Rawlins Cross

Last updated
Rawlins Cross
Rawlins Cross at RFE 2018.jpg
Rawlins Cross performing at Riverfest Elora in 2018. From left: Brian Bourne (Chapman Stick), Joey Kitson (vocals), Howie Southwood (in back, on drums), Dave Panting (mandolin), Ian McKinnon (tin whistle). Not pictured: Geoff Panting
Background information
Origin St. John's, Newfoundland
Genres Celtic rock
Years active19882001
2008present
Labels Ground Swell
Warner Music Canada
Members Joey Kitson
Dave Panting
Geoff Panting
Ian McKinnon
Brian Bourne
Howie Southwood
Past membersPamela Paton
Lorne Taylor
Derek Pelley
Tom Roach
Website www.rawlinscross.com

Rawlins Cross is a Celtic band that formed in 1988 in Atlantic Canada. [1] With members from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Ontario, the band took its name from an intersection in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Contents

Formation and early history

Rawlins Cross was formed in St. John's in the late 1980s by songwriting brothers Dave Panting (guitar and mandolin), Geoff Panting (keyboards and accordion) and Ian McKinnon (highland pipes and tin whistle). They then added drummer Pamela Paton and bassist Lorne Taylor to the band.

The band started in the East Coast recording scene in late 1989 with its first independently released recording, A Turn of the Wheel; a video for the single "Colleen" was released the same year. after its release, "Colleen" had a top ten radio slot on Toronto's CFNY station. In 1991, Lorne Taylor left the band, with Derek Pelley briefly replacing Taylor on bass. Prior to the recording of their sophomore album, Crossing The Border, Pamela Paton left in late 1991, to be replaced by Tom Roach. Bassist Derek Pelley left in early 1992, and was replaced by Brian Bourne.[ citation needed ]

Popularity and mainstream success

In 1992, the band released Crossing The Border, which further developed the fusion of highland bagpipes, mandolin and accordion with a rhythm section. A year later, after Rawlins Cross brought in drummer Howie Southwood, the band recorded Reel 'n' Roll, which would be its best-selling album and launch a national radio hit with the title track.[ citation needed ] Prior to the recording of Reel 'n' Roll, Prince Edward Island singer Joey Kitson joined the band as the new lead singer. Prior to Kitson joining the band, guitarist Dave Panting sang lead vocals for the band on the albums, A Turn of the Wheel and Crossing The Border.

Rawlins Cross released Living River in 1996, which garnered two Juno Award nominations.[ citation needed ] The band toured Canada three times that year and signed a licensing deal for its music in Europe.

Rawlins Cross performed live on the nationally televised East Coast Music Awards and performed at the ninth annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration Festival in Germany and also represented Canada at the Expo Cumbre de las Americas in Santiago, Chile.[ citation needed ]

Two more albums followed: Celtic Instrumentals in 1997, a retrospective collection, and the 1998 studio album Make It On Time, which would prove to be the band's last album for more than a decade.

Following a six-year hiatus, Rawlins Cross reunited in the fall of 2008 and released its seventh recording, Anthology. In November 2010, they released their eighth album, Heart Head Hands. Their next recording, Rock Steady, was recorded at Codapop Studios (in Halifax, Nova Scotia) and released in December 2017 with the single, "Hold You Tonight".

Style

Rawlins Cross mixed Scottish, Irish, Celtic, and rock 'n' roll elements. Their style ranged from Celtic-instrumental to blues to folk, always with a strong rhythmic feeling, and combined contemporary song stylings with traditional instrumentation and story elements. The principal songwriters were brothers Dave and Geoff Panting.

After vocalist Joey Kitson joined the band in 1993, a number of the songs on the first two CDs, including "Turn Of the Wheel", "MacPherson's Lament", "Colleen" and "Open Road" were recorded again with Kitson singing lead, and released on subsequent recordings.[ citation needed ]

Band members

Former band members

Discography

Albums

YearAlbum
1989 A Turn of the Wheel
1992 Crossing the Border
1993 Reel 'N' Roll
1996 Living River
1997 Celtic Instrumentals
1998 Make It on Time
2008 Anthology
2010 Heart-Head-Hands
2017Rock Steady
2019Flying Colours
2022Sunrise

Singles

YearSingleChart PositionsAlbum
CAN ACCAN
1994"Reel 'N' Roll"Reel 'N' Roll
"Long Night"60
1996"When My Ship Comes In"Living River
"The Long Way Home"4958
1998"You Will Always Be My Love"Make It on Time
"Where Would I Be"56

Awards and nominations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Bottine Souriante</span> Canadian folk band

La Bottine Souriante is a folk band from Canada. The band specializes in traditional Quebecer music, often with a modern twist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane MacGowan and The Popes</span> Irish band formed in 1992

The Popes are a band originally formed by Shane MacGowan and Paul "Mad Dog" McGuinness, who play a blend of rock, Irish folk and Americana.

De Dannan is an Irish folk music group. It was formed in 1975 by Frankie Gavin (fiddle), Alec Finn, Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh (bodhrán) and Charlie Piggott (banjo) as a result of sessions in Hughes's Pub in Spiddal, County Galway, Ireland, with Dolores Keane (vocals) subsequently being invited to join the band. The fiddler Mickey Finn (1951–1987) is also acknowledged to have been a founder member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silly Wizard</span> Scottish folk band

Silly Wizard was a Scottish folk band that began forming in Edinburgh in 1970. The founder members were two like-minded university students—Gordon Jones, and Bob Thomas. In January 1972, Jones and Thomas formed a trio with their flatmate Bill Watkins and performed under various band names in Edinburgh folk clubs. In the spring of 1972, Watkins returned to Birmingham and, in June 1972, Chris Pritchard (vocals) came in as his replacement. In July 1972, this newly formed trio were offered their first paid booking at the Burns Monument Hotel, Brig O' Doon, Scotland, and needed a band name in a hurry. The name "Silly Wizard" was chosen and the continuing stream of bookings ensured that the name became permanent. In September 1972, the trio recruited Johnny Cunningham (1957–2003) and Silly Wizard started to take off.

