George Canyon's memoir My Country is about hard times, hard work and good music — read an excerpt now
CBC Books | | Posted: June 13, 2022 2:10 PM | Last Updated: June 13, 2022
See the cover and read an excerpt! My Country will be available on Nov. 8, 2022
My Country is a forthcoming memoir from Canadian country music star George Canyon.
In the book, Canyon recounts his musical journey from small town Nova Scotia to the big city of Nashville and how his life came full circle when he returned to Canada — this time, to the wide plains of Alberta.
My Country documents a personal story as he opens up about his childhood diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and the years of hard work and sacrifice — touring dive bars across the country and working multiple jobs — to carve out a career as a musician.
Canyon got his big break in 2004 when he landed a spot on Nashville Star, a singing competition TV show. Over the years, he has collaborated with world-famous musicians such as Richard Marx, Kenny Rogers and Chad Kroeger; he's also been inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame and is currently the anthem singer for the Calgary Flames.
The book will feature colour photos and will be released simultaneously with an audiobook, narrated by Canyon.
Canyon rose to become one of Canada's biggest country music stars in the early 2000s. He has won countless accolades and awards, including Juno Awards, CCMA Awards and ECMA Awards. His country music hit records include Just Like You, I Believe in Angels, Daughters of the Sun, I Want You To Live, Slow Dance and more.
George Canyon is also a past Canada Reads panellist; he defended From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle in 2020.
Canyon initially decided against writing a memoir earlier in this career, he told CBC Books via email. "I felt I had not experienced enough of life at that point. Now, at the age of 52, with 33 years in the music business, I wanted to tell my life's story," said Canyon.
"I really hope the reader can hear my voice through the pages almost as if we are sitting enjoying a coffee with conversation. This is a look, not only behind the scenes of the music business, but an overall caption of my life's experiences as a husband, a father, a type 1 diabetic and an artist."
My Country will be available on Nov. 8, 2022.
You can read an excerpt from My Country below.
It was May 1, 2004, and I was standing underneath the blinding lights of the hallowed Grand Ole Opry theatre in front of a screaming, sold-out crowd — not to mention millions of viewers on TV — waiting to hear the sentence that would change my life.
It was the final night of Nashville Star, a reality show for country musicians in its second season. I'd spent the last five months of my life here, in the heart of the country-music industry, and now my mind flashed back to all the steps along the way that had brought me to this moment: not just the nerve-wracking auditions in Calgary and Philadelphia, but also the decade-plus I'd spent on the road touring dive bars and music joints across Canada.
Over the years, I had seen just about every inch of this great country of ours as I tried to scrape together a music career after I abandoned a promising future in medicine — a decision that gave my loving parents back home in Nova Scotia no shortage of heartache and worry.
Somehow, I'd made it onto Nashville Star as its only Canadian contestant, then survived all eight eliminations along the way. That's how I ended up here, waiting to see which name the announcer was going to call out as the winner: Brad Cotter, Matt Lindahl or me. One of us was going to get a record deal with Sony, and from there the path to stardom wasn't difficult to imagine. The other two? Well, let's just say the future was a lot hazier.
Over the years, I had seen just about every inch of this great country of ours as I tried to scrape together a music career after I abandoned a promising future in medicine — a decision that gave my loving parents back home in Nova Scotia no shortage of heartache and worry.
Of course, in TV, they know to milk a moment like that for all it's worth. So just as it seemed they were finally about to announce the winner, the cameras cut to one last commercial break.
I let out a breath. I'd stood before a lot of crowds by that point in my career, but I never felt so excited — or so nauseated — in front of an audience as I did that evening in Nashville. The whole show had been a surreal experience for me. As a kid growing up in little Pictou County, my dreams didn't involve playing music at all. But a surprise trip to the hospital when I was fourteen changed my life's trajectory, and suddenly I had to reckon with the fact that nothing was going to go the way I'd imagined it would.
Back then, I could never have dreamed that one day I'd find myself here, standing on one of the most famous stages in the world. Or that I'd have already signed a contract with one of country music's best managers, who had big plans of his own for my future. Or that I'd have a beautiful wife and two amazing kids to cheer me on from back home in Canada.
As the cameras turned back on, I found myself starting to giggle. Sure, I had no idea what was about to happen, or where my future might lead me. But I'd already dealt with so much uncertainty in my life, and I'd always tried to face it with a smile and a sense of humour. Why should a moment like this be any different?
I gave Brad and Matt one last nod of solidarity, then turned back to the judges and waited for their verdict. No matter what was about to happen, I was ready for it.
Excerpted from My Country by George Canyon. Copyright © 2022 George Canyon. Published by Simon & Schuster. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.