![]() Her hometown of Cape Breton is flying flags at half-mast in tribute to the singer. She followed up the success with several recurring television specials, including a Christmas special. She followed the crossover hit with songs such as “Working Man” and “We’ll Reach the Sky Tonight.” By 1990 she was the best selling country artist in Canada, outselling the likes of Garth Brooks and Clint Black. Her breakthrough came in 1987 with the single “Flying On Your Own,” which went 2x Platinum. Many of her songs were integral to the women’s equality movement in Canada. She stressed the importance of equal pay, and the necessity for an improved daycare system. She joined several women’s groups and attended meetings (some of which were being closely monitored by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police). Despite overwhelming talent, she claims to have continuously battled her own brutal self-consciousness, and taking the stage was always a difficult endeavor. What a lot of people might not know is that she got her start writing and singing songs for the womens liberation movement of the early 1970s. Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s she performed at various folk festivals and gained notoriety throughout the country and folk music community. The beloved singer Rita MacNeil died in April. ![]() ![]() Her recording career did not begin until she was in her forties, and made her first performance in 1971. Rita MacNeil, (born April 16, 2013) is a Canadian country and folk singer from the community of Big Pond on Nova Scotias Cape Breton Island. Today, on the anniversary of her untimely passing, MacNeil’s. One of Canada’s finest music icons and First Lady of Cape Breton, Rita MacNeil, is the newest Inductee to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF). Known for her powerful songwriting and unique back story, Rita has been referred to by some as “Canada’s First Lady of Song.”īorn with a cleft palate, raised an abusive home and constantly battling self-image problems, Rita MacNeil braved her insecurities and became a burgeoning feminist voice out of Canada. Rita MacNeil sitting at the side of the pool at the Sutton Hotel while six-year-old Lee Silden, a hotel guest, at the hotel swims by. Beloved singer-songwriter will be celebrated with induction presentation during the 2021 East Coast Music Awards, June 10th. Icon of Canadian music, country singer Rita MacNeil has passed away after complications stemming from surgery.
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