The Rankins Online Website - Articles 2001 - July-December - The Official unOfficial Website of the Rankins

For over ten years Jimmy Rankin wrote, played and sang with his siblings in a well known band, The Rankins. His songwriting has earned awards and recognition world wide, and now Jimmy Rankin stands on his own with his first solo release, Song Dog.

Scheduled for release on July 17th, the album’s first single has already been heard on the airwaves. “Followed Her Around” is a catchy tune that stays in your head long after it is played, and features backing vocals by Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo. In fact, the album is laden with the harmonies and vocals of other great singers including Rankin’s sister Cookie and fellow Cape Bretoner Gordie Sampson.

There is more grit in this album than anything Rankin has done before. Some of the songs are emotional and raw, in the way that strikes a chord with the listener. Jimmy Rankin has long been a man with a gift for words and has obviously honed that craft over the last couple of years. Having a solo album also gives him the opportunity to show himself as one of foremost talents in our country.

Each of the twelve tracks on Song Dog is different, telling a story, voicing a sentiment, or expressing emotion. “Midnight Angel” is a beautiful ballad while “Drunk & Crucified” shovels gravel under the wheels, making it harder. “Tripper” is based on a true story of a violent death, contains a sorrowful undercurrent that is hard to shake.

Song Dog is lyrically driven and Jimmy Rankin has shown that he stands well on his own. This album could well be one you leave in the disc player for a very long time.

Jimmy Rankin

July 2001 - Irish Music Magazine - Volume 7, #3

It seems you can teach an old dog new tricks after all.

Jimmy Rankin, singer/songwriter of the sadly defunct Cape Breton musical behemoth The Rankins, has resurfaced after two years. Listening to his first solo effort, Song Dog, you’ll find that his time away from the public eye was far from wasted. Released under his own label of the same name, the disc is as solid a bit of music as you’ll ever run through your ears. Not that such a thing should come as a surprise. Rankin’s Halifax, Canada home is littered with the loveliest paperweights you ever did see. Naming names you’ll find a whack of ECMA’s, a few CCMA’s and five Juno Awards including Entertainer Of The Year and Single Of The Year.

Oh, and don’t forget the five SOCAN awards for top radio airplay. Be that as it may, Rankin is not one to rely on his past success to push him along in his career. Always looking for a new musical angle to tinker with, and or an experience to lay out in verse Rankin’s eyes are set foreword with his eyes on the prize of acceptance as a solo artist. He’s eager to talk about Song Dog, and being as the beginning of a thing is always a good place to start, he does just that. "The album title is based on a book by Colm McCann. I think that’s his name. I gave the book to someone and haven’t seen it in stores since. In the book he talks about this American legend of the Song Dogs; how these dogs when the world was first being born would be howling at the universe. I thought it was a good analogy to use for songwriters. We’re howling our stories–our little songs–at the universe."

When Rankin howls, critics and fans alike listen. However, it’s a common problem in that they seldom agree on what it is that they are listening to. Walk into a few music stores, and you’ll see what I mean. The Rankins and indeed Jimmy’s new recording, are slotted into any number of genres and departments. It proves unfailingly that good song writing has no barriers. While being listened to and slotted across the board might seem like a good thing at first glance, Rankin admits it is a touch of torment so far as gaining commercial exposure is concerned.

"I think that people, stores, labels and radio stations always had a hard time categorizing us, and I am kinda getting that still with my record. Some people say it is pop, some say folk or country. As with the Rankins, I have always just done what I do. I don’t think about musical boundaries. It comes across as something kinda unique. I think it’s the same situation with books. I was in a bookstore the other day, and they had some book like The Perfect Storm in a category and I was like ‘what the hell is that doing there?’ It was in a section that was completely unrelated to what the book was about. I think the same thing applies to music: if something isn’t straight country or straight pop or rock, they don’t know where to put it. It helps to be a bit unique, but when it comes to commercial radio, if you’re not something that is easily formatted, it’s not that easy. I have that problem. A lot of what I do doesn’t fit into a particular format. Mainstream radio seems to be very formulaic in their approach to programming. "

Song Dog is a bit of a retrospective for Rankin, who says that he penned many of the songs over the past decade. The release also marks the first time that he has worked with a partner, something Rankin’s more than happy about.

"I don’t do a hell of a lot of co-writing, although I’d like to. Song writing for me is more or less a solitary thing. It just so happened that a song I wrote with Gordie Sampson I liked. Geordie was writing songs for his album Stones at the time. He came over to visit me for a couple of days, and we just sat in a room and wrote a bunch of songs. Follow Her Around was the last one. He was basically on his way out the door, and we started jamming on this riff, and pretty soon we had a song. I never even talked about what the song meant with him or anything. I asked him if he wanted it, and he said it didn’t really fit his album, so I hung on to it." A good thing too: the song has been enjoying more than frequent air-play on Canada’s Country Music Television, and Much More Music stations. It’s radio play has been generous as well. Still, despite the single’s early media success, Rankin finds it hard to escape his musical past. Over their career and through a large catalogue of recordings, The Rankins built up a large following of dedicated fans – all of whom are still clamoring to hear Jimmy’s songs: The ones they know and love. Rankin, while appreciative of the following would rather they buy a Rankin’s album and let him move onwards and upwards with his career. The band’s break up, and the tragic death of Jimmy’s older brother John Morris is still a topic that he finds uncomfortable to think or talk about.

"November of ‘99 was the last show we did. I’m still thinking about that. That whole situation makes you re-evaluate everything. I guess I am changing constantly. I’m getting used to being a solo-artist. That’s where I am right now: doing my own thing and being the soul guy on a record as opposed to four other people. It’s being the centerpiece as opposed to one of five people."

As for the fans and their lust for the old days?

"They can listen to Fair Thee Well Love on the album. After I wrote that and it was very successful, I tried to go in another direction to avoid comparison. I think with this record, in a certain way, I didn’t try to totally break the mould, I tried to do something that was singular for me."

Song Dog hit the shelves in August 2001, and by this time should be available anywhere fine music is sold. However, if you have a hankering to nab the recording right from the source, visit Jimmy’s website www.jimmyrankin.com for purchasing, pictures, and tour scheduling updates.

Blown away at StanFest

Wind brings house down, musicians follow

July 1, 2001 - Halifax Herald

By Stephen Cooke - Entertainment Writer

Canso - MAYBE IT WAS the wind, or maybe it was shockwaves from God's applause that swept through the town of Canso on Saturday on the first full day of the fifth annual Stan Rogers Folk Festival.

Either way, the pesky gusts couldn't do much to dampen festivalgoers' spirits, even as they scrambled to reassemble dislocated tents in the Acoustic Campground or proceeded in an orderly fashion away from one of the concert stages, whose canopy threatened to collapse from the constant blasts of strong Atlantic breezes.

Few complained. After all, the wind took care of the threatening morning rain clouds that could have turned the festival site into a sodden mudpit, blew most of the bugs away and kept things cool once the sun came out to dry up the results of that early cloudburst.

By the time Saturday's workshops began it was a different kind of wind that was on people's minds; the kind that passes through vocal chords, out of horns and over strummed guitar strings.

It's music that brings the crowd to this remote part of the Nova Scotian mainland, swelling the population of the town of Canso by nearly ten times, in the name of a man whose death nearly two decades ago has done nothing to diminish his legend or the power in the passion of his songs.

The festival proper began Friday night, with a broad range of Canadian and international talent on the main stage in the crisp, cool air. Who better to fire off the first notes than Newfoundland's Ron Hynes, one of the finest songwriters the East Coast has ever seen? As for passion, Inuit singer Lucie Idlout provided a boatload, singing a bold, abrupt brand of alt-folk full of anger, introspection and pride. Hers is a voice that demands to be heard; you certainly can't ignore it.

But the primary focus of the initial evening was one of fun, with San Francisco's Waybacks dishing out an infectious style of acoustic string music that ranged from bluegrass roots to Parisian hot club jazz. Their extended jam on the Floyd Cramer classic Last Date was a special favourite.

For those who couldn't catch them in Canso, The Waybacks will perform in Halifax Monday night at the Old Triangle Irish Alehouse.

P.E.I. swing band The Jive Kings kept the crowd warm with their pulse-pounding renditions of big band faves and smokin' original tunes, while Canadian classic rockers The Stampeders sent the crowd back to their tents and trailers with the immortal chorus to Sweet City Woman rattling around in their brains.

Come the dawn - which is about the time many campers finally settled down for a few hours of sleep before heading back to the concert site - it's soon time for the many daytime workshops.

These informal musical showcases are the heart and soul of StanFest, a smorgasbord of every conceivable style that fits under the folk music umbrella. It could be something as simple as Cape Breton fiddle wizard Buddy MacMaster firing off a volley of jigs and reels accompanied by Mabou pianist Joey Beaton on the Little Dover Stage. Or it could be the art rock/honky tonk hybrid of Kingston's Luther Wright and The Wrongs rebuilding Pink Floyd's The Wall.

Or it could be a jaw-dropping array of songwriting talent gathered at once on the Fox Island Stage, including folk legends Valdy and Bill Staines, Scottish balladeer Archie Fisher and Jimmy Rankin, just about to launch his highly awaited post-Rankin Family solo debut Song Dog.

But it's session host Hynes who stole the show with a fervent wish that the people of P.E.I. would "wipe the red mud off their butts and hold the Gene MacLellan Folk Festival," before launching into his heartrending tribute to the late singer/songwriter, Godspeed.

It was at that point that festival organizers were forced to evacuate the stage due to wind-damaged tent poles, but what a way to bring down the house.

Klondike Days lineup goes from rock to pop

July 7, 2001 - Halifax Herald

By The Canadian Press

The entertainment lineup at this year's Klondike Days Exposition, at Northlands Park Fair Grounds in Edmonton, ranges from Jimmy Rankin (performing July 19) and the Irish Rovers (July 22) to Loverboy (July 23).

Other headline acts include the Stampeders and Five Man Electrical Band (July 20); McMaster & James (July 21); Tom Cochrane (July 24); George Haden and the New Orleans Connection (July 25); Spirit of the West (July 26); Kim Mitchell (July 27); and the Moffatts (July 28).

The shows are included in the price of gate admission - $6 for adults, $2 for children ages seven-12, free for children six and under.

Jimmy Rankin: Music Preview

July 12, 2001 - SEE Magazine

By Warren Footz

As an artist with a history, it’s difficult to forge a new identity. Surely for Jimmy Rankin truer words couldn’t be said. For a decade he performed with his siblings in the Rankin Family, a Canadian act that had imprinted a recognizable sound many will never forget. Notwithstanding that Jimmy was responsible for the songs the Rankins performed, and even though he occasionally took the lead, it’s the voices of his three sisters most people associate with the group.

As a family band that had grown up together as performers, it was perhaps inevitable a day would come when a desire to explore different avenues of expression would arise. In 1999 that time for the Rankins arrived. The sisters had lives of their own they wanted to pursue. As well Jimmy had been looking for an opening to present himself as a solo performer.

"It’s just the window of opportunity would present itself, and then something would come up. You’d be on the road, or making a record someplace, so it just didn’t materialize."

Perhaps the untimely passing of their multi-talented brother, John Morris Rankin, early last year was a sobering signal that change was inevitable – and that personal aspirations shouldn’t be put off any longer. Now Jimmy has found himself on his own, with his own voice and now has a new album of his own, Song Dog.

It took two years, some wheeling and dealing with the record company, but finally with the help of producer Tim Thorney he found a place for the songs he’d been amassing.

"I had a back catalog of about 30, 40 songs, stuff I had complied over the years, and stuff I had written more recently."

Though the Rankins were hugely successful, and the core of his existence for 10 years, one senses some lingering frustration within Jimmy, and a huge helping of satisfaction at finally being able to get his name and his songs with his voice up front and center.

"If anything it was exciting to get back at it and actually be responsible for an entire record myself. It’s my record, I’m responsible for it. I had to do all the singing, I had to be there from start to finish, whereas with a Rankin record, I was guitar player, back-up singer sometimes, and maybe for three songs a front singer. It’s a lot more work but I’m more entertained.

"With a group, no matter who it is, you have to take into consideration everyone else’s opinion. That could be good at times, it has its positive side where you have other people to bounce ideas off of. The downside of not having a band is that you have to rely on yourself more, you have to learn to trust your judgment more."

A natural reaction listening to Song Dog is waiting for the voices of Heather, Cookie and Raylene to come in. Interestingly that baggage disappears as Jimmy’s voice carries his songs, with a feel all his own. The only comparisons that are obvious are with other singer/songwriters, such as perhaps Murray McLauchlan, Chris deBurgh, or Greg Keeor and Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo.

"I think as an artist you’re constantly changing. This record is somewhat removed from what a Rankin record would be. There’s no fiddles on it, no traditional music, it’s all original songs, a bit edgier and grittier in certain areas. I intentionally stepped away from the Celtic thing. I thought it’d be a healthy idea just to remove myself somewhat from something I’d been associated with for so song. Not that I have anything against that kind of music – you know, the next record may be full of fiddles and accordions."

Perhaps the best way to approach this record is as an announcement of sorts for a new beginning. Jimmy can present his new material as his own, on his own terms, and then carry on and do whatever he wants the rest of the way down the road.

"I’ve done a couple shows, and I think a lot of people are interested in seeing me and hearing what I’m up to."

Song Dog Has Bite

Jimmy Rankin strikes out on his own with a gutsy, heartfelt mix of old, new on his solo debut CD

July 14, 2001 - Halifax Herald

By Stephen Cooke / Entertainment Reporter

It takes a real pro to appreciate the value of a good trial-by-fire. So it was with Jimmy Rankin, stepping onto the windswept stage of the Stan Rogers Folk Festival last month to publicly launch his solo career.

After a decade with his brother and sisters in The Rankins, the time had come for the Mabou-born songwriter to go it alone, and where better to start than before a music-loving crowd in Canso, just across the strait from the Cape Breton home that has been a prime source of inspiration all these years?

In theory, it sounds ideal. In execution, it was more like a challenge.

"We got on an hour-and-a-half late, people were leaving, they were drunk and cold, we didn't get a soundcheck, and I'd never played on stage with these guys before," says Rankin with a chuckle, recalling the experience over a Perrier in the Economy Shoe Shop atrium.

"I felt like Dylan at Newport, with a new band, things breaking down. But I think it went off well. We just had fun with it."

Unlike Bob Dylan at Newport, the infamous "electric" set in 1965 that had the crowd booing Like a Rolling Stone, Rankin was met with receptive cheers for the debut of songs off his new CD Song Dog, which hits stores on Tuesday, as well as a few well-chosen Rankins favourites.

By the time a show at the Pictou Lobster Festival rolled around, a week of rehearsal with the new band - bassist Ed Woodsworth, Jamie Robinson on guitar, drummer Tom Roach and Brent Barker on keyboards - and an expanded song list reassured Rankin that things were on the right track.

But he admits he's still adjusting to the change in the sound behind him, the absence of his sisters' harmonies and brother John Morris's musical backbone. "There's still a feeling of trepidation," says Rankin, a trifle weary at the end of a whirlwind promotional tour of the Maritimes. "Normally I'd hand off a song to Heather or Cookie or Raylene, or have a fiddle set. And then maybe go back to me.

"Now it's 'Well, I'd better do another song now.' And I have to gab a little bit more now, I'm not as used to talking to people between songs."

Rankin is often a man of few words when it comes to discussing his own music, preferring to leave the analysis to others, but he doesn't hide his pride about his work on Song Dog, produced last winter at Tim Thorney's Great Big Music Studio in Toronto. The record is by turns gusty, rootsy and heartfelt; in many ways a logical progression from the sound of Uprooted, the last Rankins album, but with a vibrant "live band" feel that's mirrored in his recent performances. The presence of former Rankins guitarist Gordie Sampson (now an established performer in his own right) and background vocals by Cookie provide a welcome link to the past, but the songs are a step forward, connected by soul-searching themes and tales of loved ones back home and abroad.

One can sense the tone of Song Dog coming from the feelings of displacement that followed nearly 10 years of constant touring and recording with The Rankins', cruelly punctuated by the death of elder brother John Morris in a highway accident a year-and-a-half ago.

Rankin doesn't sing directly about those experiences on Song Dog - "I think John Morris would have thought it would be kind of corny to do that kind of stuff" - but songs like Midnight Angel and Stoned Blue (actually written 12 years ago) paint pictures of sleepless nights and restless dreams.

"I had to take a break when The Rankins disbanded, that dust had to settle, and I had to let it sink in," he says of the time it took to get writing again. "Then with John Morris, that was another thing that happened, and finally in April or May of that year I decided I had to do something and get up off the couch, so I took a trip to Italy for a change of scenery and to try to write some songs.

"It was just to get a new perspective, spend some time by myself and do some writing . . . I just took a guitar and a notebook and a tape recorder and came up with some ideas. Wasted on this record was written there. There are some others that might show up on another record."

By last August, Rankin and his wife and manager Mia had worked out the transition from being a member of The Rankins to simply being Jimmy Rankin with EMI Music Canada and began making demos. He hooked up with Alanis Morissette producer Tim Thorney in the fall, and was in the studio by January.

Thorney, now recording the Ennis Sisters, proved to be a good choice, capturing the "organic and earthy" sound Rankin was looking for.

"He's a songwriter, he's a gregarious guy, I just like his personality and his sense of humour," he says. "He's the kind of guy that reads CD liner notes and biographies and remembers stuff. Music is his life.

"I'm kind of the same way about remembering certain things about music, so we hit it off musically. And I like his writing and his style."

Rankin has every right to be happy with Thorney's work; songs like the upbeat first single Followed Her Around (co-written with Sampson) and the elegiac Captain Harmony translate beautifully to the stage, while Lighthouse Heart has an understated beauty that doesn't drown its simple offer of care and support in layers of production.

But having a full album of new songs doesn't mean fans won't hear more familiar tunes from Rankin's past when he comes to their town.

"I can do Feel The Same Way Too," he says, offering an example. "I wrote it, and I can sing it in that key. It's kind of neat to have a guitar solo instead of a fiddle solo. I encourage the guys in the band to play it, not what's on the record but just play the basics and have fun with it."

Look for Rankin to hit the road at the end of the summer, starting in Western Canada, with Maritime shows planned for October. He seems anxious to road test the new material and is curious to see how the sizable fanbase built up during his days with his siblings will react to Song Dog.

"I'm one-fifth of what was, but I also have an entire record to express myself. That can have its pros and cons," he says, starting to grin.

"The con is I don't have four other people to blame anything on. I'm solely responsible."

Above Photo: Ingrid Bulmer / Herald Photo - Jimmy Rankin is set to release his solo CD on Tuesday, before heading out on a Western Canadian tour to promote his new recording.

Just Jimmy Rankin this time

July 15, 2001 - Toronto Sun

By Jane Stevenson

This one-time guitarist-songwriter-vocalist for the East Coast-based Rankin Family -- or The Rankins, as they were later known -- releases his solo debut (Song Dog) on Tuesday.

And it's a harder-edged, more roots-rock collection than anything his sweet-sounding family released over their decade-long career.

