" I love my boots ! "
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Biography
The up coming release of a three singles by Canadian
independent recording artist Kate Ashby-Craft is a culmination of
performing the role of June Carter Cash. For the past several years
Ashby-Craft has been performing this role in the musical tribute
show "The Legend In Black" which is a tribute to the music of the
late Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. It is while performing this
role that Ashby-Craft fell in love with Alternative
Country/Americana music and decided she wanted to be that kind of
artist. Ashby-Craft therefore teamed up with legendary UK Record
Producer Charles Foskett to produce three singles in this genre
using the who's who in musicians.
From Guitar Player, Jerry Donahue (Fairport Convention, Elton John),
Stand Up Bass, Malcolm Creese (Sting,
Cleo Laine), Drums, Clive Bunker (Jethro Tull), Harmonica, Paul
Jones (Manfred Man), Violin, Scarlet Rivera (Bob Dylan, Indigo
Girls) and UK Singer/Songwriter Lauren Field on Back Up Vocals.
The first of the three songs "Keep On The Sunnyside" a classic
Americana song is also Ashby-Craft's philosophy" No matter how dark things get...says Kate...there is always a
brighter side". The second song "Home Lights Shinning"
is about true love and is great fun to sing. The last song "Woman
Woman" is a powerful ballad that could be every woman's anthem.
Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Kate Ashby-Craft started
off as a classical voice and theatre major in University but wanting
to experience other kinds of music Ashby-Craft went on the road performing everything from country, rock to folk and blues
and jazz touring parts of Canada and the U.S.A.
In the late 70´s Ashby-Craft recorded her first album called "The Many Faces Of". The first single "Situation Blue" received considerable airplay on Adult Contemporary radio stations.
During the 80´s Ashby-Craft won a province wide talent search in her home province of Nova Scotia. At that time
she was performing country music so she recorded two country singles, both of which made the charts. Also at that time she co-wrote a song called "Was It Easy" which was number 11 for the year 1986.
In the 90´s wanting to pursue her song writing, Kate left the
road and settled in the St. Marys, Ontario area. Kate's music is a
fusion of her rock, blues, country, jazz and classical influences.
Her powerful voice accentuates the often issue-oriented lyrics. In
the fall of 1995 she released her debut CD, "The Heart and The Mind"
which fit very nicely in the Country/Folk genre. The first single off the CD, "A Song For Lorian" was well received by radio and garnered airplay on numerous
Adult Contemporary stations as well as the CBC and Campus radio. Out of 3,000 entries from twenty different countries "A Song For Lorian" received a certificate of merit for placing in the top 10 % in the 1997 International UNISONG
song contest. This CD received Internet, community and commercial radio airplay around the world.
In May 2003, Kate started
working with a radio promotion company out of Nashville and released
the second single from her debut CD called “ You’re My Addiction “.
She received commercial country radio airplay all across Canada,
U.S.A. and Europe. This resulted in a nomination from American
Country radio for the " Golden Microphone Award “ as part of Airplay
International’s “ King Eagle Music Awards” held in Nashville on
September 27,2003.
In September 2006 Ashby-Craft released her second CD called "Love
Is All There Is". This album is a concept album where all twelve
songs explore a different dimension of love. Musically this album
ventures into the Jazzy Pop genre. This CD received rave reviews and
charted on several commercial radio stations across Canada. In
October 2007 Ashby-Craft was nominated for four music
awards in the 2007 Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards for all of
Canada and won the
award for Best Adult Contemporary Website. In September 2008
Ashby-Craft accepted the role of June Carter Cash in the touring
show "The Legend In Black" which is a tribute to the music of the
late Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. This show tours in both
Canada and the USA. In August 2009 Kate's CD "Love Is All There Is" was licensed
to W.O.A. Records for all of India. In September 2009, out of
6,000 entries, the song "You Are My Woman/You Are My Man" from the
album "Love Is All There Is " was chosen as a semi-finalist in the
prestigious UK Songwriting Contest.
Kate Ashby-Craft has been seen and heard on radio and various
TV shows such as City TV's "Breakfast Television" Global TV's
"Entertainment Desk" and CBC Radio's Ontario Morning. Kate has performed at such notable venues as the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto,
Waterloo's Festival Of Lights, Canada Day celebrations in London as well as the
Songwriter's Association of Canada's Bluebird North in Toronto, The Canterbury Folk Festival in Ingersoll
and The Stratford Festival of Canada.
Kate lives in the country with her husband Mark, Rourke the cat and lots of wild life.
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