Jimmy Rankin is bringing his easygoing eastern sounds from the Maritimes to Canada’s west at Fort Langley’s Chief Sepass Theatre, Oct. 17.
The country-folk artist was born and raised in Nova Scotia, a place he said that has always influenced his work.
“The tour is called Songs from Route 19, which is a name taken from a stretch of highway on the west coast of Cape Breton,” Rankin said. “There are a lot of inspiring songs and stories from that part of the world, and a lot of the music on this tour is from my last album Moving East.”
Move East is exactly what Rankin just did; the Canadian musician returned home to Nova Scotia after living in Nashville, Tennessee for the past seven years.
“People are people everywhere you go, but the United States is a totally different country; I loved it there and have been going for many years, but I didn’t intend to stay. It was time to come back to Canada, get reacquainted with where I grew up,” Rankin said.
The Juno award winning musician has recorded seven albums and is best known for a bevy of national hits including the 2001 single “Followed Her Around” and “Cool Car”in 2014.
Before his solo career, the Rankin Family band, of which he was the lead vocalist, achieved international acclaim with tours showcasing highland sounds.
Yet, in all that time, Rankin said he never fully cut a record in his home province. Moving East changed that for him as he explained that 2018 album was meant to celebrate everything to do with his roots.
Starting this past July, Rankin kicked off the cross-country tour, working his way west with the bulk of performances taking place in October.
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“Each province has its own personality with fans going back to the Rankin Family days,” he said. “People still respond to these songs.”
Four of those tour dates are in B.C., a time Rankin said he is very much looking forward to.
“You try and get out as much as you can and we’ll see a bit of B.C. It’s a beautiful province, you got everything… the weather… the mountains… the rivers. I’ve not spent a lot of time there, but I’m very excited. I love that province,” Rankin said.
Fort Langley is his furthest concert date west on the mainland before jumping over to Vancouver Island. When asked about the last time he came through town, Rankin couldn’t quite recall.
“It’s been a while, but when I get there, I’ll remember,” he assured.
Beyond music from Moving East, Rankin said songs from his solo career, the Rankin family catalogue, and plenty of story-telling will all be part of the evening.
”I always want to get people involved with the show,” Rankin stressed.
People can find tickets at www.rockitboy.com and find out more about the musician at www.jimmyrankin.com.
Doors open at 7:30 and the show starts at 8 p.m., 9096 Trattle Street.
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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@langleyadvancetimes.com
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