Check out songs like Drunk & Crucified, Wasted, and Stoned Blue.

Still, there are a few poignant moments amongst the 12 songs. Midnight Angel may or may not be about his late brother and bandmate John Morris -- who died last year in a car accident -- with backup vocals provided by his sister Cookie. She also appears on four other tracks.

Other heart-tuggers are the stripped-down and acoustic This Is The Heart -- actually the album standout -- and Tripper.

East Coast artist Gordie Sampson co-wrote the first single, Followed Her Round, featuring Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor on backing vocals.

Working with producer Tim Thorney (Alanis Morissette), Rankin succeeds in finding his own distinctive voice.

His rough and tumble vocals add to the atmosphere.

Rankin even writes a few fine love songs, such as Lighthouse Heart and You & Me. All in all, an impressive solo debut.

He will tour on his own in September with a Toronto date expected.

Jimmy Carries On

After a lengthy break, Rankin turns to "rootsy rock edge" for much-anticipated solo CD

July 15, 2001 - Halifax Daily News

By Sandy MacDonald / The Daily News

Jimmy Rankin starts the second act of his musical career this week. The celebrated Cape Breton singer and songwriter releases his debut solo project Song Dog, a new collection of Rankin's own tunes - this time without the famously close-knit clan.

"Initially I was very excited about doing it," says Rankin, relaxed and animated in a Halifax restaurant. "Then I got into the studio...and I didn't have John Morris there to say do this or that. It was kinda weird not having four other people to bounce suggestions off."

So Rankin made the record his own, songs full of vivid imagery, troubled characters and heartache. Awash with sweeping Hammond organ, electric guitars, snapping drums and Rankin's own chiming acoustic guitar, the album is solidly rooted in the great singer-songwriter tradition.

"I didn't want to make a country record," he explains, taking another long draw on a Belvedere. "I wanted the electric guitars up front, and to beef up the Hammond B-3 and give the record a bit more rootsy rock edge." That rootsy sound puts some distance between Rankin as the emerging solo artist and Jimmy, the guitar-strumming songwriter of the award winning family group which sold more than two million albums during their decade-long career.

Naturally, there were expectations for Rankin's return to music. After a half-dozen gold and platinum albums with The Rankins, the music community has been eagerly anticipating his return to the market.

"Sure, there was pressure there," says Rankin. "A lot of people were anticipating what I was going to do. Then you start making the record and forget about that stuff- I basically made the record that I wanted to make." "Well, there's no fiddles on this album, there's no Celtic stuff. I could have done that easily...but intentionally I steered myself away from that just to avoid obvious comparisons."

Radio is already receiving the album warmly - the first single Followed Her Around is getting heavy airplay on both country and adult contemporary stations across the country.

After the final Rankin album Uprooted was released in 1998, the band was clearly winding down, as the siblings were moving in different career paths. In September of 1999, the band announced they would no longer be performing together. Then just four months later, John Morris Rankin, the musical soul of the group, died when his truck plunged over an icy sea cliff near his home in Judique.

It's been a tough go since. Jimmy laid low, travelling some, but all the time writing songs. Then last fall, he put the wheels in motion to finally record his long-awaited solo album. He blew the dust off dozens of his songs, searching for the right tunes for an album. He also needed to find the right producer. Rankin found him in Toronto producer and songwriter Tim Thorney, who had been working with Alanis Morrisette.

Their first session began over pitchers of beer and cigarettes. "At Hooter, of all places," laughs Rankin. "That was his idea." Later that night, better acquainted and loosened up, the pair went back to Thorney's studio and laid down tracks for several tunes.

Rankin moved to a Toronto hotel for several weeks through January and February. Starting about 10 each morning, Rankin and the musicians would work till after dark, building the layers of instrumentation on each song. He brought in some friends from home to help, including guitarist Gordie Sampson (who co-wrote the first single), bassist Jamie Getti and sister Cookie for some background vocals.

Like Rankin's most memorable songs, Song Dog is filled with poignant character-driven stories, songs about heartbroken men, some displaced to find work far from home, others struggling to make a living from a dying fishery. It's powerful, uncompromising songwriting.

"I love to write about people...maybe from a story in the newspaper or someone I've met. Often it's about someone with a substance problem...There's something that's driven them there...maybe it's their hard reality or the humanity in the story."

Song Dog has a dark edge, not surprising in light of the difficult year just past. But Rankin beautifully captures life's enduring spirit and hardness in We'll Carry On. Though the song is written about the hard-hand-dealt longline fishermen, the rallying message could be the clan cry of the Rankins.

"We'll carry on, carry on, sing these words through all the damage done..."

Jimmy Rankin solo disc treads new ground

July 15, 2001 - JAM! Showbiz

By Paul Cantin / Senior Reporter, JAM! Showbiz

Song dogs, according to online canine databases, are a breed of pooch known for their operatic howling, travelling in family packs and displaying a "working attitude" and gentle nature.

"Song Dog" is also the title of singer-guitarist Jimmy Rankins' debut solo album. But Rankin, who earned his musical reputation with his siblings in the now-defunct Cape Breton hitmakers The Rankins, laughs that the similarities -- singing, travelling in packs, etc -- are purely accidental.

"I got it from a book by an Irish author," Rankin explains via telephone from his home in Halifax.

"He makes reference to the legend of the song dogs; when the world was being born, these dogs would howl at the universe. I thought it was a good equation to make between the songwriter and artist and the song dog, howling our little songs and stories at the world."

"Song Dog," which arrives in record stores Tuesday, will surprise listeners accustomed to the traditional and middle-of-the-road flavor of The Rankin's music. The new record opts for a tougher rocking sound that could find a home with the burgeoning alt-country singer-songwriter movement.

"I wanted to rock out a little bit, beef up the guitars and the B3 (organ), and that's evident; go for it on the drums," he concedes.

"I didn't use any fiddle in there, and that is an obvious comparison I wanted to get away from."

While listeners may mark "Song Dog" as an abrupt departure from the music Rankin made with his sisters Cookie, Heather, Raylene and multi-instrumentalist brother John Morris, he says much of the material accumulated during his years of writing and touring with the band.

Several of the songs were pitched as potential Rankins material over the years, he explains.

"I used to throw tunes at everybody, and they either got thrown back at me, or we used them. The albums just seemed to kind of take a direction, where, if there was a feeling in pre-production, we would go for it.

"We kind of had our sound. The girls had their thing, and they are great at it. They are like me, they like all kinds of music, but they have a certain style they sing in."

Rankin went back through his box of songs and says he deliberately selected material that would emphasize his skill as a singer-songwriter.

The Song Dog Has His Day

July 17, 2001 - Cape Breton Post

By Laurel Munroe

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that's the case, a Jimmy Rankin song must be worth a million.

With his much-anticipated debut solo album, Song Dog, which hits stores nationwide today, Rankin draws on his Cape Breton roots and his strong visual sense to deliver a collection of evocative images in music and song.

Rankin is in a unique position as an emerging solo artist, in that he needs no introduction to most Canadians.

He spent more than a decade as singer, guitarist and songwriter for the internationally-known band that bore his family name, sharing the spotlight with sisters Raylene, Cookie and Heather, and his late brother, John Morris.

The Rankins, one of the most successful acts ever to emerge from Cape Breton, were largely responsible for the explosion of Celtic music on the world stage in the early 1990s. The band sold over two million albums and collected countless East Coast Music Awards, Canadian country Music Awards and Junos before disbanding in 1999.

Jimmy had a solo album in the back of his mind even when The Rankins were still together.

"The opportunity would present itself and the window would be there and then you'd be back on the road and it would be gone. It doesn't take long for time to pass by," he said recently over lunch in Sydney.

So, after a nearly two-year hiatus from performing, Rankin - armed with a catalog of 30 to 40 tunes - began working with Toronto producer Tim Thorney, who he initially met when The Rankins performed on fellow Cape Bretoner Rita MacNeil's television show, where Thorney was part of the production team.

Song Dog was recorded at Thorney's Great Big Music studio between January and April of this year. Guests include Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor, Joel Feeney, Cassandra Vasik, Cookie Rankin and Gordie Sampson.

The album has pop, roots rock, folk and Celtic elements, but it's Rankin's songwriting that stands out. He wrote all the material himself, with the exception of the first single, Followed Her Around, co-written with Gordie Sampson.

The songs are exceptionally visual, which isn't surprising when one learns that Rankin has a fine arts degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design in Halifax. (In fact, all the sketches on the CD liner notes are his.) Rankin describes the album as "organic."

"It's a singer-songwriter record. I was kind of looking for a bit of 'rougher' delivery," he says. "I thought about going a more programmed, drum loop, sequenced kind of route - and there is a little bit of that in there - but it's definitely got an organic feel. "I wanted an in-your-face, honest, truthful statement."

Nowhere is that more evident than on the standout Tripper, based on the true story of a man from Mabou who ended up on the wrong side of the tracks "far in the distant west" and met a violent end.

"It's very literal, the song," says Rankin. "I remember seeing him as a kid. He was a nice guy. At the end of it he was trying to make it home and they found him in a parking lot in Toronto. "A Cape Breton tragedy. For years I wanted to write a tune about him, so he wouldn't be forgotten." The piano segments on Tripper - and elsewhere - evoke the playing of John Morris, who died in a tragic car accident in Whale Cove, Cape Breton in January 2000.

Rankin says he has always written with his brother's piano style in mind and notes he was lucky to find pianist Brent Barkman, who plays almost all the keyboards on Song Dog.

"He's got a really nice, lyrical touch for tunes like Tripper and Captain Harmony.

"This is what I would have liked John Morris to have done because I know he would have played this way intuitively and writing those things I had him in mind musically."

Tripper falls in the midst of four tunes in the middle of the album that Rankin calls his "Maritime moment" - an acoustic section that pays homage to his roots and speaks of troubled times, destitution and our legendary resilience.

"There was a suggestion about spreading those tunes out over the album because they're pretty strong tunes but I thought it was very poignant to put them in the centre because it's kind of the heart of where I'm coming from."

Rankin draws much of his inspiration from his roots."Growing up on the west side of the island, music is part of you. People play music and live music. It's part of the fabric," he says, his Inverness County accent still strong after years spent living in Halifax and travelling the globe.

"You don't take it for granted, but (you say) 'Yeah, I can go out and perform.'"

The Celtic songwriting tradition has "translated to its own thing in Cape Breton," he adds. "People are describing the Cape Breton experience - not in a sensationalist way but as a part of life, copying it and writing it down for storytelling reasons.

"The album's title is taken from a book Rankin read several years ago called Songdogs, by Irish author Colum McCann.

"There's a part about the legend of the songdogs - when the world was being born the coyotes were howling at the universe. It was a good analogy to artists and songwriters, who are basically just storytellers telling their stories to the world. I'm a song dog."

For the next couple of weeks, Rankin will travel across Canada doing press for the album release and, in September, he will embark on a west-to-east cross-country tour which will bring him home to Cape Breton in November.

Rankin's first major performance as a solo artist was a couple of weeks ago, at the Stan Rogers Folk Festival before thousands of fans, and he admits it was a little daunting.

"I'm used to having three other vocalists and two wonderful instrumentalists carry the show so the onus was never totally on me," he says.

"But I just went out there to sing and try to keep people interested. What I'm taking to people, from The Rankins, is me and my songs. It can be unnerving at times, but it's also exciting."

Song Dog is dedicated to the memory of John Morris Rankin.

Jimmy's solo rise from the Rankins

July 18, 2001 - Edmonton Sun

By Mike Ross / Edmonton Sun

Fans of the wholesome Rankin Family might paint young Jimmy as the black sheep after they get a load of his new music video.

Lard-tunderin'-Jesus, boyo - it's set in a stripper's bar, pronounced "bair," by the way. The younger Rankin brother has launched his solo career with a racy video for Follow Her Around. It's a song about, well ... following her around, often at the expense of all sense or reason. Heed his words: "I stood and watched in disbelief from the shadows of my grief/she wore lipstick black as coal and her boots up to her knees ... everybody's got a hunger and a seed they gotta sow."

Hey, we've all been there, man.

"I'm like a ghost walking through this strip bar," Rankin says on the phone from his home in Halifax. "I liked the idea - kind of rough and seedy and artsy."

With a new band he's "greased up" (don't ask), Rankin is promoting his new solo album, Song Dog, a singer-songwriter folk-rock-type album that's entirely free of fiddles. No merry jigs or jolly reels, either.

He performs tomorrow at the Telus Stage as part of Edmonton's Klondike Days.

"I've played the folk festival, but never Klondike Days," he says. "What kind of a thing is Klondike Days?"

It's kind of like the folk fest but with sillier hats and more corn dogs.

"And a lot more booze?"

Sure.

"OK, that should be good."

Funny, if we didn't know any better, or even if we did, we'd swear young Jimmy was trying to give himself a rougher image that he may have been known for while performing Fare Thee Well and other lilting numbers with his sisters Cookie, Raylene and Heather.

Unlike many of the Rankin Family's popular albums, Song Dog is populated by drunks, sinners and all manner of lovesick characters. Even the titles - Drunk and Crucified, Wasted, Stoned Blue - suggest a more "mature" record.

"I am 37 years old," Rankin says. "I'm just doing what I do. I know the Rankins had that kind of image. I don't think we ever consciously tried to do that. It was something we got stuck with. We're just human beings, flawed like everybody else.

"I made a conscious effort to kind of go in the other direction and not have a fiddle, just for obvious comparison reasons. Initially, I was not even going to have any background vocal, but as the album progressed, I softened up to that fact and I got Cookie up. "People have been asking me how it compares to Rankin stuff and I say, 'I'm taking what I used to do with the Rankins and putting it into a singer-songwriter thing.' "

The new songs, he goes on, are "perhaps a little grittier. Perhaps I'm just demonstrating a side to me that I never really had a chance to show with the Rankins."

It's not like Jimmy is starting over. From when they started in 1989, the Rankin Family became the East Coast darlings of the music world - seen in multi-platinum albums, armfuls of awards and sold-out theatres from coast to coast. They did all they could do in Canada, Rankin says, and when the band broke up in 1999, they left fans wanting more.

"I think we left the stage gracefully while things were still fresh."

The death of older brother John Morris last year made Jimmy pause before starting music again.

"After John Morris died, I didn't really even listen to or play music for four months and that spring I decided I had to get back at things," Rankin says. "I knew that I wanted to make a record eventually. I took a trip to Italy just to get a change of scenery and maybe write some tunes. That summer, I came back, worked out a deal with my record company, and by fall I was making demos and looking for a producer. I'm starting a solo career, but I'm not starting over as an artist. I'm glad of that. I wouldn't want to be starting over from scratch."

Jimmy Rankin goes solo with Song Dog

July 18, 2001 - Inverness Oran

By Frank MacDonald

It has been almost two years since the breakup of The Rankins, more than a year since the death of John Morris Rankin, and the words of singer-songwriter Jimmy Rankin - "As we shuffle round this mortal void/What's gonna be is gonna be" - pretty well describe the tone and atmosphere of Song Dog.

Song Dog is the embarkation point of Jimmy Rankin's solo career. Filled with influences from the past and signposts to the future, the recording remains profoundly different from his songs as performed by the family group, The Rankins. Still, a consistency of themes make Song Dog a distinctly Jimmy Rankin creation.

A collection of stories, characters, tough times and tenderness, Song Dog wanders through everything from a strip club to a lighthouse in the 12-song recording.

Followed Her Around (co-written with Gordie Sampson) is the first single to be released from the recording. Its gritty upbeat tempo tells a story Rankin says he has never really taken time to analyse. The song has been getting air play across Canada. Its video version, shot in a Halifax strip club, gives the song an added roughness that Jimmy Rankin describes as "seedy."

From that opening number, Song Dog moves through a series of transitions that reaffirm Rankin's musical range.

This Is The Hour transports listeners to another time, a time when Maritimers rode the Harvest Trains west, looking for work. The idea originated while Jimmy Rankin was taking part in an as yet unfinished film called Cowboy Stories. The western setting set him to wondering about the stories of those who went west. He contacted Jim St. Clair about the people who took the harvest trains out of here, and St. Clair sent him copies of letters that had been written back home by those who went away. From that information Rankin created the persona who tells the story in This Is The Hour.

Tripper, a song first performed publicly at last year's Deepdale Music Fest, adds another portrait to Jimmy Rankin's growing portfolio of biographies of people real and fictional.

Amid the gritty visions of Followed Her Around, Drunk and Crucified or Wasted, one song, Lighthouse Heart, is a beacon of tenderness, a beautiful love song that makes no apology for its warmth or its sentiment.

Song Dog shows early signs of inheriting some of the hurdles that The Rankins' recordings faced. In a sort of backhanded compliment to originality, radio stations aren't always sure what it is or where it belongs.

"Followed Her Around is getting radio play across Canada," Jimmy Rankin says. "Both adult contemporary and country stations are playing it."

In Song Dog, a number of notables join Jimmy Rankin with instrument and backup vocals. Blue Rodeo's Greg Keeler adds his voice to Followed Her Around and sister Cookie Rankin is there a number of times.

Before the recording comes the writing, and in talking about the process for him, the five-times winner of SOCAN awards and songwriter accolades stays prepared for an idea.

"I keep a cassette player and a notebook with me, and keep my eyes and ears open. When I get a chance, I jot things down.

"When it comes to writing the songs, though, it is solitary for the most part. I don't even like anybody in the house."

In writing This Is The Hour, once Jimmy Rankin had read the harvest train letters supplied by St. Clair he decided on a story.

"Some of the passengers on the harvest train made some money, some didn't," Jimmy Rankin explained, and he decided to look at the experience from the point of view of someone who didn't.

"I found an old church out there and sat in it and worked on the tune. It was a lonely topic. It's just me and the guitar on the album."

This summer, at the Stan Rogers Folk Festival, Jimmy Rankin made his solo debut, following it up with an appearance in Pictou, and will perform at Klondike Days in Edmonton, but the official tour for Song Dog won't begin until late September. It is a national tour beginning out west and will bring Jimmy Rankin home to Mabou on November 9 for his first Strathspey Place performance.

Until then, he will be travelling across the country promoting the CD in a series of interviews.

The Song Dog Goes Solo

July 18, 2001 - CMT Canada

JIMMY RANKIN of the multi-platinum selling Rankin Family released his debut solo project Tuesday called, “Song Dog”.

For fans used to the traditional, Celtic and softer sounds of THE RANKINS, “Song Dog” will possibly come as a surprise. The album showcases an edgier side of the Cape Breton singer/songwriter with the lead off single, “Followed Her Around”, in good evidence of this. Rankin tells JamShowbiz, “I wanted to rock out a little bit, beef up the guitars and the B3 (organ), and that’s evident; go for it on the drums. I didn’t use any fiddle in there, and that is an obvious comparison I wanted to get away from.”

Even though the material on “Song Dog” is a stylistic walk away from the songs that Rankin sang with his family, most of them were written during those years of touring as a family group. Several of the tracks on “Song Dog” were pitched as possible songs for the whole family to record at one time or another but some of them didn’t fit their sound at the time. Rankin explains, “We kind of had our sound. The girls had their thing, and they’re great at it. They are like me, they like all kinds of music, but they have a certain style they sing in.”

