Entertainment

View the Full Program of Events for 2011

Thursday evening – Gail Gavin & The Ryans starting at 7:00 p.m. in the
W. Erskine Johnston Arena

Friday evening – Joe Diffie & Tanya Tucker
Doors Open at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets go on sale from the Carp Fair Office – 3790 Carp Road on Wednesday, May 25th at 10:00 a.m.
$ 55.00 per person

Saturday afternoon – Sidewinder & Prairie Oyster

Once you paid your gate admission of $ 10. – the show is Free

Saturday evening – Gord Bamford

Doors open at 8:00 p.m. – W. Erskine Johnston Arena – $ 35.00

Tickets on sale from the Carp Fair Office starting on Wednesday, May 25th at 10:00 a.m.

Sunday afternoon – Mick Armitage Band & The Stampeders

Once you purchase your gate admission for $ 10. – the show is FREE

Tanya Tucker

She’s been called one of the finest song stylists in any genre, a singer who owns the patent on any song she sings. Tanya Tucker’s inimitable vocal styling’s and soulful performances have resulted in a string of hit albums and singles, garnered hundreds of honors and awards and made her a country music legend. In 1972, renowned music critic Nat Hentoff wrote in Cosmopolitan magazine: “Tanya’s voice is vibrato – full and tangy, with the kind of restless intensity that stays in your mind long after the song is done. This teenager has become one of the most dramatic presences in all of music, not just country.”

She also became a role model for female artists, a singer many industry insiders see as a future Hall of Famer: “When you listen to Tanya Tucker you hear spirit and independence. That’s what she’s given to country music,” said music critic John Lomax III.

The Texas Tornado was born on October 10, 1958 in Seminole, Texas, located on the Panhandle Plains that locals call the land of “…tumbleweeds, pump-jacks, windmills and four open horizons.” It was the perfect place for a tornado to show up.

Tanya was a precocious child. She cut her first tooth at 5 months, was driving the family Volkswagen around the yard by age 4 and riding horses before she turned 5. “One day I just started singing,” she says. And by the time she was 8, she was singing everything she heard on the country radio: Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, Johnny Horton, Jim Reeves and Hawkshaw Hawkins.

Tanya’s father, Beau Tucker, worked any job he could find to keep the family going. He was at various times a pilot, a prospector and a heavy equipment operator. The Tuckers were living in Wilcox, Ariz., when Tanya started singing at talent contests and appearing on the stage with visiting celebrities like Mel Tillis and Ernest Tubb. Then, while Beau was working on a pipeline in St. George, Utah, Tanya landed a part in Robert Redford’s film Jeremiah Johnson. It didn’t turn out to be a show business break, but it helped convince Beau Tucker that stardom was possible, even if you had no industry contacts.

The family later moved to Las Vegas to be closer to an entertainment center. It was there that patrons of the local Vets club started calling Tanya “Little Miss Cheatin’ Heart” because of her years-ahead-of-her-time vocal delivery. The tuckers traveled to Nashville only to be met by closed doors and “come back when she’s older” comments.

But it was only a matter of time. Tanya was 13 when a Las Vegas songwriter introduced her to legendary record producer Billy Sherill. He soon signed her to Columbia Records and recorded the first big hit song: Delta Dawn. Tanya followed that with Love’s The Answer and Jamestown Ferry, and then came out of the chute with another megahit: What’s Your Mama’s Name? She was 15 years old, with a Country Music Association and Grammy nomination, a Greatest Hits package in the works and her face on the cover of the Rolling Stone.

That public image and those hits caused MCA Records to offer Tanya what was then the most lucrative recording contract ever awarded in country music, 1.5 million dollars. The hits kept on coming: Lizzie and the Rainman, San Antonio Stroll, Don’t Believe My Heart Can Stand Another You, Texas When I Die and Pecos Promenade, to name but a few during her MCA years.

In 1986, she singed with Capitol Records and recorded over a decade of his including Strong Enough to Bend, Down To My Last Teardrop, Two Sparrows in a Hurricane, It’s a Little Too Late and Tell Me About It with Delbert McClinton.

In 1991, she was named the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year and the following year she was Country Music Television’s Female Video Artist of the Year. That same year, Two Sparrows in a Hurricane was named the Academy of Country Music’s Video of the Year. In 1996, she was one of the Top 10 overall most played artists of the year, and Capitol Records biggest-selling signed female country artist.

Joe Diffie

You know Joe. When you meet him, he’s the guy you thought he’d be. When you hear him sing, you can feel the honesty in his words.

