The Rankins Online Website - Articles 2003 (July to December) - The Official unOfficial Website of the Rankins

Moritat, the song everyone knows as Mack The Knife, was first heard in Berlin in 1928 after playwright Bertolt Brecht hastily added it during rehearsals for the premiere of his and Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera.

Full of cynicism and darkness, it ironically turned out to be perhaps one of the most famous pop songs ever.

Pianist Paul Simons, who is music director for the Chester Playhouse's opening Summer Theatre Performance Festival production of Threepenny Opera, which begins Wednesday, says that each one of seven versions of the tune made the top 40, according to the Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits.

"That makes it the song with the most charted versions," Simons says. "Bobby Darin (1959), Dick Hyman (1956), Richard Heyman and Jan August (1956), Lawrence Welk ('56), Louis Armstrong ('56), Billy Vaughn ('56), Ella Fitzgerald ('60): it just goes to show you what a nursery rhyme can do."

Nursery rhyme? A song that lists the rape of a child bride, an arson in which seven children were killed, and numerous bodies dragged out of the Thames with knives in their breasts?

"The melodies (in Threepenny Opera) are as close to nursery rhymes as possible," Simons explains. "They're easy to sing, the intervals are familiar, but the lyrics are dark."

Heather Rankin, cast in the role of Polly Peachum, finds the role a challenge because of Polly's duplicity. "She's sweet and pure and she believes in love initially - she falls in love with MacHeath (the brilliant criminal known as Mack The Knife). But she is hardened by experience. It's a stretch to show that duplicity."

Based on John Gay's 18th century London hit, The Beggar's Opera, Brecht's version follows the original in depicting the story of MacHeath, London's greatest criminal, who marries Polly in a stable and is later arrested when her father finds out.

Polly's father, Peachum, heads his own gang of lowlife con artists, trained in the art of begging money on the street by learning how to fake pitiful injuries.

MacHeath, as it turns out, is already married to Lucy Brown, daughter of Tiger Brown, the corrupt Sheriff of London who takes kickbacks from MacHeath. A third MacHeath amour, the prostitute Low-Dive Jenny, betrays him by telling the Peachums where he is hiding.

In the end, Polly gets Mac-Heath's money. He is headed for the gallows. The play takes place against the background of a royal coronation which plays a key part at the climax of the opera.

John Gay wrote The Beggar's Opera in 1728, exactly 200 years before Brecht's version, to satirize the corruption of genteel society and the then current craze for Italian opera, dominated by the German composer Handel.

Brecht had a similar purpose in mind, though his target was Wagner, not Handel.

Martin Burt plays MacHeath, Reid Campbell is Tiger Brown and Linda Elliott plays Jenny in the "pro-am" production which fills out its large cast of 25 characters with a mix of professional and amateur actors.

"All the characters are at a point where they have been hardened to life," Rankin says. "Polly is a commodity to her parents. They use her to attract people to the business."

Simons has re-arranged the score for piano, guitar (Shan Arsenault) and percussion (James Faraday). "It's sparse stuff, so you can't add a lot."

The Moritat theme bookends the show, Simons says, but adds that the Threepenny Opera, though ironically light-hearted, is too dark to be showbiz. "Unlike most musical theatre," he says, "when you are talking about death and poverty, it won't do to put your hands in the air and get down on your knees in an Al Jolson pose."

Threepenny Opera is directed by Jocelyn Cunningham and runs at the Chester Playhouse Wednesday to Saturday and July 8-12 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $21 (one price) and are available at 275-3933. There will be one pay-what-you-can matinee on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Jimmy Rankin to release "Hand Made"

August 13, 2003 - Inverness Oran

Jimmy Rankin will release his second solo recording, Hand Made, during a release party in Toronto on September 17th.

The party will take place in the Hugh's Room at 2261 Dundas St. W (just south of the Dundas W subway station, between Roncesvalles and Bloor) at 8:30pm.

Tickets are $15 advance and $17 at the door. Call 416-531-6604 for your ticket.

Rankin's first solo recording, Song Dog, was a national success including three hit singles, Followed Her Around, You and Me and Midnight Angel.

Copies of Hand Made will be available on September 2nd.

Handmade tunes
Rankin returns with second, more acoustic, solo release

August 28, 2003 - Halifax Herald

By Stephen Cooke - Entertainment Reporter

For his second solo CD, Jimmy Rankin opted for a back-to-basics approach, favouring a bright acoustic sound over the darker, layered moods of his post-Rankin Family debut, Song Dog. The aptly named Handmade hits stores on Tuesday, with a live show by Rankin on Saturday at the Marquee Club heralding its arrival.

And what better way to prepare for the launch of a back-to-basics record than by getting back to nature? A week ago, Rankin was in the heart of British Columbia's northern forest, canoeing on the Dease River as part of Boreal Rendezvous, an effort to raise awareness about Canada's dense woodlands.

This was off the beaten path even for Rankin, a performer who's logged more miles than most East Coast artists.

"It's way out in the bush, total wilderness," he explains over Perrier in the dimly lit Diamond bar. "You don't see people for days, unless you meet another boat on the river. It's just the river, the forest, and the northern lights at night.

"I did have my guitar with me, although I didn't play the lick from Deliverance once," he laughs. "Everyone really appreciated it, because once we set up camp and had supper there wasn't much else to do besides chat and have a sing-song. Some nights it was like a three-hour show, and they're a captive audience, they can't go anywhere."

Organized by Justin Trudeau, the Boreal Rendezvous has included performers like singer Sarah Harmer, comedian Cathy Jones and, as part of Rankin's crew, writer and Dead Dog Café creator Tom King.

"We also had this guide named Leon Johnny, he was an elder of the Kaska tribe, and he was born on the river," says Rankin. "He started telling stories about shooting bear and tracking moose. Once he was chased by a bear that grabbed him by the belt, it was pretty amazing."

Rankin admits there was no such danger on his journey - although one set of rapids was rated at "two out of five" - and the experience proved to be a great way to unwind after months spent concentrating on making Handmade, preparing the ornate vaudeville-inspired cover art with Song Dog designer Ben Fong and filming the video for the first single, Morning Bound Train.

"The reality was, making it was pretty intense," says Rankin, who once again teamed up with producer Tim Thorney at his Stouffville studio, northeast of Toronto. "I had time constraints, and Thorney had a double schedule, he was working with Alanis, and he had to get to L.A. So we had a deadline.

"Now all that stuff is done, it's in the can and ready to go out there. Whatever happens happens, you can't really control it."

That intensity doesn't come through on Handmade though, as Rankin sounds relaxed and confident on songs like Colorado and Tower of Lethendy, surrounded by an intimate blanket of banjo, mandolin, bouzouki and acoustic guitar, with keyboards, electric guitar and even cymbals used sparingly, if at all.

Rankin says the warm sound is a reflection of his state of mind these days, more secure by himself in the spotlight.

"It's a bit more optimistic than Song Dog," he reasons. "It was made in a more peaceful space. Song Dog was a collection of songs written over a 10 year period, and there was some uncertainty; it was my first solo record, I was moving into uncharted territory, I didn't really know what to expect.

"Basically, (EMI Music Canada's) Barry Kent and I went out on the road to all the radio stations and handed it to guys and asked 'Listen to this, what do you think?' Now I've got a couple of years behind me, I've reestablished myself as a solo guy, I'm out there. There aren't as many unknown variables."

Besides waiting to see how Handmade is received by listeners, Rankin is also anxious to get up on stage in front of audiences again. Shows following Song Dog's release were a lot of fun for Rankin and his fans alike, and recharged his enthusiasm for singing to an energized crowd.

"Now people are coming out to my shows to hear my stuff. Sometimes someone will holler out for Mull River Shuffle, but I don't have a fiddle, y'know. People expect to hear me, which is nice. I had pretty big shoes to fill, coming out of the Rankins, with those great harmonies and great fiddle music."

But as he was with the Rankins, he's still singing about trains, going by Handmade's numerous nods to riding the steel rails.

"Yeah, trains and rain," Rankin laughs. "It reminds me of driving to New York one time with (film director) Robert Frank, and we stopped at this Tim Horton's in Saint John. And it was pouring down, and an engine was going by, and Robert looks at me and says, 'You should be writing a song about the train and the rain!'

"What can I say, I love train songs. They still work."

Jimmy Rankin handcrafts songs in Handmade

September 3, 2003 - Inverness Oran
By Frank MacDonald

In the title track from his new recording, Handmade, Jimmy Rankin protests the plastic, concrete and steel world around him, singing that

Everywhere I turn it's all the same...
Give me something handmade
Give me something I can taste
Show me someone who can feel
I'm sick and tired of this place
But everybody must get paid
Give me something handmade
Handmade

Fortunately for his fans, Rankin's own art is not "all the same." In this follow-up to his immensely popular first solo, Songdog, Jimmy Rankin offers something of his own that is handmade, strong lyrics presented in a simple acoustic setting.