The first video from “Song Dog” for “Followed Her Around”, shot in a Dartmouth, Nova Scotia strip club, can be seen right now on CMT.

Cutting the Family Ties

Jimmy Rankin turns from the Gaelic sounds that made the Rankins famous, and mines the country vein for his first solo CD

July 19, 2001 - The Globe and Mail

By Gregory R. McGuire

ANTIGONISH, N.S. -- For Jimmy Rankin, it's always been about the songs.

Now, two years after the Rankins split up and a year after older brother John Morris was killed in a car accident, Rankin is stepping out on his own with his first solo album, Song Dog.

"I decided to name the album Song Dog because I felt it was a fairly good way of summing up my approach to music," he said in an interview at a sidewalk café in this small town at the edge of Cape Breton.

"I have always had an ear for a good song, and, for me, it has always been the lyrics that determine whether or not a song is going to work or not. Even with the Rankins, I would always put the emphasis on a song's lyrics, and as a band, we would generally leave it to my brother John Morris to handle the musical arrangements."

It was a Jimmy Rankin composition, Fare Thee Well, Love,that first brought the Rankin family wider recognition outside the Maritimes. This song garnered a Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) songwriter award, and was the first in a long string of award-winning tunes coming from Rankin's pen, including Orangedale Whistle, Forty Days and Nights and You Feel the Same Way Too.

As Jimmy readily acknowledges, the songs on his new album are perhaps not what long-time fans of the Rankins might expect, although they fit in well with the more country and folk-tinged sound that his writing has always demonstrated.

Perhaps most striking is the absence of any Celtic touch. "I still love the Gaelic tunes, but with the Rankins, the Gaelic songs were more kind of my sisters' focus." Instead, Rankin mines the folk and country vein somewhat reminiscent of Blue Rodeo, a sound that is reinforced by the presence of Greg Keelor singing background on many of the tracks.

When asked his major influences, Rankin says he finds himself most often listening these days to Texas and Southwestern songwriters like Jimmy Dale Gilmour, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco.

"I grew up listening almost exclusively to traditional and Gaelic music, but when I think of my music, I see myself as someone in the Gordon Lightfoot tradition," he says. "I'm not one of those guys that goes around playing Lightfoot songs all day, but I really admire the way that he tells a story with his songs."

This influence is clearly evident in the individual tunes on Song Dog, each of which has the distinct air of a short story set to music. "When I write a song, I first set out to tell a story that is whole and coherent in itself," he explains. "I see the images that the story brings to mind long before I hear the music that will accompany the tune. In my opinion, a song can have the best musical accompaniment around, but it isn't really a song worth keeping unless the lyrics call forth some special images. I think of myself as a lyricist first and foremost, and I think that has been demonstrated by the tunes on Song Dog and by my best tunes with the Rankins."

His enthusiasm for this work is clear.

"I got to the point where I wanted to focus more closely on what was important to me in music. With the songs on this album, I feel I've been able to do this. I'm proud of these tunes."

Disbanding the family band, he says, was a mutual decision by brothers Jimmy and John Morris and sisters Cookie, Raylene and Heather.

"You have to understand that there were probably not many bands in Canada that had worked at such a nonstop schedule as the Rankins," he explains. "Ten years of touring, both in North America and in Europe, and when we weren't on tour we were usually in the studio working on our next release. We all more or less decided that it was time for a break, and we all had our own projects that we had been waiting to pursue. Despite what some rumours might say, it was not at all a difficult breakup, by any means."

After the band broke up in 1999, rumours began to circulate that Jimmy Rankin was working on a solo CD that would highlight his songwriting and solo vocals. But those plans were put on hold when, in the early spring of 2000, John Morris was killed in a single-vehicle car accident near their home in Cape Breton.

Rankin won't discuss his brother's death, but he is eager to talk about the continuing importance of John Morris in his own music.

"Even when I was writing the tunes that ended up on Song Dog, I was still hearing the piano of John Morris playing along in my mind. I heard John Morris's piano on almost every tune I wrote. Brent Barkman, a studio musician from Winnipeg, did an excellent job on this recording getting the sound I was hearing down on tape."

Indeed, listen to such tracks as Tripper or We'll Carry On, and you can hear the unmistakable influence of John Morris continue to run through Rankin's songs.

Stylistically, the new songs tend a little toward rock 'n' roll. There is more of a focus on electric guitar, and Followed Her Around in particular kicks off with a distinctive Hammond B-3 organ sound that propels the tune.

This is not to say that Rankin has lost the introspective side that was so evident in some of the early Rankins hits. Several tunes in the middle of the album, particularly the beautiful and haunting ballad Lighthouse Heart, provide evidence for his argument that it is the lyrics that make a tune special.

Followed Her Around -- an infectious tune about an obsessive relationship and the first single off the album -- has already climbed both the pop and the country charts. It's also the only song that isn't Rankin's alone: He co-wrote it with fellow Nova Scotian Gordie Sampson.

"I really like Gordie's approach to songwriting. Followed Her Around came at the end of a long night of writing together. We really hadn't come up with anything, then, after a couple of whiskeys, Gordie just started jamming and we kicked it out pretty quickly.

"I didn't think much of it at the time, but I think it's a pretty amusing look at falling for a woman, and it just kind of stuck in my head. When it came time to record, I got Gordie into the studio to play several instruments, and the tune just seemed like a natural.

"I just finished taping the video for Followed Her Around in a Dartmouth strip club, which was fun in itself."

Rankin debuted some of Song Dog's tunes at the Stan Rogers Folk Festival, held in Canso, N.S., on the July 1 weekend. What was particularly striking about this performance was the excitement that the largely local audience demonstrated in seeing him on stage again.

"I've never been to Stanfest before, although I've heard a lot of good things about it. It was really something for me, wandering around the grounds when I wasn't playing, and people kept coming up to me and telling me how glad they were to see me, how they liked my first single. It was the kind of thing that reminded me of how much I've missed performing the past couple of years."

As the interview progressed, there were steady reminders of the degree to which folks in Maritime Canada continue to see the Rankins as part of their extended family.

A stream of passers-by stopped to tell Rankin how happy they were that he was back on-stage and on the airwaves. It was almost as though one of the family had just returned after a difficult time abroad, and everyone wanted him to know how glad they were to see him again.

It is clear that, despite all the difficulties of the past couple of years, Jimmy is equally glad to be back. After all, where else would a Song Dog want to be?

Song Dog was released nationally yesterday. Rankin is currently putting plans in place for a fall tour of Western Canada with fellow Nova Scotia songwriter Bruce Guthro.

Jimmy Rankin steps out as solo career takes off

New Song Dog CD offers choice tunes for show at K-Days

July 19, 2001 - Edmonton Journal

By Peter North - Special to the Journal/Southam News

Concert Preview

Jimmy Rankin

Where: Telus Stage, Northlands Grounds

When: Tonight, 9 p.m.

- - -

Two years ago, The Rankins were rolling across the country capping off an incredible 10-year run by playing high-profile fairs and festivals.

It was a swan song of sorts for one of the most successful acts ever to emerge from Cape Breton and one that offered a glimpse of where Jimmy Rankin's career was headed.

One hot August day at the Edmonton Folk Festival, Rankin turned up on a workshop bill with an impressive group of tunesmiths, among them Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Kimmie Rhodes. When Rankin's turn at the microphone came he delved into much more personalized and introspective material than he'd ever displayed alongside his siblings. A large crowd listened attentively.

Any doubts that Rankin could hold his own with some of the most acclaimed tunesmiths on the continent were quickly dashed that morning. Now an emerging solo artist, Rankin helps kick off Klondike Days tonight with a performance at the Telus Stage.

Not that commercial success ever eluded The Rankins. It was Jimmy's tune Fare Thee Well Love that set the wheels into overdrive for the group. The band collected countless East Coast Music Awards, Canadian Country Music Awards and Junos before disbanding in 1999. "We did sell a couple of million albums, didn't we," Rankin says.

That term "we" carries a vastly different connotation these days. Rankin's older brother and bandmate John Morris died in a car accident on his way to a hockey tournament early last year.

The death of his brother put any thoughts of a solo project on hold for a time, but Rankin regrouped and got down to it last fall. After a nearly two-year hiatus from performing he is now touring behind his debut disc, Song Dog, dedicated to John Morris, which hit stores this week.

"I took a trip to Italy by myself, wandered around and wrote some tunes. Not long after I returned I hooked up with Tim Thorney, who I had met when he was the music director on the Rita MacNeil television series."

Rankin was looking for a producer whose opinion he could trust; he knew early on he had found one in Thorney.

"I liked the fact that Tim's also a singer-songwriter and right from the beginning I felt he was making good recommendations about things. We had about 40 tunes to choose from and jointly decided on what songs would make the album," says Rankin, who often hears accompanying instruments as he's composing his songs.

"I don't read or write music but I get these blueprints in my head. I'll hear a bass or piano, even an orchestra."

Rankin says he's happy with the nationwide reaction to his first single Followed Her Around, a punchy, mid-tempo number with a strong hook and a great balance between the bottom end and Rankin's forlorn sounding vocals.

Followed Her Around also finds Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor chiming in on the chorus to great effect. The performances on standout tunes like Lighthouse Heart, Tripper and Captain Harmony are uniformly strong.

Most of the core band from the session is on the road with him.

Tonight, longtime fans will be hearing a balanced mix of material from Song Dog and Rankin family hits. Rovin' Gypsy, Movin' On and Feel The Same Way are all on the set list.

Rankin to play outdoor concert on Sydney's waterfront

July 20, 2001 - Halifax Herald

Jimmy Rankin, whose debut solo album hit record stores this week, will headline Sydney's annual Action Week open-air concert on Aug. 11 at the Government Wharf on Sydney's waterfront.

After 10 years of touring, numerous hit singles, multiple Juno Awards and sales of over two-million albums with his siblings, The Rankins, Jimmy Rankin emerges with his album Song Dog and moves into the realm of solo singer-songwriter.

Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday at all Select-A-Seat and Rolling Phones locations in Cape Breton. A limited number of advanced tickets are available for $12.50, after which the price will be $15.

The concert was made possible through the co-operation between the Cape Breton Regional Municipality's Recreation Department, Moosehead Breweries and The Savoy Theatre.

The annual concert has featured well-known groups like The Rankins, Bruce Guthro, Leahy and Rawlins Cross in past years.

Rankin serves up hot tunes to appreciative Klondike Days crowd

Rankin's Top-Rank Show

July 21, 2001 - Edmonton Journal

...Jimmy Rankin's concert at the Telus Stage on Thursday evening at Klondike Days ranks right up there in this calendar year.

After paying $6 to get on the grounds the show was free and based on the strength of his new material found on Song Dog, the former frontman of The Rankin Family will be back playing a major hall sooner than later.

Although he swept into the show with a kicking version of Roving Gypsy Boy, Rankin didn't take long in letting everyone in the sizable and appreciative house know that he has been working overtime in the creative department for the past year.

He then hit the crowd right away with his debut single Followed Her Around and it's easy to hear why the tune is quickly travelling up a couple of different charts.

A great hook, a compelling and cleverly crafted storyline, and an arrangement that allows his band to back it with some sympathetic dynamics covers all the bases.

Expect to hear this one a lot over the next few months.

When that one has had its turn, Rankin and the folks at EMI will be in the enviable position of having to pick one of a handful of hot tunes for a followup. Wasted, which succinctly zeros on a drunk's emotional bender, and the poetic Lighthouse Heart, both deserve such consideration.

One couldn't help but appreciate what a finely tuned backing band Rankin is touring with.

The four players are more than just technically top-flight musicians -- each and every one consistently played as though they were emotionally attached to the tunes that kept the vast majority of the audience on board for the entire show.

Mark Scholtz, co-host of the A Channel's Big Breakfast, was also enjoying the sounds of Rankin.

Listener Feedback on "Followed Her Around"

July 24, 2001 - Country 105 in Calgary, Alberta

From July 16 - 23, 2001, Country 105 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, allowed listeners to submit their comments on Jimmy Rankin's song "Followed Her Around" as feedback for the music department as to whether to continue playing the song. The response was tremendously in favour of keeping the song on the air! Below are some of the comments that were left.

What a great, great song! July 16, 2001

Has a great beat, would have preferred steel guitar or dobro instead of the organ. July 16, 2001

I like the melody as well the words July 17, 2001

Good song & beat July 17, 2001

This is a great song July 17, 2001

It is one of the best songs being played right now. It is great to have Jimmy back on the radio!!! July 17, 2001

I like the catchy tune. Great to here Jimmy singing! July 17, 2001

Its lively, fun, anybody can identify with the subject matter, the guitar is clean and fresh, it perked me up while I was trying to get energized and go back to work July 17, 2001

That Jimmy is singing it! July 17, 2001

This song is excellent, has a great beat and really rocks! July 17, 2001

Jimmy Rankin's songwriting and singing is fantastic! July 17, 2001

It is totally awesome July 17, 2001

Jimmy is a craftsman. He knows how to put a song together and tells a great story! July 17, 2001

Great songwriter, great singer. Great entertainer, I also like the organ background or is it synthesizer July 17, 2001

Catchy tune and great lyrics July 17, 2001

I love Jimmy's soulful voice. He is amazing at pumping out lyrics and tunes July 17, 2001

It has a good beat and a great singer! July 17, 2001

I'm glad Jimmy's back and he sounds better then ever! July 17, 2001

Energy, nice "hook" for singing along July 17, 2001

Has a real western sound - not the Celtic rhythms I've come to love and expect from the former Rankin Family member. July 17, 2001

This song is AWESOME! I have been listening to it OVER AND OVER again. My boyfriend won the CD on our local radio station today. I hope Jimmy will be touring soon! Love the song... pretty cool that Greg Keelor sings back up vocals. Love the video too... shot on location in Halifax at a strip bar! hee hee! - Allison, New Brunswick July 17, 2001

Love any Rankins! July 17, 2001

I like the tempo, it moves along. July 17, 2001

I love his style and voice. July 17, 2001

HATE the organ! But could be Jimmy's breakthrough on US country stations! Any chance of that? July 17, 2001

Very upbeat tune with a voice to die for July 17, 2001

The arrangement is great, but the lyrics are so-so. I'm dedicated Rankin fan so this is a bit of a departure. It's OK but I hope JR goes back to whence he came... July 17, 2001

Boat's lost at sea is excellent, this is good. July 17, 2001

GOOD ROCKING COUNTRY, SOUNDS A BIT LIKE TOM PETTY July 17, 2001

Have always loved the Rankins July 17, 2001

More country sound than I expected from a Rankin family member. Excellent for a country song, but lacking the Celtic flavor I prefer. July 17, 2001

I miss the girls singing with him July 17, 2001

I have always like the music of the Rankins! July 17, 2001

I've listened to this song, and I just think it's great!!! The whole CD is Excellent, Great Stuff Jimmy. July 17, 2001

Something a little different. July 17, 2001

Excellent Song, Nice to Hear Cookie doing backup on this CD as well. July 17, 2001

It has a great beat and Jimmy's voice suits the song, WELL DONE July 17, 2001

Good sound, beat and its fresh.... July 17, 2001

The voice I like but the sound in the beginning was little bit weird, but in the over all total sound it's ended excellent. July 17, 2001

Good beat, good choice of back-up instruments, and story that can be related to. July 18, 2001

Amazing!! Awesome!! July 18, 2001

Ok but no where near what the Rankins did in the past. I am dedicated Rankin fan. I loved them dearly and miss them a lot. I have never been a fan of anyone until them. (and I am 55 years old) July 18, 2001

Jimmy is cool July 18, 2001

This song brings out all of jimmy's talent it is a great song to listen too and the words tell a story. I will be buying it you can be sure of that. I just love jimmy Rankin!!!! July 18, 2001

Very catchy; always liked his voice and wished he sang more with the Rankins; I'll buy the CD based on this song. July 18, 2001

Just good to hear Jimmy again. A true maritime talent! July 18, 2001

I love this song! Great melody, good lyrics, one of those songs you find yourself singing, it's contagious! July 18, 2001

Jimmy Rankin is a hottie!!!! He can make any song sound good!! (from a big Rankin Family fan, God bless John Morris) July 18, 2001

Nice tune, good lyrics, and its Jimmy! July 18, 2001

I love the Rankin's music period! July 18, 2001

The beat is unresistible; the story keeps you listening to see what's going to happen next. His energy is infectious. Sounds a little like Paul McCarthy in the old days. July 18, 2001

Great Rankin sound - Love it July 18, 2001

Jimmy is new to me; I have not heard all his tunes. I like the words a lot. July 18, 2001

Great toe tapping song, nice lyrics and I think it is neat that Greg Keelor is doing back up vocals, he is an excellent harmonizer! July 18, 2001

The true Rankin sound - that Nova Scotian accent and his 'gritty' voice just take me right back to the east coast. Can't wait to hear some more from that CD!! July 18, 2001

Great, catchy rhythm - good to hear Jimmy branch out! July 18, 2001

Although not groundbreaking, it has nice crossover flavour with broad appeal July 18, 2001

The lyrics rock, and it's a nice combo of Greg and Jimmy!!!!!! July 18, 2001

It's got a good groove July 18, 2001

Great beat, fun story! July 18, 2001

I like the lyrics and Jimmy's vocals ... but would have preferred he stuck with the Celtic, or went way country on the melody. Just seems to be pretty bland as is. July 18, 2001

Jimmy's voice is as great as ever. Still not sure if the country-rock genre suits him better than Celtic, however. July 18, 2001

It's a very solid country ballad, very well written and performed. July 18, 2001

He's singing it from the heart July 18, 2001

Nice sound, driving beat, lyrics make sense July 18, 2001

What I liked about this song because it's really lively July 18, 2001

Overall a good tune. It's got a new sound and feel from the group stuff we loved but I like it. Excellent song July 18, 2001

Smart words, great tune July 18, 2001

I love the song! It tells a great story and the mix is great. July 18, 2001

I like the beat of it. Jimmy Rankin's a great musician. I also like Greg Keelor's background vocals. The song just rocks! July 18, 2001

Jimmy Rankin is one of the best singer/songwriters there is. July 18, 2001

Rankin fan! Good tune as well. gle mhath July 18, 2001

Its classic Rankin family style; the one we've grown to love July 18, 2001

All the songs on the CD are good. Typical Jimmy sound, I like it!! July 18, 2001

I like the beat/instruments used. July 18, 2001

Jimmy's voice is amazing - as usual! July 18, 2001

I like the harmonies Jimmy Rankin sings with Greg Keelor. The tune has a real toe-tapping rhythm. Definitely a CD to buy. July 18, 2001

The story, and Jimmy Rankin's voice and phrasing, Celtic Coastal Canada! July 19, 2001

Don't think it quite compares w/"The Eyes of Margaret" & others. But very good. July 19, 2001

I liked the song very much it should do very well. July 19, 2001

It has a good beat and its not that pop crap July 19, 2001

This song is true Jimmy style and I'm sure it's going to bring him more recognition as a songwriter. Look out at the award shows in the fall...I'm sure Jimmy's name will show up many times! July 19, 2001

I've always like Jimmy's voice. He hasn't disappointed me with this one either. I hope the rest of the CD is like this... July 19, 2001

Great sound for him, I love it! July 19, 2001

One of Canada's best songwriters! July 19, 2001

He's a Rankin, they are all good! July 19, 2001

Jimmy Rankin deserves to have huge success. He was the one from The Rankins I thought had the best chance of successfully going solo. If the album is like this, it should be great! :) July 20, 2001

Ah, makes me feel like I'm home in Nova Scotia again and not here in Saskatchewan. I've missed Jimmy's voice. It's good to have him back on the music scene. July 20, 2001

This song is great!!! Why isn't this playing in the states? July 20, 2001

I was surprised how much I like this song. I HOPE the single (better yet, the album) will be available here in the States!! And the sooner, the better. Greetings from NYC. July 20, 2001

It is just SOOO good to a Rankin song again-I've really missed hearing from them since their family tragedy! Go Jimmy!! July 21, 2001

Finally a country singer/songwriter who doesn't go over the edge of Sappiness! Witty and excellent musically. July 22, 2001

It was great! Completely different sound for him, more like a Dylan song... July 22, 2001

Fine good eastcoast folk rock July 22, 2001

I love this song the emotion is so strong in all the songs off this album! And Greg's voice is a great addition! July 22, 2001

Up there with the best of The Rankins! July 22, 2001

I always liked the voices of the Rankins when they performed as a family and I think it is great that Jimmy is getting out on his own. I find this song has a catchy beat and is easy to sing along with. It's nice to hear him doing country. I hope it really makes it for him. July 22, 2001

Jimmy Rankin has an amazing voice and uses it well. July 22, 2001

If there is more songs like this one the album, perfect, cause that is great. July 23, 2001

IT'S THE ONLY SONG ON THE RADIO THAT GETS ME TO CRANK UP THE VOLUME July 23, 2001

Song Dog Review for Celtic Cafe Canada

July 26, 2001 - Celtic Cafe Canada

Review by Kimberley

According to legend...when the world was being born the coyotes were howling at the universe, and they were called "Song Dogs." Jimmy Rankin felt it was a good analogy to artists and songwriters, who are basically just storytellers telling their stories to the world and chose to use this as the title of his CD. Jimmy's a "Song Dog" for sure! Combining 12 songs with very strong, well-written lyrics, this is a CD that is going to put Jimmy Rankin on the Canadian Songwriters Map, more so than he already is!

