JT
There are a lot of good suggestions from other posters, although they are quite diverse in terms of style. I'm not quite sure how wide you're casting your net in terms of musical genres.
What caught my eye was your comment about having been in Nova Scotia. The Maritimes are the part of the world where I was born and raised. I don't know if there is another part of Canada that has such a rich musical tradition. Although it is mostly known for traditional Celtic music, it is certainly not the only thing that comes out of there. You mentioned Holly Cole and Sarah McLachlin for instance. Both of these ladies come from Nova Scotia, as well as the late great traditional country musician, Hank Snow. Anne Murray as well, although I get the feeling from your post she's not quite your cup of tea (although your mother or girl friend might like her)
Anyway, using the Maritimes as a theme, here's a selection of some of the better known artists from that region.
Ryan's Fancy - three lads who immigrated to Canada from Ireland. They played traditional pub style Irish music. No longer together but huge when they were. I have eight or nine of their albums. If they ever got together for a reunion in the Maritimes it would take a Beatles reunion to outdraw them.
Great Big Sea and the Irish Descendants - two groups who carried on the tradition of Ryan's Fancy, playing traditional Irish music with some local compositions thrown in. Both still exist. Great Big Sea are quite well known nationally in Canada at the moment. They've broken out beyond the Maritimes.
Ashley MacIsaac and Natalie MacMaster - fiddlers, both with national profiles. Natalie is a traditional east coast fiddler, jigs and reels, that type of thing. Ashley is a mixture of traditional and edgy contemporary. He's a bit eccentric, but a superb fiddler. By the way, the Premier of Nova Scotia is a fiddler too.
Mary Jane Lamond - popular locally, not well known outside the region. She sings traditional songs in Gaelic.
The Rankin Family and The Barra MacNeills - both are family groups (think of the Corrs). They play a mixture of traditional and contemporary compositions. The Rankins are known nationally so you are more likely to find their CD's, although they have recently broken up. One of them, Jimmy Rankin, has a solo career going. A bit of a country flavour to his solo music, sort of like Blue Rodeo.
Bruce Guthro and Rita MacNeil - both fairly well known outside the region. Bruce is a singer-songwriter, playing contemporary and traditional music leaning towards folk. Rita used to have a TV show which was broadcast nationally. A powerful and beautiful voice. More ballad oriented. If she can't bring you to tears, you have no heart.
Dutch Mason and Matt Minglewood - two bluesmen who have been around the Maritimes forever although not well known outside the region. When I was in university thirty years ago, Matt and Bruce Cockburn were both playing at the university during the orientation week at the start of the school year. Even back then, Matt Minglewood was something of a local blues legend.
And of course, the best music of all from eastern Canada occurs on weekend nights, every weekend, where every house has a fiddle or a guitar, or both. Put two Maritimers (or Newfoundlanders) together in a room and a party breaks out. The ceilidh is one of the great cultural traditions back home, and it is why easterners naturally congregate in the kitchen when they visit friends, and why a strong musical traditional continues to exist.
Oh, and I haven't even mentioned bagpipes.
Slainte
Mark
There are a lot of good suggestions from other posters, although they are quite diverse in terms of style. I'm not quite sure how wide you're casting your net in terms of musical genres.
What caught my eye was your comment about having been in Nova Scotia. The Maritimes are the part of the world where I was born and raised. I don't know if there is another part of Canada that has such a rich musical tradition. Although it is mostly known for traditional Celtic music, it is certainly not the only thing that comes out of there. You mentioned Holly Cole and Sarah McLachlin for instance. Both of these ladies come from Nova Scotia, as well as the late great traditional country musician, Hank Snow. Anne Murray as well, although I get the feeling from your post she's not quite your cup of tea (although your mother or girl friend might like her)
Anyway, using the Maritimes as a theme, here's a selection of some of the better known artists from that region.
Ryan's Fancy - three lads who immigrated to Canada from Ireland. They played traditional pub style Irish music. No longer together but huge when they were. I have eight or nine of their albums. If they ever got together for a reunion in the Maritimes it would take a Beatles reunion to outdraw them.
Great Big Sea and the Irish Descendants - two groups who carried on the tradition of Ryan's Fancy, playing traditional Irish music with some local compositions thrown in. Both still exist. Great Big Sea are quite well known nationally in Canada at the moment. They've broken out beyond the Maritimes.
Ashley MacIsaac and Natalie MacMaster - fiddlers, both with national profiles. Natalie is a traditional east coast fiddler, jigs and reels, that type of thing. Ashley is a mixture of traditional and edgy contemporary. He's a bit eccentric, but a superb fiddler. By the way, the Premier of Nova Scotia is a fiddler too.
Mary Jane Lamond - popular locally, not well known outside the region. She sings traditional songs in Gaelic.
The Rankin Family and The Barra MacNeills - both are family groups (think of the Corrs). They play a mixture of traditional and contemporary compositions. The Rankins are known nationally so you are more likely to find their CD's, although they have recently broken up. One of them, Jimmy Rankin, has a solo career going. A bit of a country flavour to his solo music, sort of like Blue Rodeo.
Bruce Guthro and Rita MacNeil - both fairly well known outside the region. Bruce is a singer-songwriter, playing contemporary and traditional music leaning towards folk. Rita used to have a TV show which was broadcast nationally. A powerful and beautiful voice. More ballad oriented. If she can't bring you to tears, you have no heart.
Dutch Mason and Matt Minglewood - two bluesmen who have been around the Maritimes forever although not well known outside the region. When I was in university thirty years ago, Matt and Bruce Cockburn were both playing at the university during the orientation week at the start of the school year. Even back then, Matt Minglewood was something of a local blues legend.
And of course, the best music of all from eastern Canada occurs on weekend nights, every weekend, where every house has a fiddle or a guitar, or both. Put two Maritimers (or Newfoundlanders) together in a room and a party breaks out. The ceilidh is one of the great cultural traditions back home, and it is why easterners naturally congregate in the kitchen when they visit friends, and why a strong musical traditional continues to exist.
Oh, and I haven't even mentioned bagpipes.
Slainte
Mark