With the title song, Rankin's interest in the world around him takes on a more overtly political voice than in the past as he observes that "We lost our style in the face of fashion/and we lost the will to care/," asking instead for something real, for someone's handcrafted offering instead of manufactured plastic substitutes.

Along with the social commentary of Handmade, the 13-song collection that comprises Handmade continues to reflect Rankin's familiar imagery, articulated in Morning Bound Train as "going through dark to see the light."

Rain, trains (even evoking Jimmy Rodgers in the song California), ocean walks, secret harbours, late nights, all comprise features of the internal landscape Rankin explores in so many of his songs, songs that despite themes of isolation or loneliness, have as their ultimate destination the safe harbour of someone awaiting his arrival, "I'm always going to be chasing highways, running home..."

The video for the album's first single, Morning Bound Train, was shot in Halifax in August and should begin showing up on video channels, if not already, soon. And like Songdog, more singles will be peeling off this collection to enjoy solo careers of their own, including, I hope, Handmade.

In an interview last week with Halifax Herald writer, Stephen Cooke, Rankin says of Handmade, "It's a bit more optimistic than Songdog, It was made in a more peaceful place."

Handmade was distributed in music stores across Canada this week.

Jimmy Rankin's Handmade promotional tour for September takes him to western Canada so Oran readers out there can enjoy the opportunity to hear the album live as the Mabou songwriter comes to a performance near you.

Rankin leaves room to grow

September 7, 2003 - Kamloops This Week

By Alan Bass

Handmade announces its intentions right away.

If its title doesn't clue you in, the opening riff - a simple, classic banjo line - certainly will. This is an album devoted to acoustic music.

Oddly, though, if the album suffers from anything, it's overproduction, particularly on the love songs and ballads, the very ones that ought to resonate with intimacy when played acoustically.

In part, that's due to the one nod Rankin makes to today's musical norms, an electric bass that often seems too dominant in the mix.

But it's also because Rankin has tried to make his voice too pretty on these songs, shaving away its individuality. Rankin's decision to have only male backup singers also feels wrong, given the soft and feminine character of many songs. It's as if they have empty parts where the Rankin sisters, Cookie, Heather and Raylene, ought to be.

But on the more rocking numbers - such as Dog Out in the Rain, The Last Time and Handmade - Rankin puts the growl back in his voice and things work out better. The electric bass line also fits in nicely when backing acoustic guitars hammered up and down in short staccato strokes.

For those of us who love acoustic music, there's a lot to like here. Jimmy Rankin is, without doubt, a shiny pearl of Canadian talent. But he clearly is still seeking a voice and musical identity he can carry without his sisters or late brother, John Morris.

If we're lucky, the last cut on this album, Northern Winds, will cast a light to show the way. Seemingly added as an afterthought (it isn't even on the CD song list), it features just two acoustic guitars and Jimmy's unadorned, one-take vocals. It is sparse and beautiful and haunting - perhaps a hopeful sign of what's yet to come from Jimmy Rankin.

Jimmy Rankin performed at Sport Mart Place on Saturday with Keith Urban and Carolyn Dawn Johnson.

Alan Bass is chair of the school of journalism at the University College of the Cariboo.

Raylene to launch solo record at Strathspey Place

September 10, 2003 - Inverness Oran

Raylene Rankin is set to release her first solo album titled Lambs in Spring in early October.

She will be performing songs from her new album in a concert at Strathspey Place in Mabou, Cape Breton on October 9th, sharing the bill with pianist/keyboard player, Mac Morin, of Troy, whose self-titled recording was released this summer.

The first segment of the concert will feature songs from Raylene. The second part will feature tunes from Mac Morin.

Jimmy talks about the "track" to success

September 23, 2003 - CMT Canada

It may be no surprise that Jimmy Rankin wrote his new single, “Morning Bound Train,” while on a recent trip to Mexico. It seems travel is critical to Jimmy’s songwriting success. He says, “I was speaking at my nephew’s graduation recently and talking about the importance of travel for me…I grew up in Cape Breton and it wasn’t like we went on trips every summer or I was overly exposed to the outside world. I got out of Nova Scotia for the first time on my own when I was 19. I went to Europe for a year and I think that is when I started finding my voice as a songwriter.” Jimmy says he has to be somewhere, to experience something firsthand in order to write a song about it.

At home in Ottawa
Solid country music lineup at Civic Centre

September 23, 2003 - Ottawa Sun
By Ann Marie McQueen

Concert Review

JIMMY RANKIN
Civic Centre, Ottawa
Monday, September 22, 2003

Keith Urban couldn't call in sick for this one.

There were some pretty excited fans left out in the cold last February when a throat condition forced the pretty-boy Australian country singer to cancel on a doctor's orders. It took seven months and some people asked for a refund but when the critically acclaimed Urban finally made it to the Ottawa Civic Centre last night, he played to a group of forgiving and excited Ottawa fans who steadfastly held on to their tickets.

But first there were his solid all-Canadian opening acts: Talented East Coast songwriter/singer Jimmy Rankin and recent country "it" girl, Carolyn Dawn Johnson.

Johnson, who grew up on a farm in Deadwood, Alta., became a successful songwriter after ordering video on the craft and then heading to Nashville on a writing scholarship. She penned for the likes of Pam Tillis and Mindy McCready before hitting No. 1 with Single White Female sung by Chely Wright.

Johnson was singing in club in Nashville when a record company rep approached her for a deal, and the result is her 2001 debut album, Room With a View. Among the accolades Johnson has earned in the last year was an American Music Award for favourite new country artist, and after seeing her perform it isn't hard to see why.

RADIO HIT

A versatile singer, Johnson seemed sexy, sweet, sincere, vocally powerful and emotionally vulnerable all at the same time last night. She opened her 50-minute set singing along to her acoustic guitar and a backup band with her radio hit Georgia, waiting until near the end to play her recognizable tune of love and longing, Complicated. She inserted "Ottawa" wherever she could in her tunes, which included Just Another Girl, a hopeful singleton's anthem called One Day Closer to You, I Don't Want You To Go and a catchy, sure-to-be-a-hit tune called Dress Rehearsal off her forthcoming followup album.

The set was plagued several times by feedback problems, and got pretty heavy in the middle when Johnson dove into tunes of love and loss like Masterpiece and her debut's title track, about her older brother who died suddenly.

"Okay, I'm going to promise not to sing any more sad songs," she laughed, before kicking it up a notch with Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That.

2ND-LAST SHOW

Rankin, now two solo albums away from the days of performing with the rest of his musical family members, played a gentle, friendly half-hour set of tunes straight from Cape Breton, but right at home during a night of country music in Ottawa. He opened with Midnight Angel off his 2000 debut Song Dog and closed with the hit from that album, the bittersweet Followed Her Around. In between was the title track from his followup, Handmade.

It was the second-last night of a tour which almost didn't happen, and as Johnson told the audience last night, she was just starting to get a little "verklempt" at the idea.

"It's been a lot of fun, I've had a lot of laughs," said Rankin.

"We have prayer meetings backstage. They're a wonderful bunch."

Rankin to open John Prine shows

September 25, 2003 - Halifax Herald

With a sold-out Canadian tour with international country superstars Keith Urban and Carolyn Dawn Johnson behind him and a Symphony Nova Scotia show at the Rebecca Cohn ahead of him on Oct. 3, Jimmy Rankin has a great new gig in the works.

The Mabou native will be touring nationally in November with one of his songwriting idols, John Prine, including his shows at the Cohn on Nov. 10 and 11 and Sydney's Centre 200 Nov. 13.

Tickets for Prine go on sale Saturday at noon - $50.50 (plus service charge) at the Cohn box office, and the Sydney show is $42.50 (plus charges).

Jimmy Rankin to open for John Prine

October 1, 2003 - Inverness Oran

Jimmy Rankin will be the special guest for singer-songwriter John Prine's concert series in Nova Scotia. After ten years of touring, numerous hit singles, multiple Juno awards and sales of over two million albums with Canadian musical heroes The Rankins (which disbanded in 1999), Jimmy Rankin is now a solo singer-songwriter whose two albums, Songdog and the recently released Handmade, have established his independent career.

John Prine will be appearing at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on two nights, November 10th and 11th, and at Sydney's Centre 200 on November 13.

Double record release:
Raylene Rankin, Mac Morin host Strathspey music party

October 1, 2003 - Inverness Oran
By Frank MacDonald

On Thursday, October 9th, there will be an unofficial launch of Celtic Colours when Strathspey Place brings two of Cape Breton's most celebrated musicians together for the launch of not just one, but two recordings.

From the John Morris Rankin State in Strathspey Place, vocalist Raylene Rankin will release her first solo recording, Lambs in Spring, while Cape Breton pianist Mac Morin will officially release his self-titled album.