Many of you will recognize Jimmy Rankin as the lead singer & song-writer for The Rankin Family (later The Rankins) from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. They were one of the groups who paved the way for the popularity of Celtic music from the east coast, especially with the younger generation these days.

After 10 years of success and touring around the world, the band decided to call it quits in late 1999. Jimmy says "we'd all reached a time in our lives where we were working on different projects already and it just seemed like the best time to stop." Raylene had a young family, Heather was focussing on an acting career, Cookie was settling down and John Morris wanted to spend time at home with his family. Sadly, John Morris' plans were made all too short when he was killed in a car accident in January 2000. This is still a topic that is too close to heart for any of the members to discuss publicly. However, as a tribute, Jimmy has dedicated "Song Dog" to the memory of his older brother.

Jimmy has always been the primary songwriter for the Rankins, and it's like the words just pour out of life's happenings and onto paper and the stage. That's the case with "Song Dog." The songs all paint such vivid imagery that a listener is sure to find a song on there that they can relate to...either the tragedy of losing someone...a romance with someone...the hardships of dealing with substance-abuse or many of life's general happenings.

"Followed Her Around", the first track and single from the CD, starts the CD off with a bang and is sure to peak your interest from start to beginning. It talks about an obsessive relationship with someone that is more fantasy than reality! Already the single is climbing up the radio charts in Canada, both country and pop, and the video is receiving plenty of airplay on CMT Canada and MuchMoreMusic.

Fans of the Rankins are sure to recognize "Tripper", a tune that Jimmy has performed on occasion in the past, either at solo engagements or on tour. Based on a true story, this song recalls the loss of a friend at a young age and the time dealing with it. The song has a "rambler" feel to it, which is evident in many of Jimmy's compositions. It reminds me of "The Ballad of Malcolm Murray" from the Rankins limited edition CD "Grey Dusk of Eve."

Tripper falls in the midst of four tunes in the middle of the album that Rankin calls his "Maritime moment" - an acoustic section that pays homage to his roots and speaks of troubled times, destitution and our legendary resilience.

With only a couple of paragraphs to it, "Lighthouse Heart" is a short tune but very poignant...the piano interlude, reminiscent of John Morris' style, connects the song. "Lighthouse Heart" is a beacon of tenderness, a beautiful love song that makes no apology for its warmth or its sentiment.

"This Is The Hour", a story about Maritimes who headed west on the "Harvest Trains" to find work, is just Jimmy and his guitar...you don't really need anything else to hear the message and the words of the song stand out. Everyone should be able to relate to this song...having to leave your hometown to move away to find work.

Don't think Jimmy has abandoned his family though...sister Cookie Rankin appears throughout the CD singing back-up vocals on several tracks. Other singers featured on the CD include Cassandra Vasik, Joel Feeney and Blue Rodeo's "Greg Keelor."

For those fans of the Rankins, who have missed hearing anything new in a few years, this CD is sure to be a must-have in your collection. And for those new to the music, this is a great collection of songs to listen to and really make you think. And I'd recommend going out and purchasing some of the Rankins previous albums and hear some more of Jimmy's fine songwriting skills.

Look for Jimmy this fall touring Canada from coast to coast in support of this CD!

Without a Hitch

Rankins, Mabou gather to celebrate Cookie's wedding to group's producer

July 27, 2001 - Halifax Daily News

By Marla Cranston - The Daily News

The fiddles of Mabou rang out with joy yesterday, as one of Cape Breton's most famous daughters married a Nashville studio legend.

The traditional ceremony in postcard-perfect St. Mary's Church wrapped up with a spirited jig, and Cookie Rankin kicked up her heels a bit as new husband George Massenburg escorted her past about 500 clapping well-wishers.

"It went off without a hitch, pardon the pun," said beaming brother Jimmy, who served as an usher and videographer.

Rankin, 36, had entered the church alone and a smiling Massenburg met her halfway up the aisle before they proceeded to the altar. The bride wore an elegant white satin gown with a scooped neckline, fitted bodice, and full skirt with train. The bespectacled groom wore a smart black tuxedo, and his 13-year-old son, Sam, took his best-man duties seriously.

A Grammy-winning producer and engineer, Massenburg, 54, has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry: Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett, James Taylor, Aaron Neville, the Dixie Chicks and many others. In his 20s, he invented the parametric equalizer, a mainstay in the modern recording process.

The couple met when Massenburg produced the Rankins' Uprooted album, and after a long-distance romance of e-mails and telephone calls, he proposed during Christmas of 1998.

She's a friend of Massenburg's mother Catherine Rinehart, who lives in Virginia Beach. "I think where you come from or your background really doesn't make a difference. I'm sure music had a great deal to do with them coming together," said Dorothy Stuck, a friend of Massenburg's mother, who travelled from Arkansas to attend the wedding.

The pair radiated a comfortable happiness yesterday, but during the exchange of vows, the groom seemed nervous and his voice was barely above a whisper. Rev. Angus Morris broke the tension with his humour, scolding the congregation to sit down - "you'll see better."

The bridesmaids - sisters Heather, Nancy and Susan and two nieces - wore sleek satin gowns in a shimmering cafe au lait shade, in a style similar to Rankin's gown.

Raylene Rankin, in an iridescent green suit, filled the cathedral with her powerful singing throughout the ceremony, most notably with her operatic version of Ave Maria. It was her first public performance since she began battling breast cancer earlier this year. She was accompanied by composer Scott Macmillan on guitar and church organist Marianne Jewel on piano.

Bridesmaid Molly Rankin, 13-year-old daughter of Cookie Rankin's deceased brother John Morris, played a fiddle tune, clearly showing she's inherited her father's gift.

Joy after sorrow

The last major Rankin gathering at the church was a sombre occasion, for John Morris Rankin's funeral 18 months ago. Just months after the family band announced its retirement, the 40-year-old multi-instrumentalist died in a car accident. The siblings lost their mother Kaye to cancer in 1997.

Morris, one of three officiating priests at the ceremony, said the community is thrilled to share the Rankins' happy day after such hardships.

"It's a joyful occasion," Morris told The Daily News. "I buried their mother, I buried their brother. I'm so happy today to be part of this."

The newlyweds own property in the area, and Morris said local residents hope to see the them back often.

After the wedding, they dashed off in a pale taupe rented Lincoln, clinking crystal champagne flutes.

There was an hors d'oevre reception at the Rankin family home, followed by a formal dinner at the Mabou Hall, and dancing and fiddling well into the night.

Above Photo: Fare them well - Cookie Rankin and her new husband, George Massenburg, emerge from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Mabou, Inverness Co., all smiles yesterday after their wedding. Photo by Paul Darrow.

This is a great day for the Rankin Family

Cookie marries: Cape Breton musicians triumph over tragedy

July 28, 2001 - National Post

By Graeme Hamilton - National Post

MABOU, N.S. - Cookie Rankin walked down the aisle yesterday on the arm of her new husband, Nashville producer George Massenburg, and as a fiddler played a rousing jig, the bride paid no heed to her flowing white gown and danced a few steps.

After a long stretch of sorrow and suffering, Cape Breton's musical Rankin family finally had reason to kick up its heels.

The couple exchanged vows in the same country church where, 18 months ago, the family held a funeral for John Morris Rankin, Cookie's older brother who was killed when his vehicle slid off an icy coastal highway. Hymns were led by sister Raylene, who is battling breast cancer.

"This is a great day for the Rankin family," the Reverend Angus Morris, the parish priest, said after the ceremony. "They've had so much tragedy. Today they can have a joyful celebration."

The solemn vows and religious rites were leavened by Celtic music that permeated the service. The most poignant moment came when the congregation of about 300 received communion. Bridesmaid Molly Rankin, the teenage daughter of John Morris, took up her fiddle and played a tune called Father John MacMillan of Barra March, one of her late father's favourite songs.

"She's got the old cuts," Fr. Morris, also a fiddler, said later, "but then, she learned from the best."

Mr. Massenburg, a Grammy Award-winning producer who has worked with Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel and Randy Newman, produced the Rankins' final album, 1998's Uprooted. The band decided to call it quits a year later, after 10 years of performing together and five platinum records in Canada.

There were reports of the couple's engagement more than two years ago, but marriage plans were delayed after John Morris's death. He was killed on Jan. 16, 2000, as he drove his son and two other boys to a hockey tournament. His sport-utility vehicle swerved to avoid a pile of road salt left in the middle of the highway and plunged down an embankment. The boys managed to escape.

"She's been putting it off, I think, for a while, letting things settle," said Howie MacDonald, a fiddler who played with the group. He said he hopes the wedding will mark the start of happier times for the family.

"It could be a springboard to the future. Everybody has had their time to reflect on everything, and I think it's time probably to look ahead to see what else is out there, what else you can do. No matter who we lose, the next step, once we're through with the grief, is to move on. I think that is in the back of everyone's minds," he said.

Mr. MacDonald met Mr. Massenburg during the Uprooted recording sessions and described him as "a good guy and a technical genius."

At 54, Mr. Massenburg is nearly 20 years older than 35-year-old Cookie.

In a town where a mural welcomes people to "Mabou, home of the Rankin Family," and where the small museum at the crossroads has a display of the Rankins' gold and platinum records, and Juno awards, yesterday's wedding was the social event of the year.

"It's so nice. She could have got married anywhere, but she decided to come here to give her town a party," said Darlene MacNeil, a gas station attendant.

Kathryn Beaton, a recent high school graduate who works in the museum, said the Rankins are regular folk who do not expect a red carpet when they come home. "They may be big recording stars, but they're just from here," she said.

Cookie Rankin and Mr. Massenburg are expected to live in Tennessee, but they recently bought a property outside Mabou where they plan to spend summers.

"When I buried John Morris, I said he went out into the world and came back the same person," Fr. Morris said.

"The same thing can be said about Cookie. She left here Cookie and she came back Cookie."

Scott MacMillan, who accompanied Raylene on guitar during the ceremony, first met the groom during the making of Uprooted.

"Cookie scored a goal," he said. "He's a great guy. I got a good feeling from the word 'go.' I'm happy for Cookie and happy for him."

The couple threw a party last night at Mabou's parish hall. Invitations were delivered door to door in the town, and expectations were the party would last well into the night, with a number of Cape Breton's top musicians set to play and Raylene expected to sing a few numbers.

"I expect the whole county will be there," one resident said.

The Rankin Family helped lift the traditional Celtic music of Cape Breton on to the world stage. Coming from a family of 12 siblings, Cookie, John Morris, Raylene, Heather and Jimmy Rankin were credited with breathing new life into the almost forgotten airs, reels and strathspeys that had originated in Scotland.

They began recording independently, selling records from the trunk of their car. Their mother, Kaye, distributed the family's records through the Mabou post office. Eventually, they were signed by EMI Canada, and their most popular album, Fare Thee Well, Love, sold more than 500,000 copies.

Kaye Rankin died in 1997 after a long fight with cancer. Her husband, Buddy, had died earlier.

Fr. Morris said Raylene, who has had to undergo chemotherapy, is a fighter. Her soprano voice carried forcefully through the church yesterday, but he said the cancer has taken a toll.

Above Photos: (top) Cookie Rankin married Nashville producer George Massenburg yesterday in the same Mabou, N.S., church in which she buried her brother 18 months ago. (bottom) Rankin Family singer Jimmy Rankin videotapes his sister Cookie and her new husband as they leave the church yesterday. Photos by Paul Darrow.

Song Dog CD Review for Country Music News

August 2001 - Country Music News

By Larry Delaney

Emerging from the shadows of the enormous success of The Rankin Family could be a heavy challenge, but family member and front man for the act, Jimmy Rankin, proves that it can be safely and successfully done, as proven by this first solo outing. Song Dog features 11 original songs by Jimmy Rankin, several of which are destined to be “hits”, thanks to Jimmy Rankin’s powerful writing and his passionate, soulful delivery of the material. The lad’s got more musical muscle than most anyone else on disc today!

The album’s lead single, Followed Her Around (which features a subtle guest vocal appearance by Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keeler) has already created a sizeable chart presence for Rankin, but it’s really just a tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Jimmy Rankin creates musical magic here on the patriotic flavoured story song This Is The Hour , he stirs some ballsy blues in Wasted and Stoned Blue, re-visits some Rankin Family territory in We’ll Carry On; goes a bit uptown on You And Me; puts some Paul Simon touches into Midnight Angel and Lighthouse Heart; and then gets downright funky on Drunk & Crucified.

It all makes for a marvelous collage of song and voice, and it all gets supported by some ultra-creative production touches orchestrated by Tim Thorney (of Cassandra Vasik and Don Neilson fame). The supporting cast here also includes background vocals by Vasik and Neilson, as well as Joel Feeney and Cookie Rankin (of The Rankins.)

Not sure where the Song Dog title of the album and record label was conceived by Jimmy Rankin- the first use of the term was found on a 1978 album by Michael Martin Murphey which included the tune, Song Dog; and ironically, there’s a new album out this year by folk artist Eric Moore using the Song Dog title

Olympic fiddlers reunion is a time for tunes and tales

August 15, 2001 - Inverness Oran

By Frank MacDonald

In 1976, nine fiddlers and a piano player travelled to Montreal to take part in the Cultural Olympics. They were part of the 200-person Nova Scotia contingent of performing artists, visual artists, choirs and musicians. Among the province's musicians were fiddlers John Morris Rankin, Greg Smith, Stan Chapman, Sandy MacInnis, Theresa MacLellan, Carl MacKenzie, Buddy MacMaster, Fr. Francis Cameron and Donald Angus Beaton. Accompanying the nine fiddlers was pianist Joey Beaton.

On Saturday evening, five members of that contingent held a reunion at the Judique Community Centre, the re-living of history drawing a full house of Cape Breton music fans. The presence of the Cape Breton fiddlers at the Cultural Olympics was one of the building blocks of what is taking place today, Joey Beaton explains. The Olympics put that group of quality fiddlers before an international audience, and Saturday night's reunion was a celebration of that event.

Chief organizer for the Montreal trip was Frank MacInnis of Creignish who told the Judique crowd, "In 1976, we had completed two very successful festivals in Glendale, and I received a call from the musical director of tourism."

MacInnis was told that the contingent could be no larger than 10 people and geographical representative. The group set off for Montreal, and the plane on which they rode probably experienced the first sky-high square set in aviation history as the fiddlers and pipers let loose with their instruments with the pilot's permission.

Throughout the group's time in Montreal transportation was no impediment to dancing. Square sets were held on trains and buses, and, according to MacInnis, a lot of the anecdotes couldn't be told.

He did tell the audience, though, of one night when "Father Francis played all night long, put away his fiddle, said Mass, then went to bed.

Five of the members of the Montreal contingent was available on Saturday evening and demonstrated why, a quarter century ago, they were among those chosen to represent the music of the island at the Olympics.

Carl MacKenzie, Fr. Francis Cameron, Buddy MacMaster and Theresa MacLellan, with pianist Joey Beaton, performed together and individually throughout the evening. Unable to join the group that evening were Stan Chapman and Greg Smith.

Three of the group have since passed away: Donald Angus Beaton, John Morris Rankin and Sandy MacInnis, and their contribution to the music was the subject of tribute from Fr. Francis Cameron.

Weddings, Parties, anything

August 26, 2001 - Halifax Herald

By Greg Guy

...After the wedding, we rushed back to Sydney to catch Jimmy Rankin in concert on the waterfront.

About 5,000 people gathered for the Action Week concert that featured Laurel Martell and Andrew Doyle, Cape Breton favourites The Accents, new Celtic-rock band, Gigfoot, Howie MacDonald and a rousing finale with Jimmy Rankin.

Jimmy was joined on stage by Gordie Sampson, Dave McKeough, Brent Barkman, Randy Cooke, Ed Woodsworth, and a special appearance by Howie MacDonald and his sister, Heather Rankin.

The hometown crowd loved it.

Jimmy played all of the tunes from his hot-selling solo CD, Song Dog, released in July.

Following the concert, a sing-a-long took place at Bunkers.

Gordie Sampson and Jimmy sang everything from John Prine to John Allan Cameron. It was a concert in itself.

Above Photo: Jimmy Rankin was joined by his sister, Heather, at the Action Week concert on the Sydney waterfront on Aug. 11. Photo by Greg Guy (Halifax Herald).

A Conversation with Jimmy Rankin

September 2001 - MediaPipe

By Sandie Ellis

Jimmy Rankin... a singer/songwriter who's talents are endless. A former member of the Rankin's -- this is one artist you definitely will want to follow! In this MediaPipe interview, Sandie Ellis sits down one-on-one with Jimmy as he talks about his new album, touring and what he'd like to be doing 5 years from now.