<i>Jericho</i> (The Band album) 1993 studio album by the Band

Jericho is the eighth studio album by Canadian-American rock group the Band. Coming seventeen years after their "farewell concert", it was released in 1993 and was the first album to feature the latter-day configuration of the group, as well as their first release for the Rhino subsidiary Pyramid Records.

Tempest is an American Celtic rock band from the San Francisco Bay Area, based in Oakland, California. They fuse the traditional Celtic music with Norwegian and European folk, American folk, and progressive rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Albion Band</span> British folk rock band

The Albion Band, also known as The Albion Country Band, The Albion Dance Band, and The Albion Christmas Band, is a British folk rock band, originally brought together and led by musician Ashley Hutchings. An important grouping in the genre, it has contained or been associated with a large proportion of major English folk performers in its long and fluid history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weddings Parties Anything</span> Australian band

Weddings Parties Anything. was an Australian folk rock band formed in 1984 in Melbourne and continuing until 1999. Their name came from The Clash song "Revolution Rock". Musicologist Billy Pinnell described their first album as the best Australian rock debut since Skyhooks' Living in the 70's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Paperboys</span> Canadian folk music band

The Paperboys are a Canadian folk music band from Vancouver that formed in 1991. The Paperboys blend Celtic folk with bluegrass, Mexican, Eastern European, African, zydeco, soul and country influences. The band has had a variety of members and line-ups since its original formation, with Landa remaining as the sole founding member, although veteran banjoist/bassist Cam Salay often returns as a guest performer. Known for consistently creating pop songs with melodic hooks, their music has been called versatile, with a wide range of influences, melding diverse musical influences more successfully than some other Irish rock bands have previously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railroad Earth</span> American Americana/bluegrass band

Railroad Earth is a bluegrass-influenced Americana band formed in Stillwater, New Jersey in 2001. The band's music combines elements of progressive bluegrass, folk, rock, country, jazz, Celtic and other Americana influences. Recognized as "carrying on the tradition of improvisational, genre-spanning music laid forth by the Grateful Dead," Railroad Earth is known for lyrical songwriting and extensive live improvisation. The band takes its name from the Jack Kerouac prose poem "October in the Railroad Earth". The band also has a song of the same name.

The Electrics are a Celtic rock band from Dumbarton, Scotland. They formed in 1988 when former Infrapenny members Sammy Horner and Paul Baird (guitar) asked drummer Dave McArthur and sax/keyboard player Allan Hewitt to play a gig at Glasgow's Impact Festival. The band released a self-financed cassette album, Views in Blues, in 1989. Following this recording the band evolved a celtic rock sound, heavily influenced by The Waterboys and The Pogues. Subsequent recordings included Vision and Dreams (1990) which was distributed by Word Records, and Big Silent World (1993), on Germany's Pila Music label.

<i>A Turn of the Wheel</i> 1989 studio album by Rawlins Cross

A Turn of the Wheel is Rawlins Cross' debut album, released in 1989 on the Ground Swell label.

<i>Crossing the Border</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Rawlins Cross

Crossing the Border is the second album released by Rawlins Cross. It was released in 1992, under the Ground Swell label.

<i>Reel N Roll</i> 1993 studio album by Rawlins Cross

Reel 'N' Roll is a Rawlins Cross album. It is the band's third album, released in April 1993 by Ground Swell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockton's Wing</span> Irish band

Stockton's Wing are an Irish band formed in 1977 by four All-Ireland champion musicians; Paul Roche on flute/whistle, Maurice Lennon on fiddle, Tommy Hayes on bodhran, and Kieran Hanrahan on banjo/mandolin, along with Tony Callinan on guitar and vocals. They have collaborated with well known artists including Christy Moore, "as well as more than a dozen musicians who have worked to create an impressive collection of work". Their style has been described as including "Irish folk, melancholic ballads, upbeat jigs, and modern pop". Stockton's Wing have supported artists including Michael Jackson and Prince.

The Ukrainians are a British band, which plays traditional Ukrainian music, heavily influenced by western post-punk.

<i>Over the Next Hill</i> 2004 studio album by Fairport Convention

Over the Next Hill is a 2004 album by the band Fairport Convention. The band have released over 30 albums since their debut, Fairport Convention, in 1968.

Joey Kitson is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead singer of the Celtic rock band Rawlins Cross. Born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Kitson is also a stage performer, with notable performances in the Charlottetown Festival productions of Anne of Green Gables: The Musical and Canada Rocks!

Shaskeen are a musical group based in Ireland, who perform Irish traditional music. They formed in London in May 1970 and are still performing and recording as of 2020.

The Iron Horse was a Scottish Celtic music band formed in 1990. During the 1990s the band, along with others, broadened Celtic music from its traditional roots to the wider range of music now encompassed within the Celtic music genre. From slow airs and ballads to driving instrumentals, they wrote and performed a broad spectrum of Scottish folk music. Though the band split up in 2001, due to contractual recording obligations, they reunited briefly in 2004 to record a final album.

References

  1. Fleming, Lee (1997-05-01). Rock, rhythm, and reels: Canada's east coast musicians on stage. Ragweed Press. pp. 176–. ISBN   9780921556657 . Retrieved 19 June 2012.