With the incoming JUNO awards happening at the end of March, it’s a good time to give a nod to some of the amazing talent we’ve had and still have across the East Coast. Flailing fiddles make Atlantic folk music a distant cousin to Country subgenres like Appalachian folk and small town living with a soul set in Celtic jigs brings that back-home-beauty of classic artists such as Hank Snow and Rita McNeil.
The Chimney Swifts
Known for their expansive repertoire of original music, and performing the songs of artists from their locale, their material ranges from upbeat dance numbers to the gentle introspective. Each member of the band is a songwriter in their own right, known for chilling harmonies and a performance full of emotion with the energy of our slightly-southern Appalachian folk artist neighbours.
Brooklyn Blackmore
Award winning Country Artist and stunning vocalist from right here in Nova Scotia, Brooklyn’s been making waves since high school well up into releasing her latest single Been There Too and before that Great Minds Drink Alike featuring the next artist on our list.
Cameron Nickerson
Travel back in time to a boot stompin’ classic country rising star that would make Hank Snow himself proud. With lyrics that reminisce of odes to the old country lifestyle especially with last year’s release of Famous — a tribute to his love of songwriting and creating, lamenting that his goal isn’t to be famous, he just writes songs his dog wants to hear.
Lawrence Maxwell
Coming from Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province but one with a rich country music history and host of this year’s East Coast Music Awards, Maxwell is a multi-award-winning and nominated country artist who has hit a steady trajectory after the release of his debut album Not Your Outlaw. If the cowboy hat and the mustache Tom Selleck could only dream of doesn’t scream country to you, maybe his music can speak for itself. As his bio says, this storyteller will tell it to you like it’s folk and sing it to you like it’s country.
Dave Sampson
Cape Breton’s country superstar Dave Sampson has already been making waves with his unforgettable performance. Sampson hosts an annual Christmas Party A Very Dave Sampson Christmas in Sydney Cape Breton during which he serenades the typically-sold-out crowds while showcasing fellow East Coast Artists accompanied by his ensemble of amazing talent. East Coast soul with a hint of 90s country voices like Gary Allan, Dave Sampson is definitely an artist you want to keep an eye on.
