Growing up in Merlin, Ontario, a small Canadian farming community near Chatham, Michelle heard the rhythm & blues and Motown hits coming out of Detroit, just forty‐five minutes away. But especially she heard the strains of country music, since her parents were both country performers. “My earliest memories of music are singing in the car, or spending the weekend with my father after my parents separated and watching him put on a rhinestone‐studded suit to perform in.” As a young girl, she tagged along on countless jobs. “We never were a family band, but I got a lot of inspiration and encouragement from my mother. That’s where my love of country music really began.” After a year of college, studying counseling for the mentally disadvantaged, Michelle set off to tour North America. By 1988, she had released an album in Canada, Do Right By Me, on Savannah Records. Do Right By Me was a major hit in her homeland, with 7 chart singles and sales well over 40,000 copies, and it opened many doors in the United States. The American country music world was impressed, and the new Arista/Nashville label made Michelle one of its flagship artists.
The unquestionable highlight of 2013 for Michelle was the release of her latest album, Strong. Capturing better than ever her distinctive style and expressive voice, Strong showcases Michelle’s remarkable growth as a singer and songwriter ‐ inspired by the perseverance and strength that she has witnessed in friends, family and strangers over the years. Recorded in Ontario and Nashville, the album was produced by Jason Barry (Dean Brody, Terri Clark, Jason Blaine), Eric Silver (Neal McCoy, Ricochet) and Danick Dupelle (Emerson Drive). Michelle’s passion for songwriting has grown with this newest project, for which she co‐wrote 10 of its 11 songs.
“I created this record with a group of friends I admire as writers, singers and producers. We had a lot of fun,” says Michelle. “The songs are a collection of my observations about life and the people around me and how we’re all just stumbling through it. At times there is laughter and joy; at other times, pain and disappointment. Overall, I hope this record is inspiring and relatable to my fans.”
Michelle’s renewed career vigor has not gone unnoticed by her peers, who in 2012 and 2013 nominated her for consideration as the Canadian Country Music Association’s Female Artist of the Year(an award she has won five times previously). She travelled to Saskatchewan to participate in the 2012 CCMA Awards celebration which aired live from Saskatoon on CBC on Sunday, September 9, and helped kick off the Awards Show telecast live from Edmonton in 2013.
Joining Michelle for a welcome trip to the 2012 CCMAs was her proud hubby of eleven years, Marco Convertino. Since marrying Marco in April, 2002 (the first marriage for both), Michelle’s personal life is as satisfying as her professional career, and the future continues to look unquestionably “Wright.”
Wide Awake Dreamin’, the title of The Good Brothers new album, aptly conveys how the brothers feel as they reflect on decades of writing, recording and performing music together.
In 1970 twin brothers Bruce and Brian Good of Richmond Hill, Ontario, met James Ackroyd from Winnipeg, Manitoba and formed a band simply called James and The Good Brothers. Their first show was with Grand Fund Railroad at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Then came the cross Canada tour on the outrageous Festival Express with such artists as The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Ian & Sylvia, Ten Years After, Traffic and The Band just to name a few. With a little help from friends The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, they recorded their first album on Columbia records. What excitement – the nights at the renowned Troubadour in West Hollywood, the gigs at San Francisco’s famed Fillmore West and Winterland Ballroom with The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and the New Riders of The Purple Sage.
Later, James would choose to remain in the U.S. while the brothers returned home to Canada and recruited younger brother Larry. This was 1973 and would be the beginning of a wonderful musical trip… The Good Brothers. Their first gig was the legendary Toronto club The Riverboat, on May 14, 1974. They played simple, straight from the soul music that encompassed country, bluegrass, folk, Celtic and the occasional taste from their rock & roll songbook. Highlighted by Larry’s fiery banjo breaks, Bruce’s award winning autoharp styles, Brian’s guitar finger picking and their unique sibling harmonies, they produced enough energy to burn down the barn.