Since he first topped the charts in 1990 with Home, Joe has remained on a steady course, staying true to his Oklahoma roots and delivering hit after hit totaling twelve #1’s, twenty top 10’s and four gold and platinum albums. When you attend a Joe Diffie concert, you’re not waiting for him to sing his hit – you’re waiting for him to sing your hit. Whether it’s Ships That Don’t Come In, Pickup Man, John Deere Green, or If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets), Joe’s music always makes you remember where you were the first time you heard it.

Joe’s journey to Nashville began when a song he wrote called Love on the Rocks was recorded by country legend Hank Thompson. The taste of success lured Joe to move to Nashville where he really got serious about songwriting and found an additional means of income by singing demos on music row. As his reputation as a demo singer burgeoned, it wasn’t long before he caught the attention of music row’s record executives and Joe was on his way to becoming the star he is today.

As a songwriter, Joe’s success is equally impressive. In addition to the numerous hits he kept for himself, Joe’s songs have been recorded by Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, Tracy Lawrence, Conway Twitty, Doug Stone, and most recently Jo Dee Messina, who’s recording of My Give a Damn’s Busted became a big hit.

If you’ve ever been to a Joe Diffie concert, you don’t need to be told what an energetic, hit-filled show he delivers. If you haven’t seen Joe’s live show, do yourself a favor and make sure you’re there next time he’s in your town.

Vern Gosdin once described Joe Diffie as “the man with the golden voice.” He’s won a Grammy, CMA Awards, and been honored as Humanitarian of the Year by the Country Music Broadcasters. He’s a member of the Grand Ole Opry, recorded with George Jones, and toured the country numerous times. You would think that would be enough, but not for Joe Diffie.

He’s got a lot of great music left to make, and fans everywhere anxiously awaiting his next project. You know Joe – he’ll deliver.

Gord Bamford

Gord is passionate about making pure, country music. His songs can inspire you to fly across the dance floor or sink into an embrace. Some boost up the spirit, others knock down sorrow. There are songs that inspire you to reflect on the past, while some cause you to dream of the future. Gord’s music does many good things. To that end, the answer is ‘Yes, Gord… your music matters’. But the question is more profound.

Like most, Gord dreamed of where life’s journey would lead. He grew up on a farm near Lacombe, Alberta. Country living meant school and farm chores were priority. But Gord and his family recognized the importance of community engagement. Gord found belonging and purpose in the local 4-H Club, Big Brothers & Sisters, and minor hockey and baseball. These opportunities became the foundation of Gord’s personal values and Gord credits much of his success to the friendships formed and lessons learned there. Opportunity matters.

Like many, he used those community experiences to build the skills, character, and confidence necessary to realize his dreams. Gord knows, firsthand, the importance of community programs and activities in healthy childhood and family development. As an adult and parent still living in Lacombe, he understands the challenges for communities to deliver those experiences, particularly in rural settings. Community matters.

Like few, Gord has fully embraced the responsibility that is paired with the rewards of success. For years, Gord dreamed of ways to give back, in particular, to enhance the lives of young people. His recently established Gord Bamford Charitable Foundation provides financial assistance to youth-focused organizations so they can extend opportunities to even more kids. Gord’s community-building contributions now include unique programs for 4-H Clubs across Canada. Kids matter.

Gord Bamford is a true country boy, devoted family man, skilled entertainer, and very successful, multi-award winning Canadian Country Music Artist. He has written and recorded songs with some of Nashville’s greatest and shared the stage with Reba MacEntire, Tim McGraw, Brooks & Dunn, and the legendary George Strait. His JUNO and CCMA awards and nominations are plentiful. Gord is realizing his dream and using his success to create opportunity, strengthen community, and effect positive change for kids.

For Gord, its not about ‘making it’, its about making it matter.

Mick Armitage Band

The ‘Mick Armitage Band’ was formed in 1983 and has continuously been one of the hardest working party bands in Ottawa and The Valley ever since. If you want to dance and have fun…this is the band you want to see.

They have performed in Mexico many times, in Dublin Ireland and all over Eastern Ontario at all the top Fairs, Festivals, Corporate events and private functions. There setlist is endless and they always get their audiences involved in the show.

The band includes Mick Armitage on drums, The Reverend Al Bragg on piano and pedal steel, Grant Tomkinson on bass guitar, Bruce Baker on saxophone and Al Tambay on lead guitar. Remember…free hugs after every show !!

The Original Stampeders

KIM BERLY, RICH DODSON AND RONNIE KING, were one of Canada’s top rock groups in the early 70′s, having won Juno Awards in the categories ‘Best Group,’ ‘Best Single,’ ‘Best Producer’ and ‘Best Composer’ for their platinum single, SWEET CITY WOMAN. Their other hits include CARRY ME, DEVIL YOU, WILD EYES, OH MY LADY, THEN CAME THE WHITE MAN, MINSTREL GYPSY, PLAYING IN THE BAND, HIT THE ROAD JACK, NEW ORLEANS, MONDAY MORNING CHOO CHOO and KEEP ME RUNNING WILD, to name just a few.