Originally, Raylene Rankin explains, the evening was going to be for Mac's release, but at the time former Rankins vocalist was working on her own CD, "and I felt it was important to release it in Mabou."

As for Mac, who says he is most comfortable when the spotlight is not on him on the stage, having Raylene share the evening was a welcome addition.

For Cape Breton music fans, the decision to jointly release their recordings has offered a rare opportunity to get two great moments for the price of one.

The show will open with Raylene Rankin singing selections from Lambs in Spring, a recording that was intended to be wholly traditional, but which, in the recording process, became a mixture of traditional and contemporary folk.

"The idea of recording was in the back of my mind for a couple of years, and I used to meet with Tony Quinn, a comedian/musician and we'd bring tunes and begin workshopping them."

That exploration of the music led to Raylene visiting the Inception Sound Studio in June where The Rankins recorded their first three albums. She began to work once again with producer Chad Irshick, and the idea was no longer just at the back of Raylene's mind.

Between time spent in the Inception studio and a couple of weeks at Lakewind Studio, run by Fred Lavery and Gordie Sampson, recording two of the albums cuts, Lambs in Spring and the Gaelic song, Calum Sgaire, with backup from sisters Cookie and Heather, the project was well on its way.

It was also a matter of the original idea being reshaped by factors and influences that redefined the final project.

"I'm very happy with it," Raylene explains. "It was going to be a purely traditional album, but once we got into the process it morphed into something else, developed on its own."

What developed was an album whose theme is innocense and loss, and during the process of selecting the dozen or so songs that would carry that theme, Raylene's choices were made with twofold consideration. "It came down to the songs that work best for my voice and that worked best together."

Those choices include numbers written by various songwriters from her late brother, John Morris Rankin (Lambs in Spring), to works by Laura Smith, musician George Antoniak, Ontario-Scotland songwriter David Francey, whose song, Flowers of Saskatchewan, is a poignant celebration of the sacrifices of war.

While Raylene Rankin's vocals will open the show, Mac Morin's piano will dominate the second half of this double release. Morin, a native of Troy and currently living in Mabou, released his first recording, Mac Morin, a collection of traditional Celtic compositions showcasing the pianist's versatility and is self-explanatory for anyone wondering why Mac's accompaniment is so often sought after by fiddlers. Mac Morin marks the first time that his piano is centrepiece of the music, accompanied by the fiddle, the pipes, the guitar.

While Mac Morin has been available since June, there has been no official release party yet, the pianist explains, and the Strathspey Party with Raylene Rankin addresses that.

"I'm glad Raylene is sharing the evening with me," Mac says. "It makes my job a little easier." However, he adds, he still has to learn her music since he will be performing with Raylene in her part of the show, and she is expected to play a role in Morin's half. But it's not as if he's the only musician on stage.

Mac says that he is looking forward to working with John Diamond and Steve O'Connor, two musicians he toured with with Natalie MacMaster, as well as pianist Tracey Dares who will take part, and Gordie Sampson. There are a few other musicians expected, and there may be surprises on that evening.

Lile Raylene Rankin, Mac Morin's original album concept was a wholly traditional one, but "when I decided to do this album it was going to be completely traditional, but I've worked with so many amazing musicians I had to include their influence. Every tune is traditional, but about a quarter of them are influenced by contemporary musicians," Morin explains.

What the listener hears is Morin in a range of musical personas as he performs duets on different cuts with guitarists Gordie Sampson, Pius MacIsaac, Patrick Gillis and Sandy MacDonald; fiddler Rannie MacLellan, piper Kevin Dugas, and fellow pianist Betty Lou Beaton.

Mac Morin is an energetic offering of works by celebrated composers from the Celtic tradition which a heavy emphasis on Cape Breton works by John Morris Rankin, Dan R. MacDonald, Jerry Holland, Kinnon Beaton, Ian MacDougall, Sandy MacIntyre and others.

Until a few years ago, Mac Morin toured with Natalie MacMaster's band, but eventually the pianist left to return to Cape Breton. He wanted to be here and playing with the people at home, he explained. Being home, he added, is a way of staying grounded in the Cape Breton tradition of music, something even the most celebrated musicians from the island to whenever an opportunity presents itself to play at local dances and concerts.

Morin wasn't alone in his desire to focus on the traditional Cape Breton sound. So did a few other musicians hew knew, fiddlers Wendy MacIsaac and Mairi Rankin, for example, and Celtic guitarist Patrick Gillis, piper Ryan J. MacNeil and drummer Matthew Foulds. All busy musicians, they began playing together for the pleasure of it whenever they could, under the name Beolach.

The only trouble with that grouping of musicians is that if they thought their playing together would keep them home, well, Beolach's traditional sound has captured the imagination of a large fan base in the Celtic world, and the band has been busy touring Europe, Canada and the United States.

Mac Morin is available at the Bear Paw Gift and Craft Shop in Inverness, Charlie's Music Store in Cheticamp, the Wilde Goose Chase and Mabou Fresh Mart in Mabou.

Sweet-voiced Rankin flies solo
Raylene has enriched her expressive power as a singer on Lambs in Spring

October 2, 2003 - Halifax Herald
By Stephen Pedersen / Arts Reporter

Caidil gu la laddie, la laddie

Sleep the moon away.

Cape Breton Lullaby

It's one of Cape Breton's most recognizable songs, an Island trademark with its piercing melody and lilting rhythm. But rare is the singer who sings it like Raylene Rankin does on her first solo CD, Lambs in Spring.

Her voice is soft and sweet, almost hushed at times, making it a real lullaby, tender and warm, sung as a mother would sing it, not as an anthem.

At the heart of Lambs in Spring, to be released in Mabou's Strathspey Centre next Thursday (Oct. 9) at 7:30 p.m., are two sharply contrasted songs. The first is another lullaby, Alasdair Beag, a traditional tune to which Rankin has written her own soft lyrics.

The following song is David Francey's understated but wrenching Flowers of Saskatchewan, about the Prairie boys who died in the D-Day assault on a ravaged Normandy Beach.

"The way the album was shaped," Rankin said from her home in Halifax, "was a gut feeling - there is a recurring theme of innocence and the loss of innocence. It popped up again and again."

George Antoniak's Scent of Roses is about loss ("I let you go, You slipped right through my hands"). Francey's Highwire compares love to a circus turn on a tightrope, the hard ground waiting below ("You never can tell when you might Jack and Jill.") The traditional Life of a Country Boy ambles buoyantly along, the singer ecstatically happy "to ramble in the new-mown hay."

Not a concious decision, the subtext contrasting innocence with loss of innocence, emerged through repeated listenings after a lengthy process "in the back of my mind," Rankin said, which gave rise about a year ago to the creating of a list of more than 50 tunes.

"I started workshopping two afternoons a week with Tony Quinn. We looked at everything from Steve Earle to Irish tunes, looking for what worked best for me and suited my voice.

"We shortlisted over 50 songs, got it down to 40, recorded them and sent them off to Chad Irschick (Inception Sound in Toronto). After shortlisting the 40 down to 12 for the album, we recorded them and started to sequence - sequencing is always a difficult stage - I dread it.

"After trying several options, I came back with a sequence that Chad had initially sent."

Irschick produced the first three or four of seven Rankin Family albums which made the group a national treasure in the heyday of the Celtic Wave of the '90s - which they did much to generate.

Raylene left the band in 1998 when her son was born, and since then has played solo gigs and conventions with guitarist Clarence Deveau and others. She will get together with her sisters Cookie and Heather (who backup one of the songs on Lambs in Spring) for their annual Christmas show.

But lengthy tours for Raylene have given way to the imperatives of family and motherhood.

It is clear from listening to Lambs in Spring, that Rankin has enriched her expressive power as a singer. The album highlights the natural sweetness and purity of her voice. On the title song, she traces the lovely shape of the melody, written by her late brother John Morris, arching high and true over the piercing intervals, expressing the song's theme of a remembered springtime love with an exquisite sense of its unique mix of melancholy and resignation.

On a second Antoniak song, Someone Like You, Rankin shapes a new course. Antoniak's song is a remarkable example of an old-fashioned jazz ballad standard that sounds like it was written in the '40s or '50s, but is so fresh and original it also sounds new.

Rankin sings it brilliantly, with a real flair for its pop style. The simplicity of the accompaniment enhances the impression, admittedly old, old-fashioned, that the sweetness of her voice in this swing tune is for dancing cheek-to-cheek with eyes closed as couples did before rock 'n' roll severed them into isolated acrobats.

Although Rankin had a rocky two-year ride with breast cancer five years ago, she says today, "I am in fantastic health - knock on wood and pray to St. Theresa!"

Since 2000, she has acted as honorary chairman of the annual fundraising Run for the Cure in Sydney ("For me it's a walk"), a five kilometre run/walk taking place Sunday.

