Vancouver Island is in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is 460 km (290 mi) in length, 100 km (62 mi) in width at its widest point, and 32,134 km2 (12,407 sq mi) in area. It is the largest island on the west coasts of the Americas.
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the American Graphophone Company, the successor to the Volta Graphophone Company. Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in the recorded sound business, and the second major company to produce records. From 1961 to 1990, Columbia recordings were released outside North America under the name CBS Records to avoid confusion with EMI's Columbia Graphophone Company. Columbia is one of Sony Music's four flagship record labels, alongside former longtime rival RCA Records, as well as Arista Records and Epic Records.
Nanaimo is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2016 census, it had a population of 90,504. It is known as "The Harbour City". The city was previously known as the "Hub City", which has been attributed to its original layout design where the streets radiated out from the shoreline like the spokes of a wagon wheel, as well as its generally centralized location on Vancouver Island. Nanaimo is also the headquarters of the Regional District of Nanaimo.
Diana Jean Krall is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million albums worldwide. On December 11, 2009, Billboard magazine named her the second Jazz Artist of the Decade (2000–09), establishing her as one of the best-selling artists of her time.
Nanaimo—Alberni was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1979 to 1988. It was subsequently recreated and was represented in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2015.
Vancouver Island University is a Canadian public university serving Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia. Starting as Malaspina College in 1969, it has grown into a university that plays an important role in the educational, cultural, and economic life of the region. The main campus is located in Nanaimo, and there are regional campuses in Duncan and Powell River, as well as a centre in Parksville.
The Snuneymuxw First Nation is currently located in and around Nanaimo on east-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Although the Snuneymuxw now only have a total reserve land base of 266 hectares, divided into small, separated reserves, they once occupied a wide region of south-central Vancouver Island where they lived for more than 5,000 years. Snuneymuxw Territory on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and the Fraser River in the British Columbia was in the center of Coast Salish territory. Their language is the Hul’qumi’num language.
The Irish Rovers is a group of Irish musicians which originated in Toronto, Canada. Formed in 1963 and named after the traditional song "The Irish Rover" they are best known for their international television series, contributing to the popularisation of Irish Music in North America, and for the songs "The Unicorn", "Drunken Sailor", "Wasn't That a Party", "The Orange and the Green", "Whiskey on a Sunday", "Lily the Pink" and "The Black Velvet Band".
Robert Dunsmuir was a Scottish-Canadian coal mine developer, owner and operator, railway developer, industrialist and politician in British Columbia.
Gerry "Fiddle" O'Connor is born in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. Gerry is a traditional Irish fiddle player, and founding member of bands, Skylark and La Lúgh. He tours as a solo fiddle player and performs with a variety of projects
David Gogo, is a Canadian blues guitarist, singer-songwriter and bandleader who is currently signed to the independent Cordova Bay Records label. He was formerly signed to EMI Records. Between 1994 and 2014, he released 12 solo albums. As of 2014, his touring band includes a Hammond organ/piano player, an electric bass player and a drummer.
The Socialist Party of British Columbia (SPBC), later the Socialist Party of Canada , was a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada, from 1901 to 1905. In 1903, the SPBC won seats in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
The Unicorn is the debut studio album of the Canadian Irish folk music group The Irish Rovers, released in 1967 and topped the charts in 1968.
David Daniel Stupich was a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for most years from the 1960s to the 1980s, and a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1993. Stupich was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia to a coal miner.
Will Millar is a Northern Irish-Canadian singer best known as a co-founding member of The Irish Rovers. Until his departure in 1995, he was the group's front man. He plays guitar, banjo, mandolin and tin whistle.
Gracehill Fair is the 2010 album release by The Irish Rovers, Rover Records. The album and title track are named after an annual fair in the County Antrim of Northern Ireland. It was recorded in Canada and Ireland, and mixed in Nanaimo, British Columbia, with cover and liner notes artwork by Celtic artist Hamish Burgess. The album includes new original rollicking drinking songs for which the band is best known, as well as a selection of original ballads.
Still Rovin', (Rover Records) is the 2007 album release by Irish/Canadian folk music group The Irish Rovers. The liner notes read, "Not counting the numerous compilation records, this will be our 30th album..." It is a studio album recorded in both Canada and Ireland, and mixed in Nanaimo, British Columbia. This is the first recording without original band member, Joe Millar, since 1968.
James Hurst Hawthornthwaite was an Irish-born land agent, businessman and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Nanaimo City from 1901 to 1908 and from 1909 to 1912 as a Socialist and Newcastle from 1918 to 1920 as an Independent Socialist in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
The Nanaimo Daily News was a Canadian daily newspaper published weekdays in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia for 141 years until ceasing publication in January 2016.
Lynne Bowen is a Canadian non-fiction writer, historian, professor, and journalist, best known for her popular historical books about Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Over the years, Bowen has won awards such as the Eaton's British Columbia Book Award (1983), the Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Writing British Columbia History (1987,) and the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize (1993).