For the longtime Rankin fan, how does "Song Dog" compare to your previous work with your family?

For one thing I've basically taken what I use to do with the Rankins and put it on one record. It's got an eclectic mix of material on it, which the Rankins kind of tried to do on every record. Pop stuff, there's some folk-rock stuff, folky ballads. There's a place on the album with just me singing with guitars. I guess it's kind of diverse compared to the Rankins. The electric guitars are beefed up in certain spots.

Has this album been an easy road or a long and difficult one?

I started making the album doing demos and most recent stuff in August, September. Found the producer sometime in the fall. I got in touch and met up in December and went to Toronto to meet him like for virtually the first time and a couple of weeks later we were recording in the studio January 5th and went straight through to early April where the album was mixed and that. It's like any other album, you know you have an idea where it's going at first and then you start and you have a lot of questions and then it starts gradually taking shape and sort of blossoming into its own. It becomes easier as it goes along, the further you get to the end, the closer you get to the end, the easier it is, it develops, you know what I mean. You become part of it.

What are your favorite tracks on this album and why?

I've been living with it so closely for about a year now that at different times I like different tracks. I'm at the stage now that I'm taking it from the record now to doing it live and finding that all the songs are very playable on stage, so that's nice. Things change with certain tunes. Midnight Angel is one of my favorites at this point. I like doing the single Followed Her Around. Lighthouse is nice - it's a slow ballad.

Since the Rankin's disbanded just over a year ago, did you have a clear idea at the time about what you wanted to do next?

I had an idea I wanted to make a record and get out there touring and this stuff. There's all that stuff that goes along with doing that - there's the record company, actually finding a studio before making a record. I needed to take some time off, like six months or so before I actually started seriously writing again and signing some demos.

What does it mean to you to be a musician from the East Coast?

Well, one thing about music is that it has no borders. Having said that I'm very proud of where I come from. I'm proud to be from the East Coast. The East Coast has something special here that no place else has anywhere. I'm part of that and proud to be part of it.

Who do you credit as your musical influences?

The first music I remember hearing was fiddle music. Then growing up I was exposed to a lot of traditional music, a lot of folk music. I had a lot of older brothers and sisters and they use to bring home records so we had everything. Plus, we were kind of known in Mabou as the musical Rankin family. We had people coming from all over the world who had summer places there and would drop music off, folk music or very current pop music. I'm a fan of music so I'm inspired by everything.

What does it feel like when you hear your new song "Followed Her Around" on the radio?

The first time I heard it on the radio I was going to the Stan Rogers Fest in Antigonish and I went into the supermarket there to get some water and food and it was on the radio. It was pretty cool, I hadn't really had that feeling since the first song of mine done on the Rankin record 10 or 12 years ago.

If you couldn't be a singer/songwriter - what would you be doing?

I would be an artist - a painter. I don't know how good I was but I still sketch. I think first and foremost, I consider myself a visual thinker so I probably would be doing something in visual arts.

What have been some of the proudest moments of your career?

I guess it was about '93 or '94, we had gotten some East Coast Music Awards and that was great -- you know that we were recognized on the East Coast. It was a nice stamp of approval and then having the Junos, winning four Junos in one year that was a big thing. Winning "Single of the Year", "Song of the Year" and "Album" - that was like stamp of approval for being a songwriter.

What's it like going solo touring without your family?

Initially kind of daunting although very exciting at the same time. I've done a couple of shows, rehearsed a band - I'm liking it a lot.

When you perform live will there be any Rankin songs included?

I'm doing a mix of all of my new stuff and a lot of stuff I did with the Rankins. Roving Gypsy, Feel the Same Way Too, Forty Days - tunes like that.

What's in your CD player these days?

The latest thing I'm listening to is John Hyatt's Crossing Muddy Waters.

What do you do in your spare time, if you have any?

I just like to hang out at home, listen to music, read.

What kinds of goals or aspirations have you set for yourself as a solo performer?

Well, initially I want to get my music out in Canada and tour the country and get my music out there to as many people as possible in this country and then whatever happens after that is a bonus.

When you think about the future, say 5 years from now - where do you see yourself professionally and personally?

Laughing... I have no idea! Hopefully I'll still be playing and making music. I don't know - I take it day by day at this point. Life is strange like that and you just never know what is going to happen so hopefully I'll still be making music and singing. That's what I love to do!

Jimmy Rankin launches National Tour in support of Song Dog

September 5, 2001 - JimmyRankin.com

TORONTO, September 4, 2001: Fans of internationally renowned singer-songwriter Jimmy Rankin will get their first chance to experience his new solo material, as well as favourites from The Rankins' career, when he hits the road for a cross-Canada tour in October in support of SONG DOG, his debut solo album.

Rankin, who is known and much beloved for his work as principle songwriter with Canadian musical heroes The Rankins, will be performing on most dates with a full band.

SONG DOG, which was released July 17, 2001, has received stellar reaction from fans and critics alike. Its release immediately cemented Jimmy Rankin's reputation as one of the most talented singer-songwriters that Canada has produced. The first single and video, "Followed Her Around" has received multi-formatted radio play nationally on AC Radio, Country radio and Country video stations (the video currently sits in the Top 10 on CMT's weekly countdown), proving once again that Rankin's talent crosses boundaries, appealing to fans of different musical styles.

For the complete list of tour dates, cities and venues, along with ticket information, go to the Concerts page.

Rankin announces tour dates

September 6, 2001 - Halifax Herald

In the wake of his acclaimed solo debut CD Song Dog, singer/songwriter Jimmy Rankin is taking it to the stage with a series of Martime concert dates in October and November.

The Nova Scotia portion of the tour begins in Halifax on Sunday, Oct. 28 at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. Then Rankin is in Glace Bay on Thursday, Nov. 8 at the historic Savoy Theatre, followed by a home town show on Friday, Nov. 9 at Mabou's Strathspey Place (which is already Sold Out).

The tour continues on Saturday, Nov. 10 at Port Hawkesbury's SAERC Auditorium; Monday, Nov. 12 at the Atlantic Festival Theatre in Wolfville and Pictou's deCoste Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 13.

Contact individual venues for ticket information, or check out the Concerts Page on The Rankins Online Web site at http://www.islandviewcreations.com/rankins/concerts.htm

Rankin is Rockin' Across Canada

September 8, 2001 - CMT Canada

Jimmy Rankin is gearing up to head out on his first solo cross Canada tour to support his brand new disc, “Song Dog”. Jimmy will be kicking off the tour in Guelph and Toronto with the Cowboy Junkies on October 4, 5, and 6th. More dates in Ontario are followed by a swing starting in Nanaimo, B.C. on October 15th and winding up in his home province of Nova Scotia in Pictou on November 13th. Jimmy’s website is reporting that he will be backed up by a band at most of his shows and he’ll be playing material from his new album as well as some Rankin Family favorites.

Two Strathspey shows for Song Dog Jimmy Rankin

September 12, 2001 - Inverness Oran

By Frank MacDonald

It was no surprise that when Strathspey Place manager Mary Janet MacDonald arrived at the performance centre in Mabou on the morning of September 4, a lineup was waiting for her to open the ticket office. They wanted seats to the most anticipated performance in the young history of Strathspey Place, and before 10am Jimmy Rankin's November 9th homecoming was sold out.

Because of the demand for tickets an agreement was made between Strathspey Place and Rankin's management to hold a second performance, this one on Wednesday, November 7th. Tickets for that show are moving quickly.

Rankin, launching a solo career after a decade as part of The Rankins, will set out in early October on a national tour to promote his already acclaimed recording, Song Dog.

Released earlier this summer, several cuts from the album have been receiving air play across Canada and a video of the first single, Followed Her Around, is finding lots of airtime on Country Music Television where it is among the top ten.

The song's crossover appeal is apparent to Much More Music in the number of viewers who are also requesting the visual version of the popular song.

Jimmy Rankin released Song Dog on July 17, and the recording has been receiving excellent reviews from fans and critics alike, cementing Rankin's reputation as one of Canada's most talented singer-songwriters.

Bluebird North donates funds

September 14, 2001 - Toronto Sun

By Kieran Grant

Meanwhile, the semi-regular Bluebird North songwriters' workshop will donate all proceeds from their night at the Rivoli Tuesday to the Canadian Red Cross, in support of U.S. relief efforts.

Organizers are also encouraging folks who can't make it to send money to the Red Cross's U.S.A. Appeal Fund (c/o Canadian Red Cross, 5700 Cancross Ct., Mississauga, ON L5R 3E9) or make a donation by phone at 1-800-418-1111.

Tuesday's show will feature Jimmy Rankin, Snow, Sook-Yin Lee, Cate Friesen, Danny Greaves, and Brent Titcomb. Admission is $12 and the door opens at 7:30 p.m. Receipts will be supplied for donations of $20 or greater.

Jimmy Rankin tour tickets go on sale today

September 22, 2001 - Halifax Herald

Tickets go on sale today for singer-songwriter Jimmy Rankin's Maritime tour which complements the release of his new solo album Song Dog.

As part of the EMI recording artists The Rankins, Jimmy became recognized and admired nationwide as a vocalist, guitar player and principal songwriter of the family group.

The Rankins won numerous East Coast Music Awards, several Canadian Country Music Awards and five Junos, including entertainer of the year and single of the year for the Rankins signature song Fare Thee Well Love.

The tour includes shows at: The Playhouse, Fredericton, Oct. 26; Harbourfront Jubilee, Summerside, Oct. 27; Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Halifax, Oct. 28; Imperial Theatre, Saint John, Nov. 1; Capitol Theatre, Moncton, Oct. 30; Strathspey Place, Mabou, Nov. 7 and 9; Savoy Theatre, Glace Bay, Nov. 8; SAERC Auditorium, Port Hawkesbury, Nov. 10; University Hall at Acadia University, Wolfville, Nov. 12; and the deCoste Centre, Pictou, Nov. 13.

Tickets are available at the venues (except the Wolfville show for which tickets will go on sale Sept. 29 at the Atlantic Theatre Festival Box Office).

Rankin speaks with experience as she leads Run for the Cure

September 22, 2001 - Cape Breton Post

By Steve MacInnis

There is one message Canadian entertainer Raylene Rankin hopes will be echoed loud and clear during this month’s second annual CIBC Run for the Cure fund-raiser for breast cancer.

“Early diagnosis is important and that is why I am very vigilant about self-examination,” says Rankin, who has just completed six months of chemotherapy and radiation after being diagnosed with the disease in January.

“I would rather have a false alarm than to let something go that could turn into a larger problem later,” says the former member of The Rankins, the award-winning family band from Mabou, Inverness County.

Rankin will return to her native Cape Breton Sept. 30 to participate in the run in Sydney, where organizers have named her honourary chairperson.

“I have always been supportive of cancer fund-raisers and became more involved in such events after my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1981 – and I am determined to stay involved in such events.”

Rankin, who lives in Halifax, also participated in last year’s event in Cape Breton and ran the five kilometres with two friends. This year, her friends are both pregnant, which suits Rankin just fine because she simply doesn’t have the energy to run and will complete the course by walking.

In reflecting on the past six months of treatment, Rankin describes the process as completely draining.

“This is why this cause needs healthy people to help with such events and raise money for research to find a cure.”

Above Photo: Raylene Rankin is seen in this file photo as she participated in last year’s Run for the Cure in Sydney. This year Rankin, who is a cancer survivor, is the honourary chairman for the Cape Breton event. Photo by Cape Breton Post.

Running for the cure

Raylene Rankin leads breast cancer crusade; talks about her own battle with the disease

September 27, 2001 - Halifax Herald

By Greg Guy - Entertainment Editor

Looking back from a steep hill in Sydney, Raylene Rankin marvelled at the sea of runners behind her wearing white T-shirts.

She was among thousands of people participating last fall in Cape Breton's first Run for the Cure - a breast cancer fundraiser. It's a cause that became dear to Rankin after losing her mother to the disease in 1997.

Rankin, who had just turned 40, was an ambassador for the cause on that sunny September afternoon. She shot the starter's pistol to begin the race and at the end sang her anthem, Rise Again.

On Sunday, Rankin will participate in the Run for the Cure again in Cape Breton. But this time, as if the cause wasn't already personal enough, she's bringing first-hand experience about the disease and she has an important message to deliver.

She has been conquering her own battle with breast cancer since she was diagnosed in late January.

"That's the bitter irony," says Run for the Cure organizer Christine MacDonald. "Raylene was such an inspiration last year, and a few months later she found out she had breast cancer herself. When we first heard about it, we said, 'How could that be?' "

While showering one day, Rankin noticed she had developed a rash on her torso up to her neck. Because of the rash, she began to examine parts of her body and felt a lump in her right breast.

She went to her doctor primarily because of the rash, but she also mentioned the lump she had discovered.

"I think I began to get frightened and when I discovered the lump I kind of dismissed it, but I mentioned it to my doctor anyway," Rankin explains.

The doctor ordered a mammogram and had a biopsy done immediately.

"I think they were very suspicious from the beginning," she says. "The lump was too big. It ended up being 3.2 centimetres in diameter."

After surgery, Rankin found out the lump was cancerous and the rash wasn't related to the cancer.

Rankin opted to have a lumpectomy instead of losing her breast to a mastectomy.

"I was absolutely terrified," she recalls. "I was so terrified I could hardly breathe.

"Because I had seen my mother go through this, I just believed that in the beginning what had happened to her, would happen to me."

She reached out to her family, neighbours and friends, some of them doctors, and of course, her husband, Colin, her own brothers and sisters and Colin's parents.

"Colin was really supportive and trying to be strong. I mean something like this turns your life upside down, really. We started thinking about all the things we said we were going to do, but were afraid we wouldn't get to do.

"We've sort of calmed down now, because I've decided I'm going to stick around for the long run," she says with a reassuring smile.

She began her first chemotherapy treatment in early February, just days before her son Alexander's third birthday.

He knew there was something wrong with his mom.

"I got my hair cut really short and almost immediately after my first treatment, it all came out," she says. "When Alexander saw this, he was upset by it. I had to explain to him that 'Mommy's sick and my hair will grow back.' For several weeks after that he would say, 'No hair, no hair. Mommy all right?' "

Losing all her body hair was traumatic for Rankin. "It's just not something I was prepared for," she says. "But my male friends said, 'At least your hair will grow back.' "

Her neighbours would send over food and helped to take care of Alexander, and she had a load of mail with letters and prayers after news got out that she had cancer. Her sisters made several visits to her Halifax home, especially during her chemotherapy treatments.

"They all have been so wonderful," she says.

Looking back to this time last year, Rankin says she should have known something was wrong.

"I really wasn't feeling great in the fall. I was really tired all the time. I attributed it to other factors but I had gained a ton of weight," says the eldest sister of the Rankin Family. "I had started running last fall because I had gained this weight, but I wasn't able to lose it. I was finding it hard to get back into running, because I was really tired."

Rankin wasn't doing self-examinations and she says mammograms are usually done on women after they are 40.

"Since my diagnosis, I've been asking women, 'Do you do regular breast exams?' And they usually say, 'No.' And the reason they give me is exactly the ones I used to give. 'I was afraid I would find something and thought I might get worried for nothing, or it will be something serious and I just don't want to deal with that.'"

But Rankin has become vigilant about the importance of self examinations.

"Even if you're afraid, do it and don't think about it. Because right now that's the best we have," she says. "Early detection is key."

Rankin has six sisters. The statistics are that one in nine women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

"Hopefully, I'm the statistic in my family," she says.

Rankin looks out in our communities and sees cancer patients getting younger and younger.

"I'm not into the statistics, but this tells me it's on the rise," she says. "Since I was diagnosed, I know two women who I went to school with in Cape Breton, in the same age group, who have been diagnosed with breast cancer."

One of her friends just had surgery and the doctor told her that she had eight other women to give bad news to that week.

"That's just in one county," she says. "Those are frightening facts."

During lunch at Bish World Cuisine on the Halifax waterfront this week, Rankin appears bubbly. Her hair is just starting to grow back, for which she is extremely happy, and she has just finished her last radiation treatment after six months of "heavy-duty" chemotherapy.

"I'm beginning to get my energy back," she says.

In June, she had another biopsy and another scare. Doctors had thought they had found another mass, but it turned out to be scar tissue from the lumpectomy. She also had 12 lymph nodes removed, five of which were cancerous.

"Everything is sifted through the nodes, the lymph nodes distribute the blood," she explains. "The possibility is that it has gone somewhere else and it's just sitting there dormant. But I'm hoping that the chemo, which was very aggressive, took care of that."

During treatments, she decided to hold off any interviews about her experience because doctors told her it would be stressful and she would have to reserve as much energy as she could.

Between the bouts of chemo, she took naturopathic drugs, at times up to 20 different kinds, to help build up her immune system. She says she still grinds up flax seed each morning and mixes it with water.

"The naturopath told me, 'I don't have a cure for cancer, but I can help you get through the chemotherapy,' " she says.

What was surprising to Rankin was the chemotherapy drugs she was offered were combinations of drugs her mom had taken in 1981.

"One of the drugs I did get with my chemo, it offers only a 60 per cent non-reoccurrence rate. But it also has a one in 100 chance of causing incurable leukemia. So we haven't perfected it yet. And I think it's going to take one monumental push to find out what causes this," she says.

"I know that there are researchers working on a cure, I just hope with the money raised we have the best people doing the research. It's so important."

Despite being in the public eye as an entertainer with the award-winning Rankins, she likes to keep her life private. But it's because of her desire to lend her name to the cause of cancer awareness, that she agreed to go public with her story.

"It's hard to read about myself or what I've said about myself and least of all what I have said about my breasts," she says.

"Everything about your body, if you're a private person, even if you're not, it's hard for that to be public."

Since being diagnosed she often wonders about the root cause of cancer.

"Whether it's from our polluted lakes and streams, toxins in the air or the pesticides in our food, we just don't know," she says. "I wonder if it's genetic because mom and other members of my family had it."

But one thing that Rankin speculates is that stress probably plays a factor in the disease.

"I felt pretty run down. We lost our mom. I had Alexander. We travelled for a year on the road promoting the Uprooted album. I decided to leave the band to focus on being a mother. Then the total catastrophe hit, the way John Morris died," she says reflectively. "You know, we had five family funerals that year, between my grandmother and my grand-uncle. Then my uncle and his wife died of unrelated cancers, after John Morris's death."

John Morris died in a car accident in January 2000. Losing her brother was such a shock to her system.

"I was traumatized," she says. "You just have to go on, especially as a mother with a son to raise."

Finally in August, the family had a reason to celebrate, when her sister, Cookie, married record producer George Massenburg in Mabou.

"It was a real celebration for us and for the village actually," she says."I sang Ave Maria and parts of the mass at the wedding."

She has been doing some performing. In March in the middle of her treatments, she travelled to Calgary with Halifax musician / composer Scott Macmillan and multi-instrumentalist J.P. Cormier. It was a cancer fundraiser and at the end of the show she shared her personal story.

