Very sad to hear the news of the passing of our friend, Rita MacNeil. Rita was the real deal – genuine, kind-hearted and an incredible talent who opened the doors for and inspired a generation of East coast artists. Fare well Rita – you will be missed. – Jimmy
Raylene and Rita circa 1980
Jimmy was happy to perform two songs at the CBC’s Top Ten East Coast Songs Concert during East Coast Music Week in March. The performance, also featuring Ben Caplan, Jenn Grant, Maureen Ennis, Kim Stockwood, with support from an all-star band, was broadcast live to radio from a packed Spatz Theatre in downtown Halifax. Jimmy’s song Fare Thee Well Love, was awarded top honors, being named the #1 East Coast Song of All Time! Big thanks to the CBC and everyone who participated in the online vote! You can stream Jimmy’s performances of Fare Thee Well Love, and Farewell To Nova Scotia, as well the rest of the Top 10 Songs Concert at the CBC Music website, here.
Jimmy had a great time performing alongside Tony Lane, Gordie Sampson, Alison Krauss, and Dan Tyminski at the Linden Waldorf School’s Annual Spring Gala in Nashville in March! Here’s Jimmy backstage with the rest of the all-star lineup.
Jimmy caught up with Stephanie from Sea And Be Scene recently at the ECMA in Halifax. Check out her interview with Jimmy and a whole bunch of other ECMA coverage here.
I am honoured that you have chosen Fare Thee Well Love as the #1 East Coast song of all time. So many truly awesome songs and artists – kudos and congratulations all ’round. Thank you. – Jimmy
Check out this article from The Chronicle Herald for more information.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR FARE THEE WELL LOVE!
In January, CBC Music and CBC Radio One’s Atlantic Airwaves asked the public to nominate their favourite East Coast songs to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the East Coast Music Association (ECMA). Over the last two weeks, they received more than 5,000 nominations and, beginning today, fans can see the Top 10 East Coast Songs list and vote for their favourite song at www.cbcmusic.ca/ecma.
“The range and variety of nominated songs speaks to the incredible number of great tunes from Atlantic Canada,” said Peggy Hemsworth, producer of Atlantic Airwaves. “In addition to songs that people would expect to see on the top 10 list, there are also a couple of surprises.”
All 10 songs will be performed in a countdown concert, starting with number 10 and working up to number one during a special live broadcast of CBC Radio One’s Atlantic Airwaves at the Spatz Theatre in Halifax on Saturday, March 09 at 4:30 p.m. The concert will feature performances from George Canyon, Jenn Grant, Ben Caplan, Jimmy Rankin and Maureen Ennis. Tickets are $20 and are available at www.ticketpro.ca or by phoning 1-888-311-9090. The concert will also be broadcast to listeners in the entire region on a special edition of Atlantic Airwaves starting at 5 p.m. that day on CBC Radio One.
Here’s a nice article on The Fairmont Banff Springs Sports Invitational that Jimmy attended last week in support of the environmental organization, Waterkeeper Alliance. You can find out more about Waterkeeper Alliance here.
JIMMY RANKIN TO JOIN “LEAD WITH YOUR HEART TOUR” IN HALIFAX, SYDNEY, & ST. JOHN’S — TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Vancouver, BC: Paul Mercs Concerts is pleased to announce the addition of Jimmy Rankin to The Tenors’ “Lead With Your Heart Tour” in Halifax and Sydney, NS as well as St. John’s, NL.
The Tenors said, “It’s a thrill and an honour to have Jimmy Rankin join us in concert! We are so excited to visit Atlantic Canada and share the stage with someone whose musical contribution and family legacy is such an integral part of East Coast Canadian culture. Also, we have a special surprise for Jimmy in our show!”
A well-known solo artist, Jimmy Rankin also doubles as the front man of Canadian Celtic heroes, The Rankin Family. Between the two roles, the singer-songwriter has amassed a slew of awards and nominations including five JUNO Awards, twenty-seven East Coast Music Awards, and – having recently been named 2012′s Roots Artist of the Year for the second consecutive year – a total of seven Canadian Country Music Awards.
The “Lead With Your Heart Tour” is a 70-date North American tour that will make a stop in the following Canadian cities:
February 5 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theatre
February 8 Kamloops, BC Interior Savings Centre
February 9 Victoria, BC Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre
February 11 Edmonton, AB Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
February 12 Lethbridge, AB ENMAX Centre
February 18 Calgary, AB Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
February 19 Regina, SK Conexus Arts Centre
February 20 Winnipeg, MB RBC Theatre at MTS Centre
February 22 Thunder Bay, ON Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
February 25 Barrie, ON Barrie Molson Centre
February 26 Kingston, ON K-Rock Centre
February 28 Moncton, NB The Centre at Casino New Brunswick
March 1 Sydney, NS Centre 200
March 3 St. John’s, NL Mile One Centre
March 5 Halifax, NS Halifax Metro Centre
April 2 Hamilton, ON Hamilton Place
April 4/5 Toronto, ON Roy Thomson Hall
April 6 Montreal, QC Place des Arts
April 8 Québec City, QC Théâtre Capitole
April 11/12/13 Ottawa, ON National Arts Centre
The Tenors have performed worldwide and shared the stage with legendary artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion (on The Oprah Winfrey Show), Sting, and Paul McCartney. More recently, The Tenors were featured performers on two primetime international broadcasts: The Emmy Awards live from Los Angeles and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations from Windsor Castle in the UK, where The Tenors performed for Her Majesty.
Tickets for the Sydney show are available online at www.tickets.capebreton.ca, by phone at 902.564.2200, or in person at the Centre 200 Box Office.
Tickets for the St. John’s show are available online at www.mileonecentre.com, by phone at 709.576.7657, or in person at the Mile One Centre Box Office.
Tickets for the Halifax show are available online at www.ticketatlantic.ca, by phone at 451-1221 or 1.877.451.1221, or in person at the Ticket Atlantic Box Office and at participating Atlantic Superstore locations.
Really excited about playing with Alison Krauss, Gordie Sampson and Tony Lane on March 16th in Nashville. This will be a really special night so get your tickets now! – Jimmy
Elizabeth Morris, winner of CBC’s Hopes and Dreams contest, joined Jimmy on stage in Ottawa to perform “Here in My Heart”. Jimmy with Elizabeth Morris at the NAC
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