Wednesday November 1, 2006: The Rankin Family Reunites
It's been eight years since The Rankin Family were last together on stage. In 1999, the band members went their separate ways, so they could spend more time with their families and work on individual pursuits. But just one year later, tragedy struck when the eldest member of the group - John Morris - was killed in a car accident in Cape Breton.  Now, many years later, The Rankin Family is getting ready to go on tour across the country. AND they're just back from Nashville, Tennessee where they've been recording some new songs. Earlier this week, our Maritime arts producer Phlis McGregor sat down with three members of the band - Jimmy, Raylene and Heather. [runs: 6:23]

VANCOUVER, Dec. 4 /CNW/ - The multi-award winning Rankin Family have invited singer/songwriter Dawn Langstroth and British folk sensation Seth Lakeman to perform as the opening acts on their 2007 cross-Canada reunion tour. The tour begins January 14th in Nanaimo, BC and wraps February 15th in St. John's, NL.

Langstroth, who will open concerts from Nanaimo to Winnipeg, as well as London, Kitchener and Hamilton, is the daughter of Canadian icon Anne Murray, and former television producer Bill Langstroth. Dawn began her recording career in her teens singing background vocals on "The Other Side" for her mom's self-titled CD. A few years later she joined her on disc and on stage with the duet, "Let There Be Love". Langstroth has been honing her songwriting skills over the past couple of years as well as performing regularly at clubs in and around Toronto. She is currently in the studio working on her debut CD.

Opening in Toronto, Ottawa and throughout the Maritimes will be the UK's Seth Lakeman. Hailing from the rugged countryside of Devon, Lakeman gained notoriety in 2005 when his self-financed CD, "Kitty Jay" was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. Influenced by artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, ACDC, Led Zeppelin and British folk legends, Lakeman's self-penned tales of love, conflict and mystery have earned the 29 year old the respect of his peers and a legion of devoted fans.

The Rankin Family - Raylene, Jimmy, Cookie and Heather are together on tour for the first time in 8 years. Today (Monday, December 4th) their new single "Sunday Morning" from their forthcoming CD will be released.

Also at retail this week is Backstage Pass, the Rankin Family DVD taped at the Orpheum in Vancouver in 1995. In addition to concert footage there are interviews and backstage moments that offer a window into life on the road.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

RANKINS RETURN HOME:

The Rankin Family will be making their way to Cape Breton on the forthcoming 2007 reunion tour that was announced last week.

Logistics specific to routing a winter tour in Canada have been worked out, and two dates in February are now on hold. The exact date will be announced in due course.

The Rankin Family are reuniting for the first time in eight years to tour coast to coast with their award winning music and timeless harmonies.

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Note: They will only be doing one concert in Cape Breton (not two which was mentioned on Live @ 5 in the Maritimes tonight).

The following Rankin Family shows have pre-sale tickets available from today (January 6th) through Thursday (January 9th), before tickets go on sale Friday November 10th (except for Toronto where the pre-sale ends January 8th and tickets go on sale January 9th).

The password is FAMILY (all caps):

Vancouver

Calgary

Edmonton

Red Deer

Toronto

London

Winnipeg

The Rankin Family returns to the concert stage in 2007 showcasing their award winning harmonies and timeless music in their first cross-Canada, 22-city tour in over eight years!

Having parted ways in 1999 to spend time with their families and pursue individual interests, this will be the first time the Rankins once again share the concert stage.

Raylene, Jimmy, Cookie and Heather recently got together in Nashville to workshop new material.  The results were phenomenal and will make their way to a disc in the New Year along with a never before released DVD recorded at the Orpheum in Vancouver in 1996 which is set for release December 5th.

Missing on tour will be the late John Morris who died tragically in a car crash in 2000.  His daughter Molly, who has lent her songwriting skills and considerable talent to the project, will join the group on the road

The U.K’s Seth Lakeman will open for the Rankins.  Hailing from the rugged countryside of Devon, Lakeman gained notoriety last year when his self-financed CD, “Kitty Jay” was nominated for the UK’s prestigious Mercury Music Prize.  Lakeman’s self-penned tales of love, conflict and mystery have earned the 29 year old the respect of his peers and a legion of devoted fans.

"Slipping Away", Jimmy's brand new single from his forthcoming album is now at radio stations across Canada. Call or email your local Jimmy-friendly station (Country, Adult Contemporary) and tell them you'd love to hear it! If you hear it - request to hear it again!

An official list of radio stations and their websites that you can contact will be posted next week.

Video coming soon.

Hi All,

Hey it’s me here. Just wanted to touch base to let you know what’s up these days.

I’m just putting the finishing touches on a new CD that I recorded in Nashville and Toronto with producer, Colin Linden. I wrote the songs for this record over the past year and a half and they’re a good mix of ballads and uptempo stuff. I’m really loving the live band feel we captured - we were lucky enough to snag some great players from bands of the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and John Prine.