Later this year, she is booked with Macmillan and her sisters Heather and Cookie for their Do You Hear? Christmas concerts with several Ontario symphonies.

She has always been a part of Terry Fox Runs and was the guest at the Valley Regional Hospital Foundation's Singing for Wellness luncheon a few years ago, to help raise money for the mobile breast screening van that travels throughout the Valley.

Last year's run in Sydney broke the national record for a first-time site, raising $229,000.

Rankin doesn't consider herself a celebrity with a cause. "I just feel that, now with my experiences, I have more to give. I would love one day to be able to say, 'I was one of the many people to help raise awareness and money that led to the cure for cancer.' "

On Sunday, she'll make another step toward seeing that happen.

Jimmy Rankin - Savoy Theatre

October 2001 - What's Goin' On Magazine

By Wanda Earhart

After a twelve year absence from the Savoy stage, Jimmy Rankin didn’t have to wait too long before he realized how very welcome he was as the crowd sang and stomped their feet in appreciation for one of Cape Breton’s favorite sons. That he is a Rankin makes it all the sweeter, for the respect as a performer has always been there but continues to thrive as he makes his mark as a solo performer.

But before he hit the stage, the audience was treated to some fabulous fiddle compliments of another favorite, Howie MacDonald. Accompanied by Tracy Dares-MacNeil, the two delivered a couple of blistering sets that seemed to end much too quickly. In fact it appeared that just as everyone got warmed up it was intermission time. But while he did have the stage, Howie took every advantage to try out some of his more recent comedy routines. Chronicling a trip to Alabama with his sisters and guitarist Paddy Gillis, the laughs were plenty, especially at the expense of Gillis, as MacDonald told of the difficulties of taking a trip with a family in a small vehicle. Then he was onto fiddle jokes. “We went through New York; see the anthrax (rosin) on my violin?” or “This fiddle is two hundred years old, hard to get parts, but I did buy myself a G-String today!”

When Jimmy Rankin took the stage it was as if a long awaited family member finally came home. As with his successful bash on the waterfront in the summer, the crowd was a mix of all ages. From those who watched the Rankins grow up, to teenagers singing along to the new material. Rankin is out in force promoting his Song Dog CD and all indications are that this is only the beginning of the road for this much loved, and respected performer.

With songs like Followed Her Around and Me & You, there were screams aplenty as he went through cuts from his latest venture. But the crowd was equally impressed with old favorites like “Orangedale Whistle”, “Feel The Same Way Too”, and “Roving Gypsy Boy”. If there was one complaint it was that they did not hear “Mull River Shuffle” on this night. But after all he is trying to carve out a new path now so we should allow him to make that transition in his own way.

My own personal complaint that surely will be supported by others was the constant yacking down front from a few party-animals. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the show but these people actually talked loudly about nothing throughout the whole evening, and oh for their information, Howie was not accompanied by Joella Rolls on keyboard.

Other than that a wonderful night and hopefully Jimmy won’t wait another 12 years before his next visit!

Your Passport, Please

October 6, 2001 - National Post

By Angela Forgeron

Jimmy Rankin, the former singer/songwriter of The Rankin Family, is currently on tour throughout Ontario and the Maritimes promoting his solo album, Song Dog. He talks about his travel adventures.

NEW YORK I first started going there in the '80s because my wife, Mia, who was my girlfriend at the time, used to work on Wall Street. She would work long days and I was left to my own devices. I went to art galleries, shops and bars. One of the places I used to haunt was the Whitehorse Tavern; it was famous for Dylan Thomas hanging out there. I've always had this great feeling about New York that anything is possible -- apart from what's happening there now; that anything good could happen.

MEXICO In 1996 we finished making a Rankin record called Endless Seasons and we needed a video for a song called Forty Days and Nights. The video director suggested we film it in southern Mexico on the Pacific Ocean. I had been to Mexican resort areas before, but you never really experience the cultural side of things there, you don't really see how life is. So we arrived at the small town and checked in to this cool little motel, very simple with a little restaurant. The Zapatistas [the guerrillas who camped out in the mountains] were having peace talks with the government, and the local state cops, who are not well-liked, checked in to the hotel. I remember a kid with a shopping cart, and the cops filled it up with their machine guns and ammunition. In the evenings, after we finished our shoots, we dined with these guys. We wouldn't talk to them, but they were at the next table. I remember there was a lot of tension. In the midst of all of the political chaos, people were still so humble.

ITALY A year and a half ago, I decided I was going to make my solo record. I wanted a change of scenery with the intention of writing music. So my wife suggested Tuscany. She booked a place in Cortona, an ancient walled city with lots of history. It has beautiful farmland and vineyards and great food and wine. I was scheduled to be there for a month, and about a week in to it I was getting a little shack-happy because nobody spoke English. I was going to the wine bars and cafés at night and I was communicating with people with sign language and my English-Italian dictionary. Finally, I met some English women who lived there and were married to local men. We went to dinners and parties and one day they took me to Montalcino, to a small vineyard known for its Brunello. We were knocking on the door and this little old woman opened the window and said, "Buongiorno!" and we said we were there to buy wine. She called the winemaker in from the field and he took us down to his little wine cellar for a nice wine-tasting session. We had a picnic that day in his olive grove, with beautiful Brunello and Pecorino sheep cheese, truffles and pasta and fresh bread. To top it off, the English-lady friend recited French poetry while lying under an olive tree.

Win tickets to see Jimmy Rankin

October 10, 2001 - Kingston This Week

Jimmy Rankin -- the lead singer in the the Juno award-winning The Rankins makes a Kingston stop in his first cross-Canada tour as a solo artist Saturday, Oct. 13.

After 10 years of touring with his family's group, which disbanded in 1999, Rankin is stepping into the spotlight. His debut solo CD, Song Dog, provides sensitive portraits of life, rife with thought-provoking lyrics. His single Followed Her Around, co-written with Gordie Sampson, is climbing the charts.

Rankin draws on his Celtic roots plus the influences of folk, country and rock for a musical mix with lenient boundaries.

The singer/songwriter performs one night only at the Grand Theatre. Special guest is Maren Ord, a 20-year-old singer/songwriter from Edmonton, AB. Ord has performed at two Lilith Fairs and has released her fist CD Waiting, with the hit single Sarah.

Kingston this Week is giving away two pairs of tickets to the concert. Draw deadline is Thursday, Oct. 11.

Scuffing up an image

October 11, 2001 - Ottawa Sun

By Ian Nathanson

In the past couple of years, the Nova Scotia singer-songwriter has had to deal with the disbandment of The Rankins, the family group with whom Jimmy served as singer, guitarist and songwriter until he, older brother John Morris and sisters Raylene, Cookie and Heather called it quits in 1999.

More on Jimmy's mind was the loss of John Morris, who died in a tragic car accident in January 2000 and for whom the younger Rankin sib's solo debut, Song Dog, is dedicated.

"A lot of the songs were written with John Morris in mind," says Rankin of the material that comprises the album, which he'll be plugging tonight at Centrepointe Theatre (with Edmonton's Maren Ord opening). "We found this guy Brent Barkman who added some really nice touches on piano. Almost uncanny how their styles are so similar."

But the most noticeable difference lies in the lyrics -- raw, honest and introspective tales that barely resemble any of the squeaky-clean stories and polished production that went along with The Rankins' wholesome image.

"It's funny, we never consciously set out to have the image, it was something we got stuck with," Rankin says. "But with the record, I guess I consciously wanted to have a little more grit on these songs and not to polish things too much."

Jimmy Rankin doing just fine without the family

October 18, 2001 - Peterborough Examiner

by Jeff Macklin

Sometimes life forces you into a different direction than you may have choosen for yourself. Sometimes that change is a bad thing , but most times it is good.

For former Rankin Family leader, Jimmy Rankin, he seems to be genuinely reborn into a new musical space. With the demise of The Rankins as an entity on the Canadian music scene, Rankin was left to his own devices. Oh boy has he got devices.

Last night, in a performance before a three-quarters full house at Showplace Peterborough, Rankin seemed to be, musically speaking, on fire. In town promoting his new CD Song Dog, Rankin let his new material dominate his sets, with a few Rankin tunes acting as token bookends.

Really he needn't have played them at all. The songs that make up Song Dog are so very strong all on their own. Rankin opened his set with an old Family tune, Orangedale Whistle, from the album Fare Thee Well Love. It proved to be a rousing opening to a night of music, which again and again bore out the fact that he is one of the best songwriters in the country.

The new material was instantly charming. Early in the set Rankin led his four piece band through beautiful performances of newer tracks such as Midnight Angel and You & Me. The later was moody, up-tempo number that featured some fine guitar playing from both Rankin on acoustic and his sideman on electric.

Though his music has been catching on mostly at country radio stations locally, most of the set was anything but. Rocking the stage at full tilt, Rankin soared on the track Drunk and Crucified. His band's performance on this track bordered on a blues-rock explosion.

Randy Cooke's work on the drum kit was of particular note. His big sound came into the fore on a couple of occasions last night, most notably opening the tune Carry On. About mid-set, Rankin dished out a gorgeous rendition of his current single, Followed Her Around, a track Rankin co-wrote with fellow Maritimer Gordie Sampson. Lighthouse Heart was more of a romantic piece. Rankin set his guitars aside for this tune, choosing instead to take the lead microphone, sans instrument.

Rankin made good use of the stage throughout the show. He made his way around the set with exuberant ease, particularly during the performance of tunes like Roving Gypsy and Captain Harmony. For the encore, Rankin kept the tunes closer to the heart. Both Tripper and Your Boats Lost At Sea featured sad but true tales from the East Coast. The musical performance on both was most subdued. Rankin seemed to be quite comfortable, leading a band in his own music.

The change from the Rankin Family band routine was somewhat forced upon him with the tragic loss of his brother and bandmate John Morris Rankin in an automobile accident. While the music of the Rankin Family made a major dent in the Canadian musical landscape, last night's performance seems to indicate Jimmy Rankin may be destined for the same fate as a solo artist. If the songs on Song Dog continue to perform well, maybe we'll see this rockin' solo Rankin in our town again.

Rankin's solo run

Maritime tour a homecoming - of sorts - for songsmith Jimmy Rankin

October 25, 2001 - Halifax Herald

By Greg Guy / Entertainment Editor

Tucked in the corner at a table of Bish World Cuisine restaurant on the Halifax waterfront, a middle-aged couple approaches Jimmy Rankin.

"Did anyone ever tell you, you look like John Cusack?" they ask.

"I get that a lot, especially when I'm in New York. Are you New Yorkers?" Rankin asks.

"No, we're visiting from Toronto."

The Mabou-born singer/songwriter doesn't seem to mind the comparison to the young Hollywood actor. He seems flattered.

But it's his own identity, as Jimmy Rankin the solo recording artist, that he has been forging in the minds, ears, and hearts of his fans and the general populace since releasing his critically acclaimed Song Dog CD in July.

Since then, his first single, Followed Her Around, and the accompanying video shot in May at Ralph's Place, a strip club in Dartmouth, has been getting heavy airplay. Song Dog is selling well and Rankin has been criss-crossing the country with a live show that is also garnering much attention and plenty of ink. Last week, he released the pop-radio friendly tune, You and Me.

Rankin has just finished a swing through Ontario and on Friday begins a 10-date tour of the Maritimes, with stops Sunday night at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Nov. 7 and 9 at Strathspey Place in Mabou, Nov. 8 at Glace Bay's Savoy Theatre, Nov. 10 at SAERC in Port Hawkesbury, Nov. 12 at the Festival Theatre in Wolfville and wrapping up at the deCoste Centre in Pictou on Nov. 13. Shows in Fredericton on Friday and Summerside on Saturday are sold out.

The community of Mabou is anxious to see Rankin solo, a second show had to be added. The first show sold out in 20 minutes.

"It's a homecoming tour, I guess you can say," Rankin says. "I've played some outdoor shows at festivals this summer, but this is an opportunity to get intimate with the audience in a concert hall setting."

Joining Rankin on stage will be Cape Breton guitarists Dave McKeough and Ed Woodsworth, Cape Breton pianist Kim Dunn and Toronto-based drummer Randy Cooke (who taps away with him on the recording).

During the Ontario tour, Rankin found himself doing loads of press and flogging his solo status on national TV shows like Canada AM and the Mike Bullard Show, where he even joined Bullard for a dance as the credits were rolling.

"Mike came up to me at the break and asked me to dance with him," Rankin says with his mischievious smile. "I went along with it. I figured out later that Mike was trying to do a step dance. I let him go to it and quietly I made my way off the set. People said it was hilarious."

The road to going solo was filled with emotional bumps.

The Rankins' last performance was in Saskatoon in November 1999.

"It was anti-climactic," Rankin recalls. "There was no big hurrah. It was like, somebody just took a picture and that was it.

"It was kind of sad actually. Ten years just gone, over. I knew it was coming. But what I found sad about it is the band (John Chiasson, Scott Ferguson, Gordie Sampson, and Howie MacDonald) was maybe the best that it had ever been, it was really tight and we were enjoying it."

Just after the Rankins breakup, Rankin took time off to let it sink in.

Then tragedy struck, when brother and bandmate John Morris died in a car accident on Jan. 16, 2000.

"I kind of went into shock over that and I didn't really feel like doing anything even with the music," Rankin explains. "I wasn't listening to music or playing guitar. It was difficult to get back onstage. A lot of people said, 'Oh music is therapeutic and do the thing that you love the best.' But I found it quite the opposite. It was just a reminder of John Morris."

In order to get a jump start, Rankin found solace in Italy.

"I decided to treat myself. Because I knew I had to make a record eventually and I went to Italy for a month and brought a guitar with me. I found a nice place and I just hung out. I got some songs out of it and I got kind of rejuvenated." The start of the millennium found the Rankins gathering for five funerals.

They lost a grandmother, a grand-uncle, an uncle and his wife to unrelated cancers, and John Morris.

"It was an awful year, it really was, but you live through that stuff," he says. The night before leaving for Italy, Rankin and his wife, Mia Nishi, were having dinner at their Halifax home when they received a call from Rankin's brother Ronnie saying their uncle Freddy Wright had taken a turn.

Wright is the guy mentioned in Rankin's North Country tune.

With everything booked and paid for, Rankin decided to go to Europe. Two days later in Italy he got word that his uncle Freddy had died.

"I went through so many emotions over there. I just began to write. I really needed that rejuvenation."

On a Song Dog tune called Wasted, Rankin's lyrics point to what he had been going through: "I keep my memories close to me, my heart has been torn out and pasted."

When Rankin came back he began doing demos and working out a contract with EMI. Last fall, he was looking for a producer and got in touch with Alanis Morissette's producer Tim Thorney, who he met once before at a Rita MacNeil show. He headed to Toronto and began laying down tracks at Great Big Music between January and March.

When the Rankins disbanded, they were still contractually obligated to EMI Music Canada. Rankin approached the record company about doing a solo record with them.

They wanted to put him through an artist development program, in which Rankin would write with other songwriters, find a producer and make more of a pop record.

"I said, 'Well, I'd much rather do my own thing.' They gave me the option. Doing my own thing meant basically financing it myself and having them distribute it," Rankin explains. "I get along very well with those guys, I've made them a lot of money over the years. It's more than just a business relationship, there are personal ties there.

"I'm still connected with them. They didn't want to let me go, in other words," he says.

Rankins calls the deal worked out with EMI the best of both worlds.

"I use all their radio and promotional and marketing people. I get to use their infrastructure and I have my own record company."

Rankin teamed up with his wife, Mia, who is now managing his career, and developed his own label, Song Dog Music Co. Ltd. In the spring they sat with the brass at EMI and let the new songs roll.

"I love the record," says Peter Diemer, vice-president of national promotion. "Jimmy's a treasure and one of the great Canadian songwriters . . . We've had a long and very successful relationship with the Rankins."

Having his wife as a manager works well for Rankin.

"The downside is the only thing we ever talk about these days is business," he says smiling. "The flip side is we're kind of a team anyways. We make decisions very quickly as opposed to the Rankins when I had to go through five people and our management and trying to get everybody co-ordinated. I don't have to have meetings.

"Mia's really smart and it's working really well," he says. "She just came on the road with me for two weeks. She's been kind of directly and indirectly involved with the business for many years anyway."

Throughout the band's 10-year career, it was Rankin's tunes like Fare Thee Well Love, Orangedale Whistle, North Country and Feel the Same Way Too, that helped catapult platinum sales of their albums and established them as one of the most popular Canadian acts of the '90s.

Rankin will sprinkle a few of those Rankin gems in his live show, as well as his new work.

"I love touring and I love playing at home," he says. "The band is great. They're a great bunch of guys."

Cape Breton fiddler Howie MacDonald will join Rankin on the tour for the Cape Breton dates.

"Who knows, Heather (his sister) may even show up for a show. Probably in Halifax," Rankin says.

Above Photo: Jimmy Rankin, the award-winning singer / songwriter from The Rankins, is flying solo these days and is heading out on tour to promote his debut solo release, Song Dog. Photo by Peter Parsons / Halifax Herald.

Rankin brings solo show to Cohn on Sunday night

October 25, 2001 - Halifax Daily News

By Sandy MacDonald / Behind the Beat

Sipping an early evening beer with Jimmy Rankin at the Marquee, it’s easy to forget he’s one of Canada’s most celebrated musical artists. This night, he’s in fine form, telling stories and laughing easily, tipping back cheap beer like the rest of the Tuesday-night crowd.

Then, a woman comes quietly up, politely interrupts and asks for an autograph. She recounts meeting him years ago after a Rankin Family concert, and how much the group meant to her. He smiles and graciously signs her paper, and she leaves to rejoin friends.

It’s clear the Rankin Family will always be a looming part of Jimmy’s professional life. He’s in the midst of an eastern Canadian tour to promote his new solo album Song Dog. On Sunday night, he plays the Rebecca Cohn auditorium.

“Some people were a little hesitant,” says Jimmy, about Rankin fans turning out for the solo tour. “They didn’t know what to expect from my show.” However, after several dates through Ontario, crowds have been enthusiastic and the reviews positive.

The live show is built around the new material from Song Dog, including the radio and CMT hit Followed Her Around. But the show is also peppered with several familiar Rankin Family tunes, including North Country, Feel The Same Way Too, Movin’ On and the Orangedale Whistle.

“I’m approaching those tunes differently now,” explains Rankin. “The arrangements are pretty much the same, but I don’t have the fiddle. And I have the guys singing back-ups — they don’t try to do the girls’ parts, and that’s cool with me.”

Rankin’s new band features guitarist Dave McKeogh, keyboardist Kim Dunn, bass player Ed Woodsworth and drummer Randy Cooke.

The new solo show pushes Rankin out front, a role he’s becoming more comfortable with.

“I’m doing a lot more talking now, telling stories and introducing songs.”

During the heyday of the Rankin Family, the nine-piece band was constantly touring the country with a huge entourage in tour buses and tractor trailers. “That seems like a million years ago.”

This solo tour is a much leaner affair.

“There’s more pressure on me to pull off the show. But when you get something up and running, it’s fun. I’m at the point where If I don’t enjoy something, I’m not going to do it.’

