Alberta singer-songwriters have a knack for dominating the country charts and it’s not surprising that three familiar names from St. Albert and Sturgeon County lead the nominations for Alberta Country Music Awards.
In addition, St. Albert resident Jackie Rae Greening, program director for CFCW Radio and manager of operations for Newcap Radio, will be recognized as the 2016 Hall of Fame inductee.
The awards are set to take place over two nights in Red Deer Jan. 21 and 22. The Sunday gala, held at the Sheraton Hotel, will be broadcast live from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Shaw TV.
Leading the pack is St. Albert’s Dan Davidson with five nominations: Male Artist of the Year, Rising Star, Single of the Year (Found), Video of the Year (Found) and Song of the Year (Found) co-written with Clayton Bellamy.
“It’s reaffirming that the choices I’ve made in the country world are appreciated. Right now it’s as good as it gets,” said Davidson
Singer-songwriter Hailey Benedict, who became a YouTube sensation after Keith Urban invited her onstage at his Rogers Place concert, received a second nod for Fan Choice. She was the youngest recipient to receive the award in 2014.
And long-time Sturgeon County resident Bill Borgwardt is nominated once again for Industry Person of the Year. He was a recipient in 2015.
But the spotlight will rest on Davidson, former lead singer of nationally acclaimed rock band Tupelo Honey. The recording artist transitioned to country in 2015 with UnKiss Her.
“I was getting my feet wet with that song to perform at Big Valley Jamboree. It was a great introduction for a lot of people,” he said.
His next release was a recording of Found.
“It started doing its own lifting. Stations were calling and fans were excited. It reached No. 1 in Vancouver. It became the single No. 1 most downloaded song on Canadian Country and consistently was in the Top 20 on CMT, radio and iTunes. It was definitely the most successful release I’ve had in 13 years.”
So far, Found has sold 25,000 copies and received one million streams.
“It’s about three-quarters way to being a gold album.”
Davidson’s path to success gained a foothold attending the MacEwan College music program where he met most of the members of Tupelo Honey. The five-man rock band gained national prominence after steamrolling over their opponents in a major Battle of the Bands competition.
They toured extensively, criss-crossing Canada numerous times, and caught the attention of New York labels.
“We were coming up as the industry was collapsing and nothing happened. We had to figure out how to do things ourselves. It was rock ’n roll university.”
Today, Davidson’s recording company, Hands-Up Music, located in Edmonton above the Needle Vinyl Tavern, records recognizable names such as Lexy Strate, pop artist of the year at the 2016 Western Canadian Music Awards.
“I just appreciate everyone following my weird expedition. It’s exciting how people respond to something that I feel is me. And it’s exciting to be 33. I don’t have to be a cool 20-year-old. I can be a grownup and tell stories from my perspective. It’s about growing and being what I am creatively and finding ways to sell it.”