"We expect to raise $400,000 this year," Rankin said. "The first year we raised $228,000. Last year we raised $380,000."

She'll return to Cape Breton for the CD release concert next Thursday, which she will be sharing with Mac Morin who also releases a new CD.

Rankin's husband, Colin Anderson, of Allegra Print & Imaging expects EMI, who will manufacture and distribute Lambs in Spring, will have CDs available for the launch.

"We designed and printed the album cover," Anderson said. "Carol Kennedy took the photos. We got it to EMI before they even got the master. They are promising we will have product. They made it today (Wednesday), will ship it Friday, I will get it Monday."

Rankin, Symphony Nova Scotia deliver serendipitious time at Cohn

October 4, 2003 - Halifax Herald
By Stephen Pedersen / Arts Reporter - Concert Review

Jimmy Rankin came into the Cohn with Symphony Nova Scotia as his back-up band Friday night. He finessed a standing ovation by asking everyone to get on their feet and move around for his last number, a driving rhythm 'n' blues version of You Feel The Same Way Too.

The sold-out-house was rocking, and the audience, delighted time and again all evening long, needed no encouragement. They would have stood anyway.

Rankin is an appealing performer who does nothing special or gimmicky. He just stands and delivers.

His songs are amazingly similar and even more amazingly simple. Yet they soothe the hurricane-fevered brow with their combination of lively groove and slow lyrics.

Much of the serendipity can be traced to his harmonic language--hardly more than four chords voiced for sweetness and orbiting around the sunny warmth of the tonic chord.

His hooks are even simpler, and his melodies, varying little from song to song, follow a well-balanced pattern in which the melody rises for nearly two bars, pauses on the rise and gently falls in the next pair of bars, at the end of which he will sometimes take his voice to an unexpected note below the tonic.

His voice is light and pleasant and sweet, never harsh or grating, even when he rasps it up for a gritty effect.

His band, with Ed Woodsworth on bass, Jamie Robinson on guitar, Kim Dunn on keyboards and Charlie Cooley on drums, are called the Song Dogs after Rankin's first solo album.

They played in front of the orchestra. Scott Macmillan did his usual professional job of leading the musicians through a song list which included Midnight Angel, Orangedale Whistle, Captain Harmony, Lighthouse Heart, Rovin' Gypsy Boy, Tripper and Followed Her Around.

The orchestral arrangements by Peter Coulman amount to little more than orchestral sweetening, which on the one hand is a sinful waste of symphonic colour, and on the other a warm bath for Rankin's voice to float on.

Raylene Rankin releases Lambs in Spring

October 15, 2003 - Inverness Oran
By Frank MacDonald

Raylene Rankin released her first solo album on Thursday evening at Strathspey Place to thunderous applause for the popular singer.

Choosing as her opening number the David Francey song, Highwire, the Mabou vocalist struck out on her own, introducing the audience to the songs from her recording, a record that didn't turn out to what she planned it to be. Originally conceived as a collection of traditional recordings, Raylene discovered, "I'm not a traditional singer."

Instead, Lambs in Spring took a different direction, its tone and texture evident in the title selection. Written by her late brother John Morris Rankin, the song was humming itself at the back of Raylene's mind as thoughts of recording her solo CD began to form. It had been a song rehearsed by The Rankins but never recorded, and Raylene went searching through boxes of tapes. On the first tape she pulled from the archive was Lambs in Spring.

"It's a song I hold very dear to my heart because it was written by my late brother," she explained, and while it was intended to be one song among a collection of twelve, as the singer began to sift through and select songs from a variety of sources, a pattern began to emerge.

"There was a recurring theme of innocence and innocence lost," she explained. In her rendering of the song on Lambs in Spring, a melancholy tenderness runs through the recording, in the title song, clearly, and beautifully conveyed by Rankin in the selection, Singing Bird. No other song, though, carries the theme of innocence and innocence lost with the intensity of another David Francey number, Flowers of Saskatchewan, a lament for the young men of that province, who, along with so many other courageous Canadians, were sent to their death in the slaughter at Dieppe, an experience, Rankin said, in which Canada learned the price of being a sacrificial lamb.

Innocence and loss of such are not rooted in tragedy and separation, as Raylene demonstrated in several other selections, including her own composition to a traditional air, Alasdair Beag, a song for her five-year-old song, and the Cape Breton Lullaby. And for something complete different and equally welcome, the audience caught a glimpse of another Raylene with her jazzy offering of a love ballad, Someone Like You. This is a genre the singer could explore without apology.

While the theme of the recording dominated the concert, Raylene Rankin's presentation of love songs, traditional ballads, Gaelic songs and lullabies, supported by a dream band comprised of pianist Mac Morin, fiddler Mairi Rankin, bass player John Chiasson, guitarist Clarence Deveau and drummer Geoff Arsenault, maintained the upbeat and humour-filled tempp of a truly enjoyable concert.

Lambs in Spring is available at outlets throughout Inverness County.

Jimmy Rankin, John Prine on Atlantic tour

November 5, 2003 - Inverness Oran
By Frank MacDonald

Jimmy Rankin's continuing success with his most recent recording, Handmade, has had the Mabou singer-songwriter on the road for most of the autumn.

Having finished up a tour of Western Canada and Ontario on a triple bill with country rocker Keith Urban and country singer Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Rankin returned to Halifax for a show with the Nova Scotia Symphony, then was off to PEI for an Alzheimer's fund-raiser on a bill that included Lennie Gallant, Bruce Guthro, Rita MacNeil and Terry Kelly.

On Monday, Jimmy Rankin joins John Prince for the Atlantic Canada leg of Prine's current tour. It is an association towards which he is looking forward.

"The first time I saw him was in the '80's at Carnegie Hall," Rankin reflects, and the next time their paths crossed was when The Rankins and Prine were playing the Merle Watson Festival in North Carolina, although they never met. But, Jimmy Rankin says, he was at Cookie's place in Nashville recently. "I'm looking forward to it. I'm a fan from way back."

Rankin will be opening for Prine at shows in Halifax, Sydney and Newfoundland. The Centre 200 show, scheduled for Thursday, November 13th, will be Rankin's only Cape Breton appearance until some time in the new year.

While Jimmy Rankin is touring the nation, his first cut from Handmade, Morning Bound Train, has been enjoying a journey of its own, working its way towards the top of the country music charts in Canada, and the video of the song has been in steady rotation on CMT.

In December, shooting will begin on a new video from the album, Butterfly.

In February, Rankin is planning a tour of eastern Canada that should bring his new show back to Inverness County.

For tickets to the John Prine show at Centre 200, call 902-564-6668.

Prine spins tales of life and love

November 11, 2003 - Halifax Herald
By Stephen Cooke / Entertainment Reporter - Concert Review

One can't say for sure if John Prine was wearing an illegal smile when he took to the stage of the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on Monday night, but he was certainly sporting a mile-wide grin beneath his famous moustache.

There were waves of enthusiasm rolling off the sold-out crowd throughout the evening to reinforce Prine's positive mood, punctuated by occasional song title requests and cries of "We love you John!" Bolstered by band members Dave Jacques on bass and guitarist Jason Wilber, Prine launched into a nearly two-hour set of recent and familiar favourites in the style of Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, right down to the sober black suits.

Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore offered up some irreverent social commentary, as fresh now as three decades ago when it was written. "I wrote that in 1969, and I thought paranoid patriotism would be over with by the time my record came out," mused Prine. "Guess I was wrong again."

Time and again, Prine's trademark rasp and drawl underlined the timeless nature of his parade of broken hearts and dusty dreams in songs like Six O'Clock News and Souvenirs, as life's experience piles up stories like rusted junkers on the front lawn.

His own life was laid bare in songs like Fish and Whistle, based on his military stint, and the indelible character study Grandpa Was a Carpenter.

Wilber added subtle slide guitar to Angel From Montgomery, enhancing an already transcendent experience, while Sam Stone's Vietnam vet saga was transformed into a Remembrance Day tribute.

And, at the same time that his peers were saluting the memory of Johnny Cash in Nashville, Prine and Co. launched into an electrifying Bear Creek Blues in memory of the country giant and his wife June Carter that tore the place up.

Opening act Jimmy Rankin, who has been known to fill the Cohn himself on occasion, seemed delighted to warm up the crowd for one of his idols. Sticking to songs from his two solo CDs Song Dog and Handmade, Rankin played solo acoustic for a spirited set of soul searching tunes like Midnight Angel and Wasted.

Handmade's title track seemed appropriate for the evening, in its search for the things in life that are truly worthwhile, tangible goods with which one can make a connection, while Colorado's tale of long distance love gone wrong seemed to bear a bit of the master's influence, filtered through Rankin's own seasoned, rootsy voice.

Hot Ticket: In Prine Form

November 21, 2003 - London Free Press
By Free Press Staff

U.S. singer-songwriter John Prine brings his country-tinged music and observations to a sold-out Centennial Hall on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m.

