Rita MacNeil | |
|---|---|
 MacNeil at the National Arts Centre in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | May 28, 1944 Big Pond, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | April 16, 2013 (aged 68) Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1975–2013 |
| Labels | Virgin Records |
| Website | ritamacneil |
Rita MacNeil CM ONS (May 28, 1944 – April 16, 2013) was a Canadian singer and songwriter from the community of Big Pond on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. Her biggest hit, "Flying On Your Own", was a crossover Top 40 hit in 1987 and was covered by Anne Murray the following year, although she had hits on the country and adult contemporary charts throughout her career. In the United Kingdom, MacNeil's song "Working Man" was a No. 11 hit in 1990.[1]
In 1990, she was the bestselling country artist in Canada, outselling even Garth Brooks and Clint Black. She was also the only female singer ever to have three separate albums chart in the same year in Australia.[2]
Through her career MacNeil received five honorary degrees, released 24 albums, won three Juno Awards, a SOCAN National Achievement Award,[3] four CCMA awards, eleven ECMA awards, was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame and was named to the Orders of Nova Scotia and Canada.[4]
On the eighth anniversary of her death, April 16, 2021, it was announced that Rita MacNeil would be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame posthumously in May of that same year.[5]
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 341. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Ouzounian, Richard (April 17, 2013). "Rita MacNeil: Spirited woman touched many with her songs". Toronto Star. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ "2009 Socan Awards | Socan". Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- ^ "Rita MacNeil". Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Singer-songwriter Rita MacNeil to be inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame". Toronto Star. April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search