Between 1971 and 1976, the group went on to become a household name, with four songs reaching Top-30 in the U.S and ten Top-5 singles in Canada. They recorded nine albums, many achieving gold and platinum status. SWEET CITY WOMAN has since become a classic and a standard in the world of pop music. In a recent poll, it was voted one of the Top-10 most-recognizable songs of the 70′s. The Stampeders are currently recording a new C.D., soon due for release.

In 1972, the band was awarded Holland’s prestigious ‘EDISON AWARD’ along with RY COODER and CARL WILSON of THE BEACH BOYS, during a televised award show with an estimated audience of over 30-million viewers throughout Europe. In 1991, THE STAMPEDERS had the honour of being inducted into the Alberta Recording Association’s “Hall of Fame,” and in 1994, they were inducted into the Calgary Rock Hall Of Fame. Also, in 1994, RICH DODSON was inducted into the SOCAN Hall of Fame for his compositions, SWEET CITY WOMAN and CARRY ME along with KIM BERLY for his composition OH MY LADY.

From 1970 to 1977, the band completed six (6) tours across Canada and performed extensively
in Europe, South America (representing Canada at the Brazilian Song Festival to an estimated audience of 90-million viewers) and the U.S. with acts like SANTANA, THE BEACH BOYS, THE EAGLES, MOUNTAIN, Z.Z. TOP, RUSH, BLACK OAK ARKANSAS, ROBIN TROWER, SONNY & CHER, AMERICA, EARTH WIND & FIRE, JOE COCKER, STEELEY DAN, BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS, THE JAMES GANG and GENESIS, just to name a few. According to promoter DONALD K. DONALD, they were the top Canadian concert draw from 1971 to ’74, and were the first Canadian band to tour from one end of the country to the other.

THE STAMPEDERS can also be credited with having some of the first rock ‘videos’ by a Canadian act, five of which are included in a one-hour video entitled “CANADA’S COUNTRY-ROCK LEGENDS – THE STAMPEDERS.”

They made numerous TV appearances, including their own one-hour CBC special, “A SHORT VISIT TO PLANET EARTH,” THE JUNO AWARDS, CBC’S “MISS TEEN CANADA”, NBC’S “THE DATING GAME”, the “SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. AMERICAN SONG FESTIVAL”, KENNY ROGERS’ “ROLLING DOWN THE RIVER,” and the U.S.-originated, “DON KIRSHNER’S ROCK CONCERT”.

Television appearances have included “THE CCMA AWARDS”, “THE DINI PETTY SHOW”, CBC NEWSWORLD’S “PETRIE IN PRIME” and features on MUCHMUSIC’S “BACKTRACKS WITH TERRY DAVID MULLIGAN.”

With over THREE HUNDRED (300) reunion concerts to their credit and a brand-new album, “SURE BEATS WORKING” (MPL-CD-0009) on Marigold Records (KOCH International), to the delight of their dedicated fans, old and new alike, THE STAMPEDERS ARE BACK!

Prairie Oyster

Prairie Oyster is an award-winning Canadian country music group from Ontario. They were named Country Group or Duo of the year six times by both the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) and the Juno Awards. The band also won the Bud Country Fans’ Choice Award from the CCMA in 1994. They have four #1 country singles in Canada, with an additional 12 singles reaching the Canadian Country Top 10. Eight of their albums have been certified gold or platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association, including the 1992 CCMA Album of the Year Everybody Knows.

Prairie Oyster formed in 1974 as a trio, consisting of singer/bassist Russell deCarle, guitarist Keith Glass and steel guitarist Dennis Delorme. They toured and performed on television, but did not record. They subsequently broke up in 1978.

In 1982, the band reunited, adding fiddler John P. Allen, keyboardist Joan Besen and drummer John Adames to the lineup. Bruce Moffat soon replaced Adames.

Prairie Oyster won several CCMA Awards in 1992, including Album of the Year for Everybody Knows, Song of the Year for “Did You Fall In Love with Me,” as well as their third straight win as Group or Duo of the Year. The Juno Awards also awarded them Country Group or Duo of the Year for the fourth time.

They were named Group or Duo of the Year by the CCMA in 1994, 1995 and 1996, and won the Bud Country Fans’ Choice Award in 1994. The Juno Awards also recognized Prairie Oyster as the Country Group or Duo of the Year in both 1995 and 1996.

Prairie Oyster was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008

Tell your friends!