Admired by critics and many other songwriters in the 1970s, Prine’s first records were not big sellers. He eventually founded his own label, Oh Boy Records, scored a Grammy and is back on the road after health problems — including cancer surgery — in the late 1990s.

Canadian singer-songwriter Jimmy Rankin is opening for Prine. Rankin also performs an acoustic set from his latest release, Handmade, at noon Sunday at Chapters in the Masonville area, 86 Fanshawe Park Rd.

Jimmy Rankin takes to the Playhouse

November 26, 2003 - The Brunswickan
By Bruns Staff

After ten years of touring, numerous hit singles, multiple Juno awards and sales of over two million albums with Canadian musical heroes The Rankins (who disbanded in 1999), Jimmy Rankin has emerged with his debut album Song Dog and he's bringing his solo show to the Playhouse on Feb. 26th.

Jimmy Rankin is a chronicler of human experience: love, fate, fear and destitution. Raw emotion and masterful musicality meet pop, roots rock and Celtic-tinged flavours head-on in a show that has been capturing the imagination of audiences across Canada.

Rankin is known nationwide as a vocalist, guitar player and principal songwriter for The Rankins. The group won countless ECMAs, several CCMAs, and five Junos including Entertainer of the Year, and Single of the Year for Jimmy's self-penned song `Fare Thee Well Love,' The Rankins' signature song, which broke the band on Canadian radio. As well, for his various hit singles, Jimmy accumulated five SOCAN awards based on top radio airplay.

"We are very excited about presenting Jimmy Rankin," said Tim Yerxa, Playhouse Director. "Jimmy is one of the most talented singer-songwriters out there and he consistenly delivers great performances. The audience is in for a big treat."

Tickets are available at the Playhouse Box Office. Call 458-8344.

Royal Christmas cancelled

November 27, 2003 - London Free Press
By James Reaney, A&E Columnist

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, you feel my pain.

"I know what it was like. I was near bankruptcy, overweight, desolate, depressed, miserable, broken my marriage, lost lots of dear friends, lost my mother," Ferguson said at one woebegone point during a conference call yesterday morning to promote her stage debut in the touring extravaganza, A Royal Christmas 2003.

Tell me about it. And now, to top it all off, the show ain't even going on.

A Royal Christmas, with Ferguson and co-stars Angela Lansbury, Christopher Plummer and Linda Ronstadt and a huge supporting cast, was called off yesterday afternoon, according to Yvonne Valnea, a Toronto-based publicist for the show's promoter, Princeton Entertainment.

Valnea, who had set up the interview with Ferguson, e-mailed shortly after it was over to say Princeton had just officially told her the plug had been pulled on the program, which was to have played the John Labatt Centre on Wednesday. Refunds are being offered at point of purchase.

People who know the London entertainment scene said all along A Royal Christmas would not repeat the business it did as a sold-out show with Plummer and Julie Andrews in 2002.

The speculation is that to break even, the promoters needed to sell almost as many tickets, not quite the full 9,000, and had sold only about 5,000.

Call me a Grinch for wondering if that Royal Christmas math was going to add up, but I still went ahead with the interview, trying to keep track of the publicist's directions to address Ferguson as "Duchess" or "Ma'am" and stay away from questions about all those royal scandals affecting her ex-in-laws.

If the duchess had any sense her show would not go on, she never gave the game away. Throughout the interview, Ferguson, 44, stayed on message in shifting through the many moods of her life. She guides a children's charity, writes books, has a horse that is favoured to win an equestrian gold for Ireland and speaks for Weight Watchers.

But she won't be making her showbiz debut next week.

The e-mail shutting down A Royal Christmas capped a weird November day -- during which I also talked with Raylene Rankin of Halifax, who says the Rankin Sisters' Christmas concert on Tuesday at Centennial Hall at 7:30 p.m. is definitely on.

But Raylene's unaffected musings on the joys of singing at Christmas will have to wait for another day so we can wave farewell to Sarah's brave reflections on a life of past pain and present happiness.

"I think I've faced a great deal of my demons . . . I know that I've never been more content in my life. For once, it's nothing to do with food or a man or any other attachment. It's me, myself, that is happy," she said.

"Now I'm Sarah Ferguson, a woman in my own right . . . I am standing up in my own capacity as a single working mom with two great children, who has paid off all her debts and has got her life together and lost her weight and is standing up there with pride."

Married in 1986 after a whirlwind romance, Prince Andrew and the duchess separated in 1992. They divorced in 1996 and share joint custody of their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Last year, Ferguson moved out of the prince's home to a nearby rented cottage, which she shares with the girls.

Her passion for upholding the monarchy brought out the loyal subject in the duchess. Ferguson offered a stinging rebuke to "the betrayal of the recent weeks," when a British tabloid reporter successfully took up work as a royal footman, causing a security fright, and the late Princess Diana's "rock," butler Paul Burrell, sold more scandalous tales. Burrell enraged Ferguson's ex-in-laws, who denied his sordid sagas. "(The tabloids) must cease. They must -- and give Her Majesty support . . . she's such a wonderful woman," the duchess says.

Ahem, not that the monarch is having the duchess over with her kids at Christmas.

No, the duchess won't be spending Christmas with the Queen. Her two daughters will be off with their father and her ex, Prince Andrew, at the royals' holiday fest. The duchess herself will be at her cottage, with family.

When it came to Royal Flush, er, Royal Christmas, she said many nice things about Lansbury, Plummer and her own show business debut. The one worth repeating is the Ferguson's one-liner on Ronstadt. What about Linda, ma'am? "You can't say more than, 'What a lineup.' "

Thank you, duchess, it was a pleasure.

Come and see us some time when you don't have to sell all those tickets first.

Rankins bring "blast" of show to London

November 29, 2003 - London Free Press
By Free Press Staff and News Services

Raylene Rankin doesn't mind turning the spotlight on her sisters.

Asked to name a few moments when the spirit of the season is strongest during the Rankin Sisters' Christmas concert, Raylene gives the nod to one from Heather Rankin and another to Cookie Rankin.

Heather takes the lead on The Coventry Carol. "(It) is just one of those timeless beauties," Raylene Rankin says.

In another Christmas universe altogether, Cookie does a fine Rosemary Clooney-tinged version of the pop tune Let It Snow.

"I like to hear other people sing. (The Christmas feeling) comes back. It's the nice feeling of hearing other people sing," Raylene says of the chance to listen to her sisters.

The Rankin Sisters play Centennial Hall on Tuesday night as the first stop on their Christmas concert tour. "We always have a good time with this show. Last year was just a blast. We hope that one little iota is translated to the audience," Raylene says.

She recently released a new solo album, Lambs In Spring, including a track for her young son, Alexander. When he was born about five years ago, Raylene decided to trade the hectic touring and performing schedule to dedicate her time to raising him. She also won a battle with breast cancer.

Christmas is the time the extended family gets together, she says.

Raylene and Heather, who is pursuing an acting career, both live in Halifax. Cookie is based in Nashville. One brother is a miner in the Sudbury area and expects to be on hand for festivities at the Rankins' Cape Breton home base.

The Rankins, including brothers Jimmy Rankin and the late John Morris Rankin, disbanded in 1999, following a 10-year career. Over a decade-long, storybook career, the Rankin Family, as the band was known earlier, 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.

In looking back on the family's Christmas traditions, Cookie will talk on stage of being seated at the "children's table" on Christmas day because there simply was not enough room at the dinner table for everyone to fit. She tells of the bliss when, after about 14 years, someone mistakenly sat on the children's table and broke it, leading to secret shouts of joy from the girls.

"We all said, 'Yay, we can finally sit at the big table,' " Cookie recalls with a grin. "But then Santa brought another table-and-chair set. And to this day, when things get really crowded at Christmas, I sit at that table -- but not without a glass of red wine."

-- -- --

IF YOU GO

What: Christmas concert by East Coast stars the Rankin Sisters

When: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Centennial Hall

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

The making of Lambs in Spring
Conversation with Raylene Rankin

November/December 2003 - Celtic Heritage Magazine
By Alexa Thompson

One hot summer's day, a few years ago, I was attending a lunchtime concert at the Atlantic Jazz Festival. Unexpectedly Raylene Rankin appeared on stage. A tiny figure with a huge voice had the audience mesmerized.

There is something intrinsically Celtic about releasing a CD called Lambs in Spring just as this world winds down to the winter solstice. It is a brief prayed that if I be spared, I will see those lambs again in spring.

Lambs in Spring, Raylene Rankin's first solo album since leaving The Rankins (formerly The Rankin Family) in 1998, was released in early October in Mabou. The title track was written by her late brother John Morris.

"John Morris turned out to be quiet a poet. People regarded him as an instrumentalist but he wrote some really good songs - like "Eyes of Margaret." (She too is an accomplished songwriter. Not only did she write the well-known Rankin song "Gillis Mountain", she also wrote the wonderful lyrics to the traditional lullaby "Alasdair Beag," which appears on Lambs in Spring).

