Cindy Church (born 1958) is a Canadian
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...
and
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
artist. Church released three studio albums on
Stony Plain Records and was nominated for
Best Country Female Vocalist at the
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...
s in 1995 and 1996. She is also a member of the award winning group
Quartette
In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...
.
Early life
Church grew up in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia.
Biography
In 1984, Cindy Church, along with guitarist Nathan Tinkham, joined
Ian Tyson
Ian Dawson Tyson (September 25, 1933 – December 29, 2022) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who wrote several folk songs, including " Four Strong Winds" and " Someday Soon", and performed with partner Sylvia Tyson as the duo Ian & Sylvia.
Ea ...
's band, the Chinook Arch Riders. Church sang background vocals on three of Tyson's albums. In 1987, Church and Tinkham joined the traditional country music trio
Great Western Orchestra founded by Neil Bentley, Dave Hamilton and mandolinist David Wilkie. The group recorded an album for
Sony Music Canada
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...
and received a 1990
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...
nomination for
Best Country Group or Duo.
Church launched a solo career in 1992 with the release of the single "The Road to Home."
[ Biography )))">allmusic ((( Cindy Church > Biography )))/ref> Her second single, "A Song for Brent," was recorded in honour of Brent Berezay, who became a ]paraplegic
Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek ()
"half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neur ...
following a rodeo accident. Proceeds from the song went to the Song for Brent Society.
Church won Female Artist of the Year at the 1993 Alberta Country Music Awards. That same year, she joined singer-songwriters Sylvia Tyson
Sylvia may refer to:
People
*Sylvia (given name)
* Sylvia (singer), American country music and country pop singer and songwriter
* Sylvia Robinson, American singer, record producer, and record label executive
*Sylvia Vrethammar, Swedish singer cre ...
, Caitlin Hanford and Colleen Peterson
Colleen Susan Peterson (November 14, 1950 – October 9, 1996) was a Canadian country and folk singer, who performed both as a solo artist and as a member of the band Quartette.
Career
Peterson began performing in coffeehouses in Ottawa in 1966. ...
to form the country and folk music group Quartette
In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...
.
Church was named best country artist at the Alberta Recording Industry Awards in 1994; that year Quartette won the Canadian Country Music Association
The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) was founded in 1976 as the Academy of Country Music Entertainment to organize, promote and develop a Canadian country music industry. The groundwork for the association began on June 3rd, 1973 when a g ...
's award for Vocal Collaboration of the Year. The group received three consecutive Juno Award nominations for Best Country Group or Duo from 1995 to 1997. Peterson was forced to leave the group when she was diagnosed with cancer in 1996. She chose her friend Gwen Swick to fill in for her.
Church issued her debut solo album, ''Love on the Range'', in 1994. Included was the Top 20 single "Rockabilly Heart." She received a nomination from the Canadian Country Music Association for Female Artist of the Year, and was also nominated for Best Country Female Vocalist at the Juno Awards in 1995 and 1996. Her second studio album, ''Just a Little Rain'', was released in 1995.
Church's eponymous third album was released in 1996. The album featured a duet with Ian Tyson on a song written by Tyson, "What Does She See." The collaboration resulted in a 1998 Juno Award nomination for Best Country Group or Duo. Church continues to perform as a member of Quartete, who issued their sixth studio album, ''Down at the Fair'', in 2007. She is also a member of the group Lunch at Allen's and performs in a tribute to Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the firs ...
, "The Nearness of You."
During the summer of 2016, Church was performing with singers Marc Jordan, Murray McLauchlan
Murray Edward McLauchlan, (born 30 June 1948) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and harmonica player. He is best known for his Canadian hits "Farmer's Song," "Whispering Rain," and "Down by the Henry Moore".
Early life
Mc ...
and Ian Thomas in the group Lunch at Allen's, in a number of towns and small cities in Ontario, Canada. She also continued her participation in Quartette with a month-long December tour."A Quartette Christmas with Sylvia Tyson and friends"
''Ottawa Citizen'', Lynn Saxberg, 16 December 2016
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
External links
Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church, Cindy
Canadian women singer-songwriters
Canadian women country singers
Living people
Quartette (band) members
Canadian country singer-songwriters
Canadian folk singer-songwriters
1958 births