks the Hill with Brooks
& Dunn, Alan Jackson and Sugarland on Magnetic Hill in
Moncton on Aug. 19.
On
Monday, July 10, at 4 p.m. , Canyon will meet his fans during
a Meet and Greet at the Wal-Mart store at Chain Lake Drive
in Halifax.
But
first he’s going to do something he’s wanted to
do for years, even before his appearance on the Nashville
Star series made him a household name, and that’s appear
at the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso. Canyon will take
to the stage with longtime friend, singer-songwriter Dave
Gunning, tonight.
"It’s
going to be a blast, we’re both looking so forward to
it," says Canyon. "I’ve got about four e-mails
from Dave saying how excited he is, and wrote him back saying
how excited I was. When we get together there’s something
that happens onstage, I don’t know what it is.
"Or
maybe it just happens in our minds and everyone else has to
put up with it. My wife just said, ‘It’s magic,’
and then started laughing at me. Yes, very magical. I’m
going to pull a rabbit out of my hat. It’s definitely
big enough, maybe I’ll pull out a steer."
As
for Country Rocks the Hill in August, Canyon is bracing himself
for a field of upwards of 40-50,000 country music fans at
the star-studded concert.
While
Canyon might be humble about his status on the Nashville roster,
he does show a great deal of pride in Somebody Wrote Love,
which is stylistically more diverse than 2004’s One
Good Friend. Eight months spent writing and picking songs
were followed by three months in the studio, with songs ranging
from the soulful Coming From You to the Willie Nelson-style
shuffle of Your Smile.
"It’s
definitely the record we wanted to make the first time around,"
he says. "We just didn’t have the time. The first
one was pretty safe, straight down the road Nashville sound.
This time we definitely wanted to capture more of me as an
artist."
"I
co-produced this album, and it was a lot of work. Scott Sheridan
and I did it together, and I think in that process I was able
to really nail down . . . me. Or nail down my sound."
(
scooke@herald.ca)
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