Rita MacNeil

Rita MacNeil, CM, ONS (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 and was covered by Anne Murray the following year, although she has had hits on the country charts throughout her career. In the United Kingdom, MacNeil's song "Working Man" was a #11 hit in 1990.^[1]

She has continued to be a popular figure in Canadian music^{[citation needed]}. 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. The show won a Gemini Award in 1996. 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.

She was featured in a Season 4 episode of Trailer Park Boys, wherein she and her band are forced to harvest marijuana.

Research done by historians Steve Hewitt and Christabelle Sethna on documents from the now-defunct Royal Canadian Mounted Police Security Service have revealed accounts of the force having spied on feminists, including MacNeil, during the 1970s.^[2]

MacNeil wrote her memoirs On A Personal Note with Anne Simpson in 2002, which was published by Key Porter Books.

Discography

Albums

Year	Single	Chart Positions		CRIA
Year	Single	CAN Country	CAN	CRIA
1975	Born a Woman
1981	Part of the Mystery
1983	I'm Not What I Seem
1987	Flying On Your Own		27	2× Platinum
1988	Reason to Believe		20	2× Platinum
1988	Now the Bells Ring			3× Platinum
1989	Rita		31	2× Platinum
1990	Home I'll Be		22	2× Platinum
1992	Thinking of You	19	19	Platinum
1993	Once Upon a Christmas		44	Platinum
1994	Volume 1: Songs from the Collection		31	Platinum
1995	Porch Songs			Gold
1996	Joyful Sounds
1997	Music of a Thousand Nights
1998	Full Circle
1999	A Night at the Orpheum
2000	Mining the Soul			Gold
2002	Late December
2002	Common Dream
2004	The Ultimate Collection
2004	Blue Roses
2006	Songs My Mother Loved
2008	Pocket Full of Dreams

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions			Album
Year	Single	CAN Country	CAN AC	CAN	Album
1987	"Flying On Your Own"			42	Flying On Your Own
	"Used to You"		18
	"Fast Train to Tokyo"		14
1988	"Leave Her Memory"	32
	"Working Man"				Reason to Believe
	"Walk On Through"				Reason to Believe
1989	"I'll Accept the Rose"	9			Rita
1989	"We'll Reach the Sky Tonight"		3	81
1990	"Crazy Love"		6
	"When Love Surrounded You and I"	31
	"Why Do I Think of You Today"	17
	"You Taught Me Well"		6	64	Home I'll Be
1991	"Watch Love Grow Strong"	9
1991	"Call Me and I'll Be There"		14	81
1992	"Bring It On Home to Me"	44	8	69	Thinking of You
1993	"Shining Strong"	23	5		Thinking of You
1995	"Steal Me Away"				Porch Songs
1995	"Rolling Thunder"		16	87	Porch Songs

References

^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 341. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ "RCMP spied on Rita MacNeil, feminists in 1970s". CTV News. Retrieved 2008-08-05.

External links

Rita MacNeil's home page

[British_Hit_Singles_&_Albums-1] Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 341. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

[2] "RCMP spied on Rita MacNeil, feminists in 1970s". CTV News. Retrieved 2008-08-05.

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