The title track had been workshopped but it never made it onto a Rankin Family album. When she went looking for it among the boxes and boxes of tapes in her home, it was the first she pulled out.

Since Raylene left The Rankins, following the birth of her son Alexander, she has been performing occasionally. She and sisters Cookie and Heather added their unique harmonics to Carly Simon's CD Bedroom Tapes, and since 1999, the three sisters have been performing a special Christmas show in Ontario.

A solo album had been at the back of Raylene's mind for quite some time. About a year ago she started work on the project with local musician Tony Quinn. They sifted through more than 50 songs, everything from traditional to Irish folk music, looking for the right blend. Fifty was whittled down to 40,. Working two afternoons a week, the two recorded the 40 songs - three or four at a session, which she and Tony would take home to listen to see what was most effective with her unique sound. Then they were sent to Chad Irschick of Inception Sound in Toronto, who had worked on the first three Rankin Family albums.

Forty tapes became 12 songs and, as the sequencing progressed, a theme began to emerge of innocence and loss of innocence. Innocence in such songs as the title one and the lullabies, loss in such songs as David Francey's wrenching "Flowers of Saskatchewan" about the deaths of young Prairie soldiers on the beach at Normandy or George Antoniak's "Scent of Roses."

Lambs in Spring started as a small album, with minimal instrumentalism, but as it progressed it took a different turn and ended up along a less than traditional route.

It was a different process for Raylene who was used to working with her brothers and sisters. Then there were five voices, each with a different opinion. Among five dissenting voices there was sure to be one good idea. Now she was making her own decisions about what would work, though she had the respected opinion of Quinn and Irschick, and the total support of husband Colin.

"Twelve songs selected, last June Raylene went to Toronto to lay down the tracks. "I was really lucky with the core band in Toronto," she says. "Certain cuts were just guitar or upright bass, but sometimes I'd sing a cappella and they would meet me. It was wonderful."

Two tracks, however, including "Lambs in Spring," she insisted be recorded at Lakewind Sound in Point Aconi. "I spent a week in Cape Breton (at Lakewind) in August," she explained, "because I felt it was important to have that Cape Breton presence on the recording." Joining her on those tracks were Mac Morin, Mairi Rankin and Gordie Sampson.

Lambs in Spring is promoted and distributed by EMI Records, who handled many of The Rankin Family recordings as well as solo CDs from brother Jimmy. She is pleased to have this relationship with the company that allows her complete artistic license. It is, she feels, a testament to their faith in her as a musician.

She will be touring Canada next spring to promote her new release. Meantime she is getting ready with Cookie and Heather for their annual Christmas performance. For the first time, they will be bringing it to the Maritimes.

Nominees announced for ECMA 2004 -- More Categories, More Diversity Than Ever Before

December 10, 2003 - ECMA's

For Immediate Release

St. John’s, NL -- Jimmy Rankin, Matt Mays, Sloan, and Damhnait Doyle lead the pack of nominations for the 2004 East Coast Music Awards, with six each. Musical diversity has never been more apparent. Crush follows with five nominations, while the Jimmy Swift Band, Melanie Doane, and Universal Soul received three nominations each. Many other artists are also nominated for two awards.

The nominations were announced this morning during a news conference in St. John’s. The number of submissions for the music awards increased this year to almost 400 -- from every genre of East Coast music. Today, ECMA is proud to announce 130 music nominations in 26 categories and industry nominations in 16 categories.

"Look at the diversity of East Coast music this year! Our nominees offer a little bit of everything," said Shelley Nordstrom, Chair of the East Coast Music Association. "This is an incredible year for variety, and I think it shows how over the last 16 years, this event has encouraged artists of all genres to excel."

One of the most popular awards is the Entertainer of the Year award. This year's Entertainer of the Year nominees are Blou, Crush, Damhnait Doyle, Jimmy Rankin, and Melanie Doane. This award is a special one, as it is the only award in which the public has a say. While the East Coast Music Association membership votes on all other categories, the public can vote for their choice of the recipient sometime in January. More details will be provided at a later date so stay tuned!

ECMA is also proud to announce that it will once again present awards for Francophone Recording of the Year, Aboriginal Recording of the Year, and African-Canadian Recording of the Year.

On the industry side, the craft nominees submitted their work to juries of other industry professionals for consideration. There were over 100 submissions for the music industry awards.

"We are very happy with the number and quality of submissions we received this year," says Nordstrom. "The craft side of our industry is more important than ever before and we want to make sure these nominees are recognized for their excellent achievements. We will celebrate their excellence during our 16th anniversary celebrations in St. John’s in 2004." These awards will be presented during the ECMA Industry Awards Show and Brunch, Friday, February 13th.

The ECMA and CBC announced that Newfoundland and Labrador comedians Mark Critch and Shaun Majumder will be the hosts of the ECMA Awards Gala 2004. The East Coast Music Awards will broadcast live from Mile One Stadium in downtown St. John’s in a shared event – CBC Television and CBC Radio Two – on Sunday, February 15 at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT). The East Coast Music Awards is a CBC/ East Coast Music Association co-production.

Tickets for the East Coast Music Awards Gala are on sale at the Mile One Stadium box office, but you’d better hurry because tickets are selling fast! Less than 800 tickets remain, so call (709) 576-7657 to get yours because…Ya Know Ya Gotta Go! Tickets for the Industry Awards Show and Brunch, and for certain Showcases, are also now on sale at the ECMA Event Office; call the ECMA ticket line at (709) 576-8067.

The East Coast Music Awards and Conference is set for its 16th Anniversary from February 12 to 15, 2004 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The East Coast Music Association is a regional collaboration of people in the music industry of Atlantic Canada who foster, develop, promote and celebrate Atlantic Canadian music locally, nationally and internationally. For more information on the East Coast Music Awards and Conference 2004, or for a full list of nominees, please visit our web site at www.ecma.ca.

Rankin, Sloan top ECMAs nominees

December 11, 2003 - Victoria Times Colonist
By Dene Moore, Canadian Press

ST. JOHN'S, Nfld. -- As they have so many times before, Jimmy Rankin and Sloan lead the pack for the 2004 East Coast Music Awards.

Rankin and the alternative rock band, along with newcomer Matt Mays and Newfoundland songstress Damhnait Doyle, each received six nominations for the upcoming awards show.

Rankin, who over the years has collected 19 East Coast Music Awards for both his solo work and his performances with the Rankin Family, is up for entertainer of the year.

He is also in the running in the male artist of the year, best album, roots/traditional solo recording, songwriter and best single categories.

Halifax-born rockers Sloan picked up nominations for best video, single, songwriters, group, recording and album of the year with Action Pact.

The awards, which began 16 years ago in a tiny Halifax club, have grown into an industry force and have brought the East Coast's musical stylings to the rest of Canada and beyond.

Event chairman John Dicks promised a big party at the Feb. 15 awards show, the last day of a four-day industry extravaganza taking place in St. John's.

"For four days we will be going flat out," said Dicks, who promised a diverse lineup of performers for the show.

Performing at the conference or, better yet, picking up an award is a huge boost to East Coast artists looking for a broader market.

Mays's self-titled debut album earned him a nomination for best new artist as well as male artist of the year.

The Dartmouth, N.S., rocker is also nominated for best single, songwriter, album and recording of the year.

Doyle's third album, Davnet, has her up for female artist of the year, best video, single, songwriter, pop recording and entertainer of the year.

The Newfoundland duo Crush was nominated for five awards, including entertainers of the year.

The Jimmy Swift Band, Melanie Doane and Universal Soul each garnered three nominations.

The awards ceremony will be hosted by Newfoundland comedians Shaun Majumder and Mark Critch, both cast members of CBC's This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

Barry Canning, whose latest album Last Man Standing was just released in October, seemed a bit surprised by the nomination for male artist because the album is so new.

"I'm ecstatic," he said. "It's excellent and I'm in a category with some good company."

Andrew LeDrew, whose band Brothers in Stereo is up for best new artist, said it's a big step to get an ECMA nomination.

The awards definitely help boost distribution across the country and abroad, said LeDrew, who performs with his brother Chris.

"And it'll be a great party," he added.

For the most part, East Coast Music Association members will vote on who takes home honours for the 26 music categories and 16 industry categories.

But it will be the public that decides who is the entertainer of the year. Details on how the vote is to be held will be released at a later date.

Winners will be announced at the ceremony to be broadcast live on CBC-TV.