It wasn’t long before The Good Brothers were packing Toronto’s fabled El Mocambo five nights a week; breaking bar records, attendance records and exhausting determined dancers. Then there were eight straight Juno awards for Best Country Group, and headline gigs at Toronto’s Massey Hall and Roy Thompson Hall, The National Art Centre in Ottawa and the weeks at L.A.’s Universal Amphitheatre with their mentor Gordon Lightfoot. There was even a certified gold self-titled double album.
They kept the flame glowing, and the music flowing through out the 80’s and 90’s and beyond. Canada’s musical soundtrack, through all those years, included The Good Brothers.
In 2004 they were honoured by being inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame as well as two nominations for Country Group and Roots Artist of the year at the Canadian Country Music Awards. In 2015 they received a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Toronto Musicians Association and in 2016 were inducted into the North American Country Music Association International Hall of Fame in Tennessee.
This year The Good Brothers are off to Europe again, marking their 39th tour on the other side of the Atlantic. To see the brothers live is an experience not to be missed. The music, intertwined with side splitting stories and song introductions are said to be as entertaining as their songs.
Today the warm family harmonies are still there on their sixteenth recording titled “Wide Awake Dreamin”. Their music lives on and the songs still come straight from their hearts to your tapping toes and the smile on your face.
Throughout her musical career, songwriting has been an integral a part of Patricia’s success. From her debut album Blue Angel where she wrote many of the tracks, it became apparent songwriting was in her blood. Crafting hits like “Direction of Love”, “Keep Me Rockin”, “Bad Day for Trains”, “I Don’t Wanna Be the One”, and many more.
Lately Patricia has been writing with many of Canada’s brightest country stars like Meghan Patrick, Michelle Wright, Jimmy Rankin, Emerson Drive, Bobby Wills, Chad Brownlee, Smalltown Pistols, Jessica Mitchell, Aaron Pritchett, Beverley Mahood, Leah Daniels, and Tebey – to name a few…
Aaron Pritchett’s legacy continues to be unstoppable. His authentic desire to connect with his fans, whether it be onstage, via his digital platforms, in person or through his music, has sustained and grown a robust and loyal fan base for well over a decade. Artistically, Aaron Pritchett continues to adapt, and evolve, while refusing to abandon the down-home sincerity in his music that has been his trademark since his career inception. Pritchett has charted anthems like “Dirt Road In Em, “Let’s Get Rowdy,” “Hold My Beer (Certified GOLD),” and also appealed to the softer side with powerful hits like “Done You Wrong,” and his recent top 5 smash – “When A Momma’s Boy Meets A Daddy’s Girl.”
“Country Music always appealed to my soul because the songs tackled subject matter that may have been taboo for other formats and told REAL stories about REAL people. Those stories were a lot like mine. I was going fishing, camping, and riding buses to hockey tournaments in even smaller towns than the one I grew up in, life was a lot more country than rock and roll. That feeling resonated with me and I strive to convey that in my music to this day”.
“The Score” released shortly after Aaron Pritchett opened multiple SOLD OUT shows for Garth Brooks, hit the market on June 24th, 2016 and debuted at #1 Canadian on the country charts. The first single “Dirt Road In ‘Em” broke industry paradigms by landing inside the top #10 on the country radio singles chart, marking Aaron’s first return to the Top 10 in over 8 years. The sophomore single, “Out Of The Blue” scored a top 15 spot at radio in November 2016, and the aforementioned “When A Momma’s Boy Meets A Daddy’s Girl,” landed at #5 on the Canadian country singles chart and was the #1 most played Canadian track – as well!
Recently, the industry has caught on to what the fans have always known – which is that Aaron Pritchett belongs in the pantheon of Canada’s most elite artists. In 2017, Pritchett was welcomed back to the nomination circles with a Juno nom for Country Album of the Year, as well as multiple CCMA Award nominations, including Male Artist of the Year! Pritchett’s current single “VW Bus” was the most added single at radio its week of release, as the unprecedented story continues to roll on!