As well, my sister Cookie sings with me on a couple of tunes. We’re planning to release the single and video this fall and the full CD in early 2007. Then we’ll launch into a full-on Canadian tour perhaps with a few surprises to be thrown out there in between. More on that later…

In June, I went on a mission to Nicaragua to visit villages, schools and small businesses that were helped by World Vision. I posted some photos of my trip so you can check ‘em out. I was really blown away by what a huge difference even a small amount of aid can make in the lives of so many Nicaraguans. Kudos to WV and their efforts around the world. I’ll be talking about my trip to Nicaragua at World Vision’s Sponsorship Night in Halifax on August 16th. It’s a free event and I hope some of you will be able to make it.

I’m not playing live too much this summer but have a few dates around the Maritimes – July 22nd in Antigonish, NS; July 29th in Bay Roberts, NF; and August 19th at Country on the Hill on Magnetic Hill, NB. Hope to see you out there.

It’s been a while, so I thought it would be great to re-connect. That said, I’ll be dropping by the message board July 20th at around 8pm. Looking forward to catching up with you all then. Sorry for the short notice but hope to make this a regular happening.

Cheers,
Jimmy

Visit www.jimmyrankin.com for all the news, tour dates, and much more!I

(Sydney, N.S.) The award-winning Celtic Colours International Festival celebrates its tenth anniversary with a lineup that features some audience favourites from the past nine years. Artists from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Denmark, Spain, New Zealand, England, USA, and the rest of Canada will join some of Cape Breton’s finest singers, players, dancers and tradition bearers in a celebration of North America’s only living Celtic culture, October 6-14.

Galician piper Carlos Núñez, Scottish favourites David Milligan and Corrina Hewat of Bachué and accordionist extraordinaire Phil Cunningham with his long-time pal, fiddler Aly Bain, Irish Gaelic singers Nuala Kennedy and Brian ÓhEadhra, Danish duos Haugaard & Høirup and Karen & Helene, Welsh quartet Crasdant and winners of the Best Band at the 2006 BBC Folk Awards Flook, are only a few of the artists returning to the Festival this year from overseas. The fantastic fiddle guitar duo of Liz Carroll and John Doyle, Irish-born singer Michael Black, and Scottish Baroque trio Ferintosh will be making the journey from USA, while Newfoundland’s A Crowd of Bold Sharemen, British Columbia’s Daniel Lapp, and Prince Edward Island singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant represent Canada’s coasts and islands.  Natalie MacMaster, Buddy MacMaster, Barra MacNeils, Rita MacNeil, Raylene Rankin, Beòlach and Gordie Sampson are some of the familiar Cape Breton names performing at the Festival this year.

The 10th anniversary edition of Celtic Colours International Festival gets underway October 6 at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre Arena with a concert featuring Natalie MacMaster, Carlos Núñez, New Zealand singer Hayley Westenra and American banjo legend Béla Fleck. A total of 40 concerts and more than 100 workshops will take place during the nine days of the Festival including a special collaboration of Artists in Residence Mary Jane Lamond and Scottish Gaelic Singer Mairi MacInnes, tributes to Cape Breton fiddlers Carl MacKenzie and Dr. Winnie Chafe, and a reprise of 2004’s hit, The Unusual Suspects of Celtic Colours. Other familiar concerts include Bards and Ballads featuring the songs and the stories behind them; Women of Song showcasing an assembly of women singers from Cape Breton, Scotland, and Denmark; Close to the Floor, a concert focusing on the dance tradition in Cape Breton; The Original Guitar Summit, with J.P. Cormier, Dave MacIsaac, Scott Macmillan, Gordie Sampson and John Doyle; and concerts dedicated to Cape Breton fiddling and piping.

Since its first year in 1997, the Celtic Colours International Festival has extended the tourism season by a little over a week and had an economic impact of more than $43 million on the Cape Breton economy. The internationally recognized event attracted visitors from 27 countries last year and has been named East Coast Music Awards Event of the Year (2005, 2006); and was awarded the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia’s Golden Hospitality Award (2005) and the Crystal Award for Events and Conferences (2002); and recognized as Attractions Canada’s Top Cultural Event and the American Bus Associations Top Event in Canada (2001).

The Celtic Colours International Festival schedule is available at  www.celtic-colours.com. Tickets go on sale July 10 and can be purchased by phone toll free at 1-888-355-7744, locally at (902) 567-3000 or online at the Festival website. For Festival information, phone (902) 562-6700 locally or 1-877-285-2321 toll free. For information about accommodations phone 1-800-565-0000.

The Celtic Colours International Festival greatly appreciates the support of Nova Scotia’s Department of Tourism and Culture, the Canadian government through ECBC/ACOA, the Department of Canadian Heritage, Cape Breton Credit Unions, Ultramar, National Car Rentals, Cape Breton Beverages, Cape Breton University, Inverness County, Victoria County, Richmond County, Town of Port Hawkesbury, Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Inverary Inn, Telegraph House, Silver Dart Lodge, Musicstop and media sponsors CBC Maritimes and the Cape Breton Post.