2004 East Coast Music Awards nominees:

Male Artist of the Year -- Barry Canning -- Buck 65 -- Charlie A'Court -- Jimmy Rankin -- Matt Mays	Female Artist of the Year -- Amelia Curran -- Damhnait Doyle -- Melanie Doane -- Raylene Rankin -- Rylee Madison
Entertainer of the Year -- Blou -- Crush -- Damhnait Doyle -- Jimmy Rankin -- Melanie Doane	FACTOR Album of the Year -- Jimmy Rankin, Handmade -- Matt Mays, Matt Mays -- Ron Hynes, Get Back Change -- Sloan, Action Pact -- The Jimmy Swift Band, Onward Through the Fog
Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year -- Chris Andrews -- Jimmy Rankin -- John Wesley Chisholm -- Susan Crowe -- Wendy MacIsaac	SOCAN Songwriter of the year -- Cory Tetford and Gordie Sampson, King for a Day -- Damhnait Doyle and Gordie Sampson, Another California Song -- Jimmy Rankin, Morning Bound Train -- Matt Mays, City of Lakes -- Chris Murphy, Jay Ferguson, Andrew Scott, Patrick Pentland, The Rest of My Life
Single of the Year -- Another California Song, Damhnait Doyle -- City of Lakes, Matt Mays -- King for a Day, Crush -- Morning Bound Train, Jimmy Rankin -- The Rest of My Life, Sloan

ECMA nominations offer diverse mix

Sloan, Rankin, Doyle and Mays top list with six nods each

December 11, 2003 - Halifax Herald
By Stephen Cooke, Entertainment Reporter

Diversity is the order of the day among the leading nominees for the 2004 East Coast Music Awards.

Among the top contenders for shiny pewter treble clefs in St. John's on Feb. 15 - with six nominations each - are Cape Breton singer-songwriter Jimmy Rankin, expatriate Haligonian rock band Sloan, ethereal Newfoundland pop siren Damhnait Doyle and Dartmouth-based indie roots rocker Matt Mays.

Close behind is Newfoundland-bred, Halifax-based pop rockers Crush with five nominations, and acts with three apiece are Toronto-based Nova Scotian pop singer Melanie Doane, Halifax rock machine the Jimmy Swift Band and pioneering hip-hop crew Universal Soul.

If that slate doesn't change the minds of people who think Atlantic Canadian music is nothing but fiddles and Anne Murray, nothing will.

"Looking at the field, it's a nice lineup, I'm a fan of a lot of these people," said co-frontrunner Rankin from his home in Halifax. "I was listening to Matt Mays the other day, after only hearing him with the Guthries, and I like it, it sounds raw. That Sloan single's great, so is the video, so it's going to be an interesting event."

That Sloan single is the catchy The Rest of My Days off the CD Action Pact, which guitarist Jay Ferguson calls "the best radio hit we've ever had." The fact that it's more recognizably "Sloan-sounding" than last year's hit The Other Man is what makes its success so sweet for Ferguson, along with the ECMA nomination hat trick of single, video and, especially, SOCAN songwriter of the year.

"That's the category that I'm really glad we're nominated for," he said Wednesday from Toronto. "I feel that we have been passed by in that category in previous years. Not to sound obnoxious, because we've had lots of nominations, but rarely in that category and I've always wondered why.

"We're really particular about songwriting, especially Chris (Murphy) who's very detailed in his arrangements and determined to find the perfect form for a song."

A SOCAN songwriting nod was also a pleasant surprise for Mays, who seemed somewhat taken aback by his six nominations when reached by phone in Ontario.

Mays was also heavily favoured at the MIANS Music Awards, picking up best pop/rock artist, pop/rock artist at MIANS Awards, but being listed among the likes of seasoned pros like Gordie Sampson (nominated for co-writes with Cory Tetford and Doyle) and Jimmy Rankin was a special treat.

"If, at the end of the day, I'm considered a good songwriter by anybody, I'm happier than anything," he said.

Among the top nominees, Mays has come the furthest in the shortest span of time. After releasing his self-titled debut on his own, following a departure from the on-hiatus roots rock band the Guthries, the scrappy, self-produced CD was picked up by Warner Music Canada-distributed Sonic Records, home of Nathan Wiley and Crush.

Over the past year, Mays toured the country with his band El Torpedo, both solo and with red hot rocker Sam Roberts, and saw his following grow by leaps and bounds, including among the industry types who help determine the ECMA nominations.

"Maybe people appreciated the fact that it was made on a small budget," said Mays. "It certainly wasn't made with any expectations of getting award nominations, maybe that comes across.

"I'm just happy that it's getting some attention, because I put a lot of hard work into it over about a year. I'm glad it's getting some light shed on it."

Even as an established artist with a fanbase built through his years with singing siblings the Rankins and following his well-recived solo debut Song Dog, Jimmy Rankin feels much the same way as Mays.

"It's my second album as a solo artist, and even though I got a lot of accolades as a member of the Rankins, it's still a big thrill for me getting recognition as a solo artist."

Rankin's six nominations for Handmade stand as a kind of vindication for a record that he considers unconventional in its creative path. Working again with Song Dog producer Tim Thorney, the acclaimed singer-songwriter leaned toward acoustic instruments wherever possible, trying to find the perfect balance between the soul of each tune and the sounds that accompanied it.

"I just made the record that I wanted to make. I was looking at the clock in terms of song length and I wasn't thinking about what kind of drum sound is going to make it on the radio.

"I've been very fortunate, I've had really good feedback from across the wire, even from radio programmers who say they can't play it because of the format or whatever, they still really like the record."

The ECMAs have been kind to pop / rock quartet Crush in the past, awarding it rock recording and new artist of the year in 2002, and best single for Here in 2003.

Singer-guitarist Paul Lamb, who shares songwriting duties with fellow frontman Cory Tetford, says the band's five nominations for 2004 are a nice boost at the end of a successful year, given the awards' tendency to "create publicity and maybe get some people to take your act more seriously."

But while Crush's second album Face in the Crowd and its ubiquitous first single King for a Day have done well on the basis of the band's relentless touring, Lamb says acts shouldn't consider events like the ECMAs as their salvation.

"We don't base our career on nominations or the East Coast Music Awards," he says realistically. "We're happy being proud of our album, and we think this a better album than our first one, and that's the bottom line.

"Still, we're excited to get five nominations, especially when the ECMAs are in St. John's. And the songwriting nomination is awesome for Cory and Gordie. We've applied for that for the last couple ofyears, but never got it before."

The East Coast Music Awards will be broadcast live from St. John's' Mile One Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. This week, CBC-TV announced that comedians Shaun Majumder and Mark Critch would host the on-air portions of the show.

A list of performers and presenters for the ECMA telecast will be announced in mid-January.

Christmas Reunion

The Rankin Sisters gather for a holiday tour

December 12, 2003 - New Brunswick Telegraph Journal
By Grant Kerr, Telegraph Journal

Raylene Rankin is glad to be back.

She left her siblings' famous band, The Rankin Family, back in 1998 to raise her son, Alexander, and to spend more time with her husband.

A year later the band broke up shortly before tragedy struck when brother John Morris Rankin was killed in a highway accident in Cape Breton in January 2000.

As if that wasn't enough, Raylene contracted breast cancer in 2001, which is under control.

Now healthy and happy, Raylene Rankin released her first solo album this year, Lambs in Spring, and is about to embark on a Christmas tour with younger sisters Cookie and Heather Rankin.

"Knock on wood, I feel 100 per cent and getting along really well, praise God," Raylene said.

Billed as The Rankin Sisters, the trio and backing band will sing some Christmas favourites, as well as some material from their Rankins days.

"The Christmas show is an opportunity to get together and see each other," Raylene Rankin said cheerfully over the phone the other day from her home in Halifax.

The Rankin Sisters tour has three dates in New Brunswick, including Dec. 16 at Saint John's Imperial Theatre, Dec. 17 at Moncton's Capitol Theatre and Dec. 18 at Fredericton's Playhouse.

Although the famous Cape Breton family band spent a decade on the road and sold more than two million albums, they don't see as much of each other as they used to. Brother Jimmy Rankin has his burgeoning solo career, Cookie Rankin is married and living in Tennessee and Heather Rankin is in Halifax pursuing an acting career.

"At one time there were seven of us (Rankins) in Halifax between the band and other siblings. I really missed Cookie when she moved. Maybe that is what makes it special, doing the Christmas tour," Raylene said.

After years on the road, Raylene found quitting the Rankins difficult, given that she got lonely at home, since that several of her brothers and sisters were on the road with friends who were also in the band.

But the Rankin Sisters are back, at least temporarily.

"We did a couple of conventions in the spring. It's a total blast. There is no pressure. We do stuff we know. It's just fun now," Raylene said, adding, with what sounds like a touch of regret, "It will never be The Rankin Family for obvious reasons."

The Christmas tour dates back to 1997 when the Rankin Sisters put out their Christmas album, Do You Hear.... They toured the album in 1998 and '99 with a symphony in tow, then revised the tour last year with a band tour last year in Ontario.

"Last year it was all Christmas material. This year I think we'll put in a few Rankin tunes," she said.