Rankin performs to sold-out crowd

October 27, 2001 - The Daily Gleaner (Fredericton, NB)

By Richard Anderson / The Daily Gleaner

Jimmy Rankin, with a strong voice with lots of overtones, solid guitar playing, rapport with his audience, and above all, a great sense of rhythm, could be a big star in pop music.

And he has lots of fans here - a sold-out audience at The Playhouse Friday night clapped along and loved his high-energy show.

But the former songwriter of the Rankin Family, in moving away from the Celtic fiddle and rock music scene, and now on his first tour as the featured singer-songwriter accompanied by his band the Song Dogs, has chosen to focus on a rather narrow musical spectrum.

It may be a reaction to all his years with the Rankin Family, but in striking out on his own, many of the songs he performs have a hard-driving beat, with a lot of rock, simple lyrics and an occasional touch of country twang.

Last night there were a few ballads, such as Lighthouse Heart, which he crooned to the sound of wailing guitar chords, or Midnight Angel, but even these at times looked to be turning into fast-beat numbers. In the latter there were problems with balance - as the band, and particularly the drums, drowned out his words at times.

In his finest ballad of the night, This is the Hour, he accompanied himself on the guitar, with no backup from the band. A poignant story of the Maritimers who followed the harvest train: "Heading for the West, hoping for the best."

It displayed the power and modulations of his soaring voice at its best, and also had inventive lyrics. Tramp Miner, a ballad with a rollicking tempo, with the band accompanying, worked well.

What was noticeable, was the complete absence of love songs, which after all are a staple of pop music and could broaden his appeal.

There were several excellent rock numbers, such as You and Me, the big hit Followed Her Around, We'll Carry On and Tripper.

Rankin returns in emotional show

October 29, 2001 - Halifax Daily News

By Sandy MacDonald / The Daily News

The pre-concert atmosphere backstage at the Rebecca Cohn last night must have been emotional. The Halifax soft-seater was the site of so many Rankin Family triumphs over the years, from the early ECMA awards to several sellout concerts.

But last night, it was the Jimmy’s house, as the principal songwriter of the much-loved Rankin Family returned to the Halifax concert stage on his own. It marked Rankin’s first Halifax performance since the Cape Breton group retired two years ago.

So when Rankin and his new band ambled on stage, the room felt like a junior high school dance — tense, uncertain, but excited at the potential of the evening.

Photo by Scott Dunlop / The Halifax Daily News. It didn’t take Rankin long to win over the 700 strong at the Cohn. With a small band he introduced as the Song Dogs (Dave McKeough on guitar, Ed Woodsworth on bass, Kim Dunn on keys and Randy Cooke on drums), Rankin kicked straight into Orangedale Whistle. It lent a familiar tone to the evening, as the phantom harmonies of the sisters seemed to ring in the rafters.

Then it was into the thick of Rankin’s strong new solo album, with the mid-tempo Midnight Angel and the Dire Straits-like rock groove of You And Me. As the band warmed up, so did Rankin as an engaging frontman. Dressed in an autumn red shirt and grey pants, he spun little stories to set up tunes and drew the audience into the show.

When the band jumped into his current radio hit Followed Her Around, the room lit up with whoops from the crowd, and he returned the favour with a spirited version of the tune. It sounded much better live, even without the Main Street dancers from Dartmouth. Rankin rocked out the first set, with a cranked-up version of Movin’ On giving the band some space to show their stuff.

The solo tour has less of the “package” than the Rankin Family presented onstage. There’s no step-dancing or fiddle sets or shifting lead vocalists. This leaner show puts the spotlight squarely on Jimmy Rankin and his songs — and he’s up to the task. Rankin is a very strong singer, and there’s an exciting, ferocious intensity in his voice that was rarely unleashed with the more controlled family band.

After a short break, Rankin returned looking more relaxed, like the ice had been broken. He lit into the achingly-beautiful Lighthouse Heart from the new Song Dog album.

One of the evening’s highlights was the powerful Carry On, a heart-breaking tale about the decline of the fishing industry. Randy Cooke’s drums crashed and pounded like a tumultuous sea, and Rankin absolutely roared with intensity.

The show nicely mixed newer material with earlier tunes, including Forty Days And Nights, Roving Gypsy Boy and I Just Wanna Let It Go.

The compact band worked well last night. The harmony singing from Woodsworth and Dunn added a lush texture to the songs, both old and new. With a few more shows under their belt, this will be a very hot band.

Rankin had the house on their feet for the closer, the country radio hit Feel the Same Too. He hammed with the audience, trading vocal lines as the crowd danced and clapped along.

Through the brisk two-hour concert, Rankin sang and charmed away any doubts about his return to the top rung of the East Coast’s music scene. Good to have him back.

Above Photo: Jimmy Rankin rips through his set last night at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax. Photo by Scott Dunlop / The Halifax Daily News.

Solo Rankin reels 'em in

Songwriter captivates Cohn crowd

October 29, 2001 - Halifax Herald

By Stephen Cooke - Entertainment Reporter Concert Review

It was over a decade ago that a musical family from Cape Breton took its first major step toward a long and rewarding run together at Halifax's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, with a show called The Mabou Jig.

Photo by Ted Pritchard - Halifax Herald With The Rankins now disbanded to follow separate career paths, singer-songwriter Jimmy Rankin returned to the comfortable environs of the Cohn on Sunday night to launch a string of Nova Scotia dates on his first solo tour. If that show is any indication, the rest of the province is in for a real treat.

Tour dates are Strathspey Place in Mabou on Nov. 7 and 9, Glace Bay's Savoy Theatre on Nov. 8, SAERC Auditorium in Port Hawkesbury on Nov. 10, Wolf-ville's Festival Theatre on Nov. 12 and the deCoste Centre in Pictou on Nov. 13.

With the release of his solo debut, Song Dog, this summer, Rankin reinforced his position as one of the East Coast's strongest songwriters, opting for a heady concoction of roots, rock and pop that translates well to the stage and gives the expressive Caper enough ammo to craft a show that's both entertaining and emotional.

"Thanks for coming out to the show," remarked Rankin to the near-capacity crowd, as he strapped on an acoustic guitar. "I know a lot of people are just staying home, watching the world end on CNN."

Photo by Ted Pritchard - Halifax Herald Rather than watch the world end, Sunday's audience much preferred being witness to Rankin's recent rebirth as a frontman, although the past would often resurface over the course of the evening, as on the very first song, the Rankin Family nugget Orangedale Whistle.

But then it was into the new stuff, with Rankin's band providing a smooth and sympathetic backing for songs like the soulful Midnight Angel and the sleek, uptempo You and Me, drenched in Kim Dunn's rich organ vibe. On Drunk and Crucified, guitarist Dave McKeough coaxed forth dark chiming harmonies, suiting Rankin's lyrics inspired by the sight of four guys drinking from brown paper bags outside Grand Central Station.

Ignoring the popular wisdom that you save your hit single for the encore, Rankin bumped the show up a notch with Followed Her Around, co-written with Gordie Sampson, which sounds even better live than it does on disc, or in the stripper-laden video. When he writes a killer chorus, it sticks in your brain and doesn't let go.

Former Ashley MacIsaac bassist Ed Woodsworth ("He's on to bigger and better things now," Rankin quipped) and Toronto drummer Randy Cooke supplied the bottom end, with the latter supplying a pounding tattoo intro to We'll Carry On, imitating the force of the waves as Rankin sang "I am my father's son," for the fishermen he grew up with.

A trio of Rankin Family favourites ended the main set - Roving Gypsy Boy, Let It Go and You Feel the Same Way Too - getting the crowd on its feet and shaking a few little behinds. Then came the encore, an emotional trilogy of songs about leaving Cape Breton, or being left behind, including an acoustic This is the Hour, a powerful Tripper and the anthemic Captain Harmony, which Rankin dedicated to his sound crew and wife Mia.

These songs, which capture the texture of Maritime life while transcending the conventions of traditional music, signify what Rankin has been working towards all these years as a performer and storyteller, with the promise of more to come.

Above Top Photo: Jimmy Rankin performs solo songs and Rankin Family favourites at the Cohn on Sunday night. Photo by Ted Pritchard / Halifax Herald.
Above Bottom Photo: Singer-songwriter Jimmy Rankin performs Sunday night at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax in support of his new album, Song Dog. Rankin thrilled a near capacity crowd. Photo by Ted Pritchard / Halifax Herald.

Rankin packs Playhouse

November 2, 2001 - The Brunswickan

By Rachel Long

Jimmy Rankin played to a packed Playhouse last Friday evening. Fredericton was his first east coast stop, after a week-long break following the west coast leg of his cross-Canada tour, promoting his debut solo album Song Dog.

Rankin and his four-piece band opened with two folk songs, both from the new album. The first, `You and me (nobody else),' a romantic tribute to the Nova Scotia winter blues, featured keyboard player Kim Dunn with the haunting sound of a Hammond organ.

Rankin pleased the audience with stories and jokes about his adventures with the Rankin family, trips to Mexico and Italy, and people such as the Grand Central Station homeless who inspired the next tune, `Drunk and Crucified.' The content but quiet audience perked up with radio hit `Followed her Around,' most of the audience was clapping and singing along.

The show continued with `Tramp Miner,' a song from the Rankin Family's North Country, then the band rocked out with `Moving On,' featuring solos by guitarist Dave McKeough and bassist Ed Woodsworth, who both sang vocal harmonies throughout the whole show.

Despite Jimmy Rankin being the primary composer for the Rankin Family, his solo music is very different, with no fiddles, jigs or reels, and a sound closer to Springsteen and Lovett than his celtic roots. Song Dog songs are raw, honest, and introspective, a dive into a different part of himself after the tragic death of his brother John Morris last year.

The second set began with Song Dog tune `Lighthouse Heart,' with its gentle lyrics: "let me be your lighthouse keeper/when your ship blows into dangerous waters." It started with an instrumental mandolin and guitar duo, the only presence of a mandolin during the entire show. Drummer Randy Cooke wooed the audience with a long solo in `Carry On,' then Rankin got the audience standing for `Wasted' and final song `Miss Me Darling.'

After a roaring standing ovation, Rankin took to the stage for three encores, starting with a quiet acoustic solo of `This is the Hour,' a song about harvesters train-hopping to find work, and the audience requested `Tripper.' Rankin ended the evening with the captivating `Captain Harmony,' and the audience left happy and satiated.

Jimmy Rankin performs at Strathspey Place

November 9, 2001 - 101.5 The Hawk Website

Jimmy Rankin's performance at Strathspey Place will get underway on Sunday November 11th at 7:30pm

Representative Mary Janet MacDonald, of Strathspey Place, says Jimmy's show will respect the significance of November 11th, honouring all those who lost their lives while serving their country.

He's been called Cape Breton's finest singer/songwriter.

And it seems he's backing it up by his sold out shows.

Tickets from his November 7th show, which was cancelled due to power outages, will be honoured at Sunday's concert.

Ackerman, Heather Rankin find new voice for new age

November 10, 2001 - Halifax Daily News

By Sandy MacDonald

WILL ACKERMAN: Hearing Voices ((Windham Hill/BMG)

I’ve never been much for the New Age wave of music, which lapped gently up against popular culture like the contemplative life-affirming rhythm of the oceans of the heart. Yeah, right.

Most was too precious, too self-important and too damn dreary for me. At the centre of the music was guitarist and former carpenter-turned-record label boss William Ackerman. He spun out several solo albums through the ’80s and ’90s on his Windham Hill label.

This latest collection, while not exactly destined for the dance clubs, finds a new vitality as Ackerman collaborates with several sterling vocalists, including Heather Rankin.

Ackerman uses the voice as another instrumental texture and his guests sing in non-English dialects — Rankin in Gaelic, Samite in his native Luganda, Noah Chase in Arabic and Hebrew, Betty MacLeod in Italian and Jaya Lakshmi in Hindi and Sanscrit. As Ackerman describes in the liner notes: “not conveying intellectual concepts so much as human emotions.”

It’s the same sensual appeal as Mary Jane Lamond’s music for non- Gaelic speakers, or the exotic sounds of African music for North American ears.

There’s some beautiful playing on this 14-track CD — rich warm guitars, spare keyboards, gorgeous violin, crisp percussion and bass, and the soaring voices.

Of particular interest are Rankin’s two cuts — Walk With Me, a collaborative composition by Ran-kin, Ackerman and percussionist Bob Muller, and the haunting River. The tunes are an interesting extension of Rankin’s work with the Family group, employing the moody atmospheric textures that began to emerge on their later albums.

Hearing Voices arose from Ackerman’s recent work with Ugandan singer Samite. “This is the music I would sing if I could sings as well as these talented people,” he writes.

Ackerman recorded many of the instrumental tracks at his Imaginary Road studio in Vermont, then brought in the various vocalists — none heard what they were to sing before arriving in the studio. He wanted to capture the moment of creating the music, without “intellectualizing the process.”

Fortunately, the considerable talents of the singers result in some fascinating music — beautiful, ethereal and even edgy at times.

Jimmy Rankin comes home to Mabou

November 14, 2001 - Inverness Oran

By Frank MacDonald

One of the disappointments once expressed by Inverness County people was that some of our most successful performers couldn't bring their full shows back home because there was no venue to accommodate them.

Since the opening of Strathspey Place in 2000, that criticism has fallen silent as people have filled the 500-seat performance centre for Natalie, Ashley and, most recently, Jimmy Rankin.

Rankin, winding up the first major tour of his solo career, came home to Mabou on Friday night to a sold-out show, a show that, in fact, sold out within an hour of the opening of the box office.

"I haven't been this nervous since Herbie Jeromel's high school mathematics exams," Rankin told an audience filled with familiar faces: those of family, of friends, of people who influenced his early life and those who inspired several of his songs.

It was a concert that showcased many of his compositions from Rankin's recording, Song Dog, as well as a cross-section of selections from The Rankins.

Asked during an interview before the show whether or not he was apprehensive about setting out on a solo career following the decade-long reign of The Rankins, Jimmy Rankin answered, "Definitely. It was unchartered waters. I didn't know what to expect. I am only one-fifth of The Rankins, but I am pleased by the response. It was beyond expectations," adding that all his Maritime venues had been sellouts.

The Mabou songwriter had some excellent advance publicity for his tour, primarily the reception given Follows Her Around, the first single and video from Song Dog. Penned by Rankin and Gordie Sampson, it has become a staple on adult contemporary radio stations and country stations, both radio and television.

He is already preparing to release a second single, You and Me, to follow up the popularity of Follows Her Around.

Those songs and the others from the album formed the core of Jimmy Rankin's Mabou concert, which was being recorded for CBC Radio's Definitely Not The Opera (DNTO).

Rankin headlines party

November 23, 2001 - Halifax Daily News

By Marla Cranston

The Nova Scotia Kitchen Party is soon winding up its second rollicking season.

Tomorrow afternoon’s show with Jimmy Rankin, Slaint Mhath and host Ron Bourgeois is the last live concert planned for the series, held this year at Windsor’s Production School House.

Radio and Internet broadcasts will continue until Dec. 8, and the final show is in Cheticamp with Grand Derangement, a coproduction with the town’s co-op radio CKJM, and a radio station in France.

Producer Mike LaLeune hopes to resume the series in February if financing comes through. This year’s broadcasts got a boost from ACOA.

“If there’s money, we’re going to do it. There’s no shortage of interest,” he says.

The original Kitchen Party series aired nationally on CBC Radio last year, with some of the region’s best performers. When CBC didn’t renew the show, the music still carried on, this year via the Internet (www.novascotiakitchenparty.com) and syndication to radio stations in the Annapolis Valley, Yarmouth, New Glasgow, and even the U.S., Europe and Australia. LaLeune was stunned when Tokyo’s BCS Cultural Channel called up wanting it.

“We can’t believe they even found us, but they searched us out ... they seem to think it’s pretty good stuff. There’s lots of interest out there in our culture and our music.”

Mary Jane Lamond and P.E.I. broadcaster Eric MacEwen also served as hosts, with entertainers such as The Ennis Sisters, J.P. Cormier, Gordie Sampson, Lennie Gallant, The Barra MacNeills, Blou, The MacLean Sisters, Patricia Murray, and the Birchmountain Bluegrass Band.

“I don’t think we could be more pleased,” says LaLeune.

“It’s been quite amazing. The theatre is a beautiful building, the fans are wonderful, and the public there has embraced the series. The performers love playing there,” says LaLeune. For the first show, Windsor closed off the main street for a big celebratory public fair.

“We felt like we were kings. It’s a great little town,” LaLeune says.

Like all good kitchen parties, these ones often go on well into the night, long after the broadcast is over.

All the shows are archived on the Web site, so you can still have a listen if you missed them. The site also has a Kitchen Party Store, with Atlantic Canadian recordings, books and other gifts for shipment anywhere in the world.

Tomorrow’s show starts at 3:30 p.m. You can still get tickets by calling 902-798-4655, toll free at 1-866-798-4655, the Metro Centre box office at 451-1221, or online at www.TicketEast.com.

Rankin plays Kitchen Party

November 24, 2001 - Halifax Herald

By Marla Cranston

Jimmy Rankin and Slainte Mhath perform today, 3:45 p.m., in the final live audience Kitchen Party of the season at Production School House, Gerrish Street, Windsor.

They perform on stage and online, at www.novascotiakitchenparty.com.

Tickets are available on-line or at the door. Call: 798-4655 or 1-866-798-4655.

MacDonald celebrates reissue of first album

December 1, 2001 - Halifax Herald

Cape Breton fiddler Howie MacDonald has just re-released his debut album Howie MacDonald and His Cape Breton Fiddle. It was first released in 1985 on vinyl, and is now available for the first time on CD.

The landmark recording features John Morris Rankin on piano and Sandy MacDonald on guitar.

MacDonald celebrates the album's reissue with Mac Morin and Patrick Gillis at two shows; Friday, Dec, 7 at Cape Breton's Westmount Legion at 9 p.m. and on Saturday, Dec. 8 at Pipers Pub in Antigonish at 2 p.m.

For more information, visit www.howiemacdonald.com

Guthro tops ECMA nominations

December 7, 2001 - Halifax Daily News

By Sandy MacDonald and Marilyn Smulders

Two of Cape Breton’s favourite sons and the band that ignited the Halifax pop music scene a decade ago topped the nomination list for next month’s East Coast Music Awards.

Bruce Guthro garnered seven nominations for his Guthro album, including album of the year, male artist and SOCAN songwriter for his radio single Livin’ A Lie. Yesterday as the nominations were announced, Guthro was on tour in Denmark as the frontman in the Scottish band Runrig.

Jimmy Rankin got six nods on the strength of his Song Dog CD, his first solo recording since the breakup of The Rankins.

"This album has been in the planning stages a long time," said Rankin yesterday from his Halifax home. "It means a lot to me that the industry here is behind me. I’m actually quite thrilled."

Since their first ECMA performance in the late 1980s at the Crazy Horse Saloon in Dartmouth, The Rankins won numerous awards including Junos, CCMAs and ECMAs.

