NEW GLASGOW – Pictou County country music sensation George Canyon is now up for four Canadian Country Music Awards, including the coveted Male Artist of the Year award.
He’s also up for single of the year for “I Believe in Angels,” and the Fans’ Choice award. His band is also up for a number of awards, including keyboardist Mike Little, steel guitarist Ed Ringwald, while Shane Guse is up for both the fiddler and special instrument awards.
Canyon’s website, www.georgecanyon.com, is also up for an award.
“It’s a huge honour,” says Canyon during a brief break in his touring schedule. “We’re up for a bunch of awards, but the Fans’ Choice award, that one’s really important. The fans are why we make music – if they weren’t listening, we wouldn’t be able to be making music.”
Canyon’s been travelling non-stop this summer – “you know you’re travelling a lot when you can close your eye in an airport and know the way to the gate,” he jokes – which included a stop in Halifax for Country Rock Fest 2010. It was an emotional show for Canyon, who admits to getting a little weepy during the performance.
“I got choked up a couple of times,” he said. “I wasn’t able to play much in the Maritimes because of the contract I was under, other than the shows I did in Newfoundland. When I walked out there, I got choked up, and it was a really heartfelt reaction. It takes me back to when I was a kid in a band playing the variety concerts in school, it was the same feeling.”
Although he still loves music as much as he did the day he first set foot on the stage of Nashville Star – “and I always will – you don’t live music for the glory,” he says – it also means a lot of separation from his children. Daughter Maddie is very much into horses these days, he says, while son Kale is into everything else under the son.
“We try to keep the kids in a stable environment,” he explains, so it’s rare the family accompanies him on the road, unless he’s headed to a destination that they’re dying to visit. The Canyon clan camps when he gets a break and enjoys coming home to Pictou County when they can.
“I get down every now and again,” he said, but hopes to take “a real vacation” soon to the county.
In between gigs, he’s also made a point of touring camps for diabetic kids across the U.S. and Ontario, and a plan is in the works to do a future full camp tour.
“It’s a wonderful, wonderful experience, talking and playing for them,” he said. “I show them I’m a type 1 diabetic, I take care of myself and I show them I can do this. It’s important for teens to see that kind of thing.”
Canyon will be releasing the latest single, “Fool in Me,” off his most recent record soon. The tune was penned with Richard Marks and was a favourite of Canyon’s.
“We stepped back after writing it and just said, ‘Whoa, that’s a really cool tune,’” he said. “That drops in October. The record itself has done well – we’ve never had so many singles off a record, we’ve never had this kind of response before.”
A new record is also in the works and recording will start this fall for a release date early next year.
“I’m really excited – really pumped,” he said.
Music isn’t the only direction Canyon’s career is taking these days – his next role might be movie star.
Canyon recently received the script for an as-yet-unnamed movie, where he’ll play a music bigwig, which will begin filming soon.
“It’s a pretty good role in an up-and-coming movie,” Canyon said. “It’s a family-driven movie, one you can take the kids to that will compete with what Hollywood puts out. It’s very on the edge, very provocative, but you know there’s not going to be cursing, swearing or sex. It’s still an exciting family movie to see.”
People can cast votes for Fans’ Choice
Pictou County residents can do their part to ensure George Canyon brings home at least one award at this year’s Canadian Country Music Awards.
Canyon is up for the Fans’ Choice Award against Gord Bamford, Doc Walker, Corb Lund and Johnny Reid.
Fans can vote for their choice online until midnight on Sept. 11 at www.ccma.org. The winner will be announced during the CCMA Awards in Edmonton on Sept. 12.
