Joey Kitson (born ) is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead singer of the

Celtic rock Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock, as well as a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context. It has been prolific since the early 1970s and can be seen as a key foundation of the ...

band

Rawlins Cross Rawlins Cross is a Celtic band that formed in 1988 in Atlantic Canada. With members from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Ontario, the band took its name from an intersection in St. John's, Newfoundland. Formation and early ...

. Born in

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...

, Prince Edward Island, Kitson is also a stage performer, with notable performances in the

Charlottetown Festival The Charlottetown Festival is a seasonal Canadian musical theatre festival which has run from late May to mid-October every year since 1965. The Charlottetown Festival is hosted in Confederation Centre of the Arts every year. Named after its host c ...

productions of '' Anne of Green Gables: The Musical'' and '' Canada Rocks!'' Kitson first performed in a high school production of ''

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The play's book was influenced by El ...

'' on the Charlottetown Festival stage. Soon after, he and friends formed the Rock Island Blues Band, a popular band touring Prince Edward Island in the 1980s. Through touring and a stint with a regional tourism promotion, he met other members of Rawlins Cross and officially joined the band as their new lead singer in 1993. In 2006, Kitson starred alongside Matt Minglewood & Terry Hatty in the Charlottetown Festival's 2-year run of Canada Rocks at the

Confederation Centre of the Arts Confederation Centre of the Arts () is a cultural centre dedicated to the visual arts, visual and performing arts located in the city of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. History Construction of Confederation Centre, as it is commonly ...

. In 2007, he also starred in

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when Rock music, rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of Culture of the United Kingdom, British culture became popular in the United States with sign ...

at the Confederation Centre. In 2009 he starred in ''Stan Rogers – A Matter of Heart'', a musical review of legendary

Maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Princ ...

folk musician

Stan Rogers Stanley Allison Rogers (November 29, 1949 – June 2, 1983) was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter who sang traditional-sounding songs frequently inspired by Canadian history and the working people's daily lives, especially from the fishin ...

at the Mackenzie Theatre in Charlottetown. In support of the review, Kitson released ''STAN'', an eclectic reinterpretation of songs written by Rogers on

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and the third-largest in the gl ...

's Ground Swell imprint. In 2015, Kitson ran as the

Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island The Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island (PEIPC) is one of three major political parties on Prince Edward Island. The party and its rival, the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party, have alternated in power since responsible gove ...

candidate in the provincial riding of

Charlottetown-Victoria Park Charlottetown-Victoria Park is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, Canada. It consists of the entire downtown core of Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinc ...

. He was defeated by

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

incumbent Richard Brown. Joey's son, Julien, is also a musician, releasing his debut album ''Thirteen'' at the age of 13. The album earned a Music P.E.I. nomination for Acadian/Francophone Artist of the Year. Julien also performed in productions of ''Stan Rogers – A Matter of Heart'' in 2016 at The Guild in Charlottetown, and in 2017 at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax.

References

External links

Joey Kitson

Rawlins Cross
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitson, Joey Canadian rock singers Living people Musicians from Charlottetown 1969 births Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island politicians 20th-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian singers Singers from Prince Edward Island