"But this is my first solo record, so these nominations are like a homecoming validation," said Rankin. His radio hit Followed Her Around, which was co-written with Gordie Sampson, is nominated as single of the year.

Sloan, one of the most influential and enduring bands from the region, also received six nominations, including the coveted album of the year for Pretty Together and entertainer of the year.

The nominations in 23 categories were announced yesterday at a press conference in Saint John, N.B., where the three-day music conference will be held Jan. 31 to Feb. 3.

Several emerging artists received multiple nominations yesterday. Halifax-based indie pop band Crush nabbed five nominations, Newfoundland folk-pop trio The Ennis Sisters got four and Halifax popband Mir also received four nominations.

Regionally, mainland Nova Scotia grabbed 50 of the nominations — largely bolstered because Cape Bretoners Guthro and Rankin and Newfoundlanders Crush now all living in Halifax.

The female artist category shines a light on several new emerging artists, including Amelia Curran, Colleen Power, Jessica Rhaye and Kendra MacGillivray.

First-time nominees MacGillivray and Patricia Murray were trading congratulatory phone calls yesterday. They perform together for a Christmas Ceilidh Sunday at St. Matthew’s United Church in Halifax.

"I’m still digesting it all," said Murray, whose beautiful voice is showcased on her CD, Primrose.

Added MacGillivray, a Celtic fiddler nominated in two categories "This is just the best feeling in the world."

The 14th annual East Coast music Awards show will be televised live from Saint John’s Harbour Station on Sunday, Feb. 3.

N.S. Artists top ECMA list

Guthro, Rankin, Sloan, Crush receive multiple nominations

December 7, 2001 - Halifax Herald

By Stephen Cooke / Entertainment Reporter

Atlantic Canadian music veterans rub shoulders with pop-rock upstarts on the list of East Coast Music Award nominations, released Thursday.

Announced at a news conference in Saint John, N.B., where the awards will be handed out on Feb. 3, the nominations paint a broad picture of the East Coast music scene, where fiddles and acoustic guitars are heard alongside turntables and Telecasters.

With seven nominations, singer-songwriter Bruce Guthro tops a list that sees fellow Cape Bretoner Jimmy Rankin tied with Halifax rockers Sloan for six nods each. Hot pop group Crush saw the attention generated by its self-titled debut result in five nominations, while strong new records by Newfoundland's Ennis Sisters and progressive Halifax trio Mir led to four apiece.

Scrappy records by alternative acts Colleen Power from Newfoundland and Halifax's Joel Plaskett Emergency picked up three nominations for each act.

News of the nominations spread far and wide, including Billund, Denmark, where Guthro is on tour with Scottish band Runrig.

"A wise man once said, 'Guide your home territory like a wolf.' You can't underestimate the value of home, and the East Coast is home for me," said a jet-lagged Guthro, who received word of his nominations via fax. "It's always an honour to be nominated, whether it's one or seven.

"That's where it all started, and undoubtedly, some day, that'll be where it all ends."

Mabou native Rankin was at his home in Halifax when the call came. It was an early Christmas present for a busy year that saw his first solo album Song Dog released to glowing reviews.

"Six nominations . . . I guess I'm back!" joked Rankin, who played to standing-room-only crowds on his recent Maritime concert tour.

You'd think making the trip to the annual music awards show and conference would be old hat for Rankin - an ECMA veteran going back to the event's earliest days with his musical family members in The Rankins - but he says the recognition is a terrific boost for the latest phase of his career.

"This is a new beginning for me, I'm still at the starting gate with it. A lot of work went into this record, so it's an honour to have this validation of your work."

Reached at his home in Toronto, Sloan guitarist Jay Ferguson was enthusiastic about the number of nods his band received for its latest CD Pretty Together, and about going toe-to-toe with Rankin.

"We'll be arm wrestling over the album of the year award," laughed Ferguson, who has attended nearly as many ECMAs as Rankin over the years.

He expressed some surprise at Sloan's six nominations, saying sometimes he wonders if the musical community still considers the band to be an East Coast act.

"We all moved to Toronto for personal reasons, not to become a Toronto band," he said. "We still feel like a Halifax band."

He noted with some pride that when CBC's Ross Porter interviewed Sloan members for a piece on the death of George Harrison recently, the gravel-voiced broadcaster emphasized the fact the band hailed from Nova Scotia.

A Halifax-based rock band with a pair of Newfoundland singer-songwriters, Crush, received five nominations, in major categories like album of the year, group and rock group.

Paul Lamb, reached in Florida, says they thought they would get one or two nominations, but were ecstatic to get five.

"We're pretty excited," Lamb said. "It's pretty heavy-duty stuff we're up against. We're happy to be nominated."

It's been a great week for the band, which also includes frontman Cory Tetford. They learned they received funding from FACTOR to help record a video for their hit single, Live.

Crush has strong competition in the new artist / group of the year category, which includes a $5,000 cash prize for emerging performers.

"I'm pretty excited about it, it's hard to say how it's going to go," said new artist nominee Carlo Spinazzola, whose blues-based CD Walk has been augmented by his efforts in video and visual arts. "Crush is a big contender, their record is a huge production, and The Joel Plaskett Emergency knocked me out.

"I'm just working to get up, get noticed, be heard and let people make up their own minds about my work. It's been a slow process doing so many different things, but everything grows together."

Another new artist nominee, Newfoundland's Colleen Power, splits her time between St. John's and Sydney, and was overjoyed at her three nominations. She's also up for female and alternative artist of the year, which she hopes will help her take her grassroots approach to the next level.

"I'm already flying with my band to Saint John to play a 20-minute ECMA showcase, which is really expensive," said the independent singer-songwriter. "I've been doing everything myself, so I'm hoping this will help me find a booking agent and a distributor."

Joel Plaskett, another new artist nominee, is tied with Power for three ECMA nods, but the Halifax musician says the notion of awards makes him feel a little weird.

"I started touring Canada in 1993 with (my old band) Thrush Hermit, and now I'm a new artist," he said with a note of irony.

"I've never entirely felt like a part of the music industry, but I realize there are a lot of people pulling for me. You go to the awards for yourself, but it's also for the people who support you in what you do."

Halifax jazz guitarist Harvey Millar saw his collaboration with rapper Shy Luv, Hip Bopping, pick up an Urban Recording nomination, and he stressed the importance of the ECMAs for showcasing all the kinds of music the region has to offer.

"It's good that African Nova Scotian musicians can show how much variety there is here. It's more than just gospel."

With Greg Guy, entertainment editor

Guthro, Rankin lead ECMA nominees

December 7, 2001 - Cape Breton Post

By Laurel Monroe

Officially, Cape Bretoners have 17 nominations for the 2002 East Coast Music Awards. But if you include island natives representing mainland Nova Scotia, the tally climbs to 30.

The nominees were announced Thursday at a press conference in the host city, Saint John, N.B., where the event will take place Jan. 31 to Feb. 3.

Sydney Mines native Bruce Guthro – representing the mainland – leads the pack in total nominations with seven, followed closely by Mabou’s favourite son, Jimmy Rankin – representing Cape Breton – with six.

Guthro and Rankin will compete against one another in five categories: album of the year, male artist of the year, SOCAN songwriter of the year, single of the year and video of the year. In addition, Guthro is nominated for entertainer of the year and pop artist/group of the year and Rankin got a nod in the country artist/group of the year category.

Two Other Cape Bretoners have double nominations.

Rankins spread Yule cheer

Touched by tragedy, the Rankin sisters pause to celebrate the Christmas season

December 15, 2001 - London Free Press

By Free Press staff

The Rankin sisters probably need a little Christmas themselves this year.

Heather, Raylene and Cookie -- who performed together as part of the Juno-Award-winning the Rankin Family -- bring their trademark Celtic-styled Yuletide cheer to Centennial Hall on Tuesday. Accompanied by the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rankin Sisters perform at 8 p.m.

The Christmas concert comes after a period when the Rankins have been touched by tragedy.

"A lot of water has passed under the bridge since we were last together, including the death of (brother) John Morris, the passing of our mother and Raylene's own illness," Heather Rankin says.

Raylene Rankin has been undergoing treatment for cancer. Raylene has also been active in support of fund-raising for breast cancer research.

"The last four years -- it's been non-stop," is how Heather describes the siblings' experiences. "I read an interview recently of (brother) Jimmy's. He said we had five family funerals in the last year ... it felt like it was never going to end. Once you start getting back on your feet, you think something else is going to come around."

The sisters' performances draw on their 1997 Christmas album, Do You Hear. The seasonal music helps the sisters celebrate the best of their family memories.

"Christmas has always been a very special time for us," Heather says. "Our mother loved Christmas. It was definitely the highlight of the year in our family.

"There was a lot of cooking and feasting. We took part in choirs. We were practising early on the winter. We went carolling. All those things combined to make it a very special time for us."

The Rankins don't get together as much for such huge family gatherings as they did before because they have their own families. Cookie Rankin lives in Tennessee, while her sisters live in Halifax. The concerts bring them together.

"It's a tremendous feeling when I get together with Raylene and Cookie, singing," Heather says. "It's like an amazing blend that you don't often experience singing in other formations. Just the familial connection is a very special feeling, especially after everything that's gone on in the last few years."

Despite the changes, family traditions continue. Heather expects to return to the Cape Breton community of Mabou, the family's home town, for Christmas. Her boyfriend's family is also from Mabou. They are to join other family and friends for a late meal following Christmas Eve mass, a feast her mother loved to prepare.

In addition to appearing in the 1997 Canadian film, The Hanging Garden, Heather has acted in Halifax. She's also to appear on the Toronto stage. She auditioned and won a part in the Necessary Angel Theatre Company production of The Piper, written by Colleen Murphy and directed by Richard Rose. It opens at the Factory Theatre in February.

The Rankins, including brothers Jimmy Rankin and the late John Morris Rankin, disbanded in 1999, following a 10-year career. Raylene had left earlier to raise her young son before returning for Christmas appearances with her sisters. Her siblings then changed the band's name from the Rankin Family to the Rankins.

Over a decade-long, storybook career, the family band rose from county fairs and church halls to become one of the most successful music acts on the East Coast.

The band sold more than two million records, won five Juno Awards, including group of the year in 1994, and took its Celtic-inflected music to the world.

John Morris Rankin died in a January 2000 accident after his sport utility vehicle went out of control while he was driving to a hockey game at Cheticamp, N.S.

-- -- --

IF YOU GO

What: A Maritime Christmas Concert with the Rankin Sisters; Heather, Cookie and Raylene Rankin perform with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra

When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.

Where: Centennial Hall

Tickets: $34.50 and $29.50, plus applicable service charges; call (519) 672-1967

Christmas with The Rankins

December 21, 2001 - Hamilton Spectator

By Hugh Fraser - Special to The Hamilton Spectator

Three tiny choristers from Mabou, Inverness County, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia sold every seat in Hamilton Place when they came to sing a Christmas concert with the Hamilton Philharmonic. Cookie, Raylene and Heather Rankin -- who have won five Juno Awards and numerous East Coast Music Awards with close harmony singing that soared aloft in such hits as Fare Thee Well Love with The Rankin Family -- brought the music from their 1997 hit CD, Do You Hear ..., to a deeply appreciative audience Wednesday night.

Heather Rankin - Copyright Hamilton Spectator For me, they were at their best when closest to their childhood roots, as three of 12 siblings piping away "almost acappella" as Heather had it of their encore, preparing diligently for Easter or Christmas under the stern tutelage of the nuns in the choir of Mabou Catholic Church.

Away went the nasal stylings of their Celtic heritage and pure, sweet head and chest tones took over for absolutely delicious three-part singing in Dona Nobis Pacem, the Coventry Carol and perhaps the best of all, the encore, O Night of Joy and Gladness. That and Raylene's pure, sweet voice giving us Gounod's Ave Maria and the lovely French carol, Qu'elle est cette odeur agréable, were most affecting.

But you don't sell millions of records for singing religious music straight -- no swinging -- and besides, the Rankin Sisters can do so many things, they just have to show them to you.

That includes practically resurrecting in the flesh the swing-era Andrews Sisters for versions of Rocking Around The Christmas Tree and Let It Snow. It transported a delighted HPO Pops audience back to The Second World War and the Glenn Miller big band era with French horn principal Ken MacDonald on the "Lawrence Welk" champagne bubble machine and all.

There was, of course, the Gaelic in such songs as Taladh Chriosda and A'Challuinn, but the lassies were closest to their Rankin Family era when bringing that patented Rankin mix of styles to Angels We Have Heard on High, alto Cookie crumbling deep, gospel-laden blue notes into I Wonder As I Wander and just rocking the hinges off Children, Go Where I Send Thee.

These last were where Heather came closest to getting on the clogs and banging away with the jigs and reels but she never quite did it.

The audience was just not wild enough for those Rankinesque high jinks.

Conductor Michael Reason had his HPO troops in fine fettle -- "a singers dream," Heather called them -- but the opening number, a dire arrangement by Mannheim Steam Roller of Deck The Halls nearly flattened me out like a QEW soft shoulder.

This is electronic music and if you leave the single-note honking of the trombones to live high above the pale violins struggling beneath them with the tune, you are left with something that sounds like a minimalist composer's nightmare in hell.

Scott Macmillan, who did all the orchestral arrangements had his showcase in The Mabou Minstrels and some nice acoustic guitar jazz solos to light up the night.

It was good to see the hall full and happy after all this Fall had brought to the world that wasn't joyful.

Above Photo: Heather Rankin, gesturing toward her crowd during this week's Hamilton performance, had a deeply appreciative audience. Photo by Kaz Novak, the Hamilton Spectator.

Canada's Celtic angels transform River Run

Rankin sisters perform 14 holiday songs in a blend of impressive vocal solos and tight harmonies

December 21, 2001 - Kitchener-Waterloo The Record

By Robert Reid - Record Staff

Although Celtic people have celebrated Christmas in one way or another for more than a thousand years, the notion of a Celtic Christmas didn't enter popular consciousness until a few a years ago.

An outgrowth of the explosion of interest in all things Celtic, traditional and contemporary Celtic music now holds its own with all other genres of holiday music.

A Christmas doesn't go by without new Celtic recordings hitting record store shelves and Celtic musicians appear regularly on a wide range of holiday shows on TV and on the concert stage.

In fact, there are two Celtic-flavoured concerts in Kitchener tonight featuring the Rankin Sisters and a Celtic Solstice celebration of poetry, music and dance at St. John the Evangelist Church.

The Rankin Family, later known as The Rankins, is one of the Canadian groups that most contributed to the Celtic revival in this country when they emerged out of Cape Breton in the early 1990s.

Although the talented group of musical siblings has since disbanded, the three sisters -- Cookie, Raylene and Heather -- continue the tradition of a Celtic Christmas through their annual holiday concerts, based in large part on their wonderful 1997 seasonal release Do You Hear.

The Rankins appeared regularly in Kitchener-Waterloo when they were together, so the three sisters are no strangers to the area.

The Rankin Sisters, (from left to right) Cookie, Raylene and Heather, perform at the River Run Centre. Photo by The Record Staff And they certainly seemed right at home when they appeared last night with the Kitchener- Waterloo Symphony at Guelph's River Run Centre -- the first of three sold-out Pops concerts with the symphony (including 8 p.m. concerts tonight and tomorrow at Centre in the Square).

Billed as Christmas with the Rankins, the concert featured a dynamic mix of contemporary and traditional Christmas songs, carols and hymns -- and, yes, Celtic material performed in Gaelic.

The versatile Nova Scotian man-for-all-music Scott Macmillan returned as guest conductor.

A composer, arranger, producer and instrumentalist as well as a conductor, Macmillan has known the Rankin family since 1983 and his familiarity with Cookie, Heather and Raylene imbued the concert with a warm, down-home feel.

Rather than conduct in the conventional way with his back to the audience on a podium, he faced the audience with his guitar in hand, which he played for most of the selections.

Macmillan began both sets with orchestral pieces, the first Leroy Anderson's sprightly and familiar Sleigh Ride and the second a medley of Rankin Family songs, The Mabou Minstrels, which he arranged.

The Rankin Sisters performed 14 holiday songs, carols and hymns, in addition to an encore, in a rich, multi-textured blend of impressive vocal solos and tight two- and three-part harmonies.

If anything, they sound better now than they did when they recorded Do You Hear. Their voices are warmer, fuller and less strident now that they have matured. And their harmony is more intricate than ever.

Indeed, the angels in the Celtic Otherworld must surely sound like Cookie, Raylene and Heather Rankin.

The diversity of their approach to material was quite extraordinary.

They brought to mind the Andrews Sisters on Rockin' Around the Xmas Tree and Let It Snow and they injected I Wonder as I Wander with a Bee Gees pop sound -- and pulled it off.

But the highlights were two Gaelic pieces -- Taladh Chriosda (The Christ-Child Lullaby) and A'Challuin (The New Year) -- and a trio of stunningly beautiful works -- Dona Nobis Pacem, Coventry Carol and Ave Maria.

Their reading of Dona Nobis Pacem transformed the River Run Centre into a cathedral with a simple majesty so transporting that you didn't want to clap, so palpable was the sense of reverence created by the trio.

And Raylene's lovely offering of the Charles Gounod version of Ave Maria, against a tender backdrop of guitar, piano, violin, cello and harp, was enough to send shivers up the back of necks.

The remaining works included Angels We Have Heard on High, a rousing Do You Hear What I Hear?, the unfamiliar Jesus Christ the Apple Tree, a bilingual version of Quelle est cette odeur Agreable? (What is this Scent So Pure and Lovely?), Children Go Where I Send You, Joy to the World and O Night of Joy and Gladness.

The music was punctured with delightful humour and warm memories of Christmases Past in the 14-strong Rankin household.

Above Photo: The Rankin Sisters, (from left to right) Cookie, Raylene and Heather, perform at the River Run Centre. Photo by The Record Staff

The Honour Roll 2001

December 27, 2001 - The Halifax Herald

By the Entertainment Staff

(Excerpt)

Many talented members of our arts community took giant steps forward this year. As the new year begins, here are some people we want to recognize for their outstanding contribution to our entertainment scene. They're bound to make a real difference in the coming years.

JIMMY RANKIN

After taking time off to recover from the break-up of The Rankins and the death of his brother John Morris, Jimmy Rankin emerged with his first solo album, the emotional, organic-sounding Song Dog.

Mixing soul-searching examinations of relationships with heartfelt portraits of East Coast life, Song Dog is sturdy proof of Rankin's ability to hold his own on record and on stage, where he played a series of sold-out shows around the Maritimes this fall.

Rankin received six ECMA nominations for his efforts.

Song Dog is still doing well in stores and on radio, but Rankin is already writing material for his next album, which should be just as anxiously anticipated.

Home ~ Rankin News ~ Articles ~ Awards ~ Band Members ~ Concerts ~ Contact ~ Discography ~ Fan Distribution ~ FAQ ~ Feedback ~ Gallery ~ Guestbook ~ Links ~ Rankin Raves ~ Survey ~ Updates ~ Website Credits