Raylene is also excited about her first solo project, one that she has been thinking about for more than 20 years.

"It's a fun thing and I am getting back into it. My son is growing up now and is in school. It frees up time, hypothetically. It became important for me to pursue my own dreams. Doing a solo album has been something in the back of my mind since I was 20. Obviously other things came along and I put it on the back burner.

"The story is that I was working at the Banff Springs Hotel (in Alberta) as a chamber maid and a bunch of us were sharing our dreams of what we wanted to be doing in five years. I said, 'By the time I am 25 I would do this (release a solo album).' Then I went to law school. Then I said I would do it by the time I was 30. Then the Rankin Family came around.

"Then I turned 40 and I said, 'I better get on this.'"

So at age 43, Rankin has released the wonderful Lambs in Spring, a 12-song collection of traditional tunes, a few obscure but winning covers and the title track, written by her late brother, John Morris.

"I remembered the tune," Raylene said of Lambs in Spring. "It was a song we had work-shopped for the last Rankin Family album" (Uprooted, 1998).

The song never got recorded but Raylene put the song away in a box of rehearsal tapes.

"That was one of the first tunes we went looking for. I went to this box of rehearsal tapes and it was the first tape I pulled out. Maybe that was a sign. Some of the things (about the song) that didn't make sense to me at the time all came together, maybe because of everything that has happened."

Rankin is also particularly proud of Alasdair Beag, a traditional Gaelic tune she arranged and for which she wrote lyrics.

"It was a big move for me to put down words to music again," she said of the lullaby she wrote for her young son.

Lambs in Spring has just been nominated for an East Coast Music Award in the Female Artist category.

Tickets for the Rankin Sisters are available in Saint John at the Imperial Theatre (674-4100), in Fredericton at The Playhouse (458-8344) or at Moncton's Capitol Theatre (856-4379). Tickets are $34.

Jimmy Rankin nominated for six East Coast Music Awards

December 13, 2003 - EMIssion-online

Jimmy Rankin, and his second solo album Handmade, were recognized today with six nominations for the 2004 East Coast Music Awards. The nominations were announced this morning during a news conference in St. John's. In anticipation of the February 15th awards broadcast, Jimmy will perform a concert at Club One in St. John's, Newfoundland, on February 12th, serving as a "kick off" to the ECMA weekend and a launch for his February/March headlining theatre tour of Atlantic Canada.

Jimmy's 2004 ECMA nominations include: Entertainer of the Year, FACTOR Album of the Year for Handmade, Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year for "Morning Bound Train", SOCAN Songwriter of the Year, also for "Morning Bound Train", and Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year for Handmade.

As lead singer, guitarist and principle songwriter for the Rankins, Jimmy Rankin was the engine that powered their rootsy, traditionally-influenced tunes into Canadian hearts. After a decade together in which they sold over two million albums, earned five Juno Awards and cemented their place in Canadian music history with the Jimmy's gorgeous single "Fare Thee Well Love," the Rankins called it quits in 1999. With a passel of songs still to be sung, Jimmy embarked on a solo career with 2001's critically-lauded Song Dog. His first effort won four East Coast Music Awards (including Songwriter of the Year), Canadian Radio Music and SOCAN awards, plus two Juno nominations. In 2003, he returned with another treasure chest full of roots-rock crossover gems, Handmade. Blending country, folk and rock with the traditional sounds of his Cape Breton heritage, Handmade has been equally well-received by both critics and fans. Jimmy has shared stages in 2003 with Keith Urban, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and John Prine.

The East Coast Music Awards will broadcast live from Mile One Stadium in downtown St. John's in a shared event - CBC Television and CBC Radio Two - on Sunday, February 15 at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT). Don't miss Jimmy Rankin; performing live at Club One is St. John's on February 12.

Visit www.JimmyRankin.com for tour updates (including February's tour of Atlantic Canada), music, video and more!

The best of Christmas

December 13, 2003 - New Brunswick Telegraph Journal
By Bob Mersereau

Tired of Snoopy & the Red Baron? Sick of the Chipmunk Christmas? It's time to add some new life to your holiday music collection. Here are some of the highlights of this year's crop of new Christmas discs, plus a couple to avoid. There are always dozens of new Christmas releases each year because they always sell well. So, before you have the neighbours over for some egg nog, make sure you're well stocked with tunes that'll light up the festivities.

Women And Songs
- Christmas (Warner)
The Women & Songs series has been very popular each holiday season, packaging the latest and hottest female vocalists. This year they expanded the concept to do a Christmas collection. Most of these are recent tracks from other CDs over the past few years, but it's nice to have all the women in one place. It takes a decidedly East Coast slant, with tracks from Holly Cole, Damhnait Doyle, Tara McLean, Kim Stockwood, Natalie MacMaster, The Ennis Sisters, The Rankin Sisters and Sarah McLachlan. Add in stars such as Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Jann Arden, and it's a strong disc.

The Rankin Sisters

Your Passport Please

December 13, 2003 - National Post
By Nancy Kuyumeu, National Post

The Rankin Sisters of the retired, Juno Award-winning Rankin Family band reunited on Dec. 5 at the Brantford, Ont., Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts to perform songs from their Celtic-influenced Christmas album Do You Hear. The Rankins talk about their travels.

Lundar, Man. One of the first tours we did was of Manitoba. It was early November. We started out in Kenora, Ont. We drove through a snowstorm up to this little town called Lundar, Man. The (show's organizers) had called off the show because of the snowstorm, so they were really surprised to see this van packed with 10 people land in front of their rink after having driven through the storm. But it turned out to be quite an experience. These people sat us down to a meal of perogies and all kinds of other cultural fare. All of the road signs were of places reminiscent of Iceland and Greenland.

Churchill Falls, Nfld. During another tour we went to Newfoundland, where we travelled to all these little outports. Near the end of the tour, we went up to Labrador. We were flown by helicopter to Churchill Falls, and had an incredible view of untouched land. The place was so isolated and (all the buildings were) interconnected like you imagine it to be in outer space. We didn't have half the gear we needed to play, but we figured it out with our technicians. We pulled it all together and had a fun show. The people there really appreciated it.

Tapatula, Mexico. I think this was one of the more tropical places where we have been. It is close to the Guatemalan border. We went there during Easter to film the music video for 40 Days and 40 Nights. Our record company flew us down there with a video director. On one of the filming days, we drove on this mountainous road close to Guatemala. At each little village, there were Easter celebrations going on. On our way down the mountain, we noticed a celebration of some kind with a band playing. We jumped out because we wanted to dance. The people celebrating saw us approaching and came to greet us. That's when we realized that they were masked men dressed in women's costumes. The whole village square was filled with people dressed up in costumes, cheering the dancers on. It was bizarre. We never did get to the bottom of what the tradition was all about, but it had something to do with Good Friday. At the time, the Zapatistas were driving by in their trucks with guns, checking things out.

Rankins sue N.S. gov't over family death

December 17, 2003 - CBC Nova Scotia

TRURO, N.S. — The family of late Celtic musician John Morris Rankin has filed charges against the Province of Nova Scotia in relation to Rankin's highway death nearly four years ago.

The documents filed with Nova Scotia Supreme Court name the driver of a salt truck and the province's attorney general as defendants. The family is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages.

In January 2000, Rankin was driving on the Old Coastal Road when his vehicle hit a pile of salt, apparently left on the road by the Department of Transportation. Rankin's truck veered off the road, plunged over an embankment and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Rankin helped his son and two teenage friends to get out but he remained trapped and died. The three survivors join Sally Rankin and Ole Sound Productions Ltd. in filing the claim, which states that the province was responsible for maintaining public roadways and owned the truck that allegedly left the pile of salt on the road.

The province has not yet filed a defence.

In May 2001, the RCMP announced that they would not be laying criminal charges. "There's no deliberate act here," Const. Brad Parks said at the time. "At the end of the day, it was a motor vehicle accident."

Rankin and his siblings made up the popular Canadian band the Rankin Family.

Insurance firm files Rankin claim

December 19, 2003 - New Brunswick Daily Gleaner
By Canadian Press

TRURO, N.S. - The Canadian Press distributed a story earlier this week that said the family of musician John Morris Rankin is suing the Province of Nova Scotia over his death almost four years ago.

In fact, the claim was filed on behalf of Co-operators General Insurance Co., which paid out property damages to Rankin's family.

The suit is a subrogated claim, which identifies the original plaintiffs as the originators of the legal action.

Rankin, a member of the popular Rankin Family band, was driving his truck along a coastal road in Cape Breton on Jan. 16, 2000, when he hit a pile of road salt.

The vehicle plunged over an embankment and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

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At home in Ottawa Solid country music lineup at Civic Centre

Double record release: Raylene Rankin, Mac Morin host Strathspey music party

Sweet-voiced Rankin flies solo Raylene has enriched her expressive power as a singer on Lambs in Spring