Rita MacNeil
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Rita MacNeil (born May 28, 1944) is a Canadian country and folk singer 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, although she has had hits on the country charts throughout her career.
She has continued to be a popular figure in Canadian music. In 1990, she was the bestselling country artist in Canada, outselling even Garth Brooks and Clint Black. She is also the only female singer ever to have three separate albums chart in the same year in Australia.
A native of Big Pond, Cape Breton County, MacNeil first performed on stage in 1971, and recorded her first album, Born a Woman, in 1975. She performed at folk festivals throughout the 1970s and 1980s, culminating in her major label debut and pop breakthrough in 1987.
MacNeil hosted a CBC television variety show, Rita and Friends, from 1994 to 1997. She also runs a tea room in her hometown of Big Pond, which has become one of Cape Breton Island's most popular tourist attractions.
She was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1992 and was awarded the Order of Nova Scotia in 2005.
Disability
MacNeil is one of Canada's most unlikely music stars; she was born with a cleft palate and is significantly overweight. Although she has sometimes been subjected to jokes, she is also widely admired for her gracious personality and her perseverance.
When a newspaper columnist in Philadelphia made fun of MacNeil's weight after she sang "O Canada" at a game in the 1993 World Series, his comments caused considerable controversy in Canada. (The columnist had written that MacNeil looked like she could only be moved by forklift; MacNeil subsequently commented that if she were asked to sing the national anthem at another game, she would make being carried out onto the field by forklift a condition of her acceptance.)
MacNeil further showed this sense of humour in 2004, when she made an appearance as herself on the popular television show Trailer Park Boys.
Though she suffers from somewhat limited mobility and now in her early 60's, Rita continues to write, record and tour. Her most recent album, Songs My Mother Loved, was releasd in May of 2006. She embarked on a cross Canada trek throughout that following spring and summer.
Discography
- Born a Woman (1975)
- Part of the Mystery (1981)
- I'm Not What I Seem (1983)
- Flying On Your Own (1987)
- Reason to Believe (1988)
- Now the Bells Ring (1988)
- Rita (1989)
- Home I'll Be (1990)
- Thinking of You (1992)
- Once Upon a Christmas (1993)
- Volume 1 - Songs from the Collection (1994, greatest hits)
- Porch Songs (1995)
- Joyful Sounds (1996)
- Music of a Thousand Nights (1997)
- Full Circle (1998)
- A Night at the Orpheum (1999)
- Mining the Soul (2000)
- Late December (2002)
- Common Dream (2002)
- The Ultimate Collection (2004, greatest hits)
- Blue Roses (2004)
- Songs My Mother Loved (2006)
External links
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