Gord Bamford
Encyclopedia
Gord Bamford is a Canadian country music
singer. He has released four albums and charted more than 20 singles on the Canadian country charts from 2000 to present. This total includes 8 songs that have charted on the Canadian Hot 100
chart, which began publication in 2007.
. When Bamford was 5 years old, he moved with his mother, Marilyn, from Australia to Lacombe
, Alberta
after his parents divorce. A singer who toured with an Australian country band, Bamford's mother encouraged him to pursue a career in music. In 1995, Bamford entered and won the Nornet Radio Network's "Search for the Stars." With Rob Bartlett from Sundae Sound producing, Bamford went to Calgary
to record his debut single, "Forever Starts Today," written by Dean McTaggart
. The song received a positive response from Canadian country radio the following year.
, on his own GWB Records. The album was produced by Bart McKay at Sound Edge Productions in Saskatoon
, Saskatchewan
. Bamford wrote two songs on the album. Five songs were released from the project - "God's Green Earth," "24 x 24," "Where a Cowboy Likes to Roam," "Man of the House" and "Classic Country Song." The album didn't do as well as Bamford had expected and left the business discouraged.
writing with Steve Fox
, Tim Taylor, and Byron Hill
, who went on to co-produce his second album. The album, Life Is Good
, was released on October 19, 2004. Bamford wrote or co-wrote 10 of the 11 songs on the project. Six singles were released from the album, including the top 20 singles "Heroes," "My Heart's a Genius," "All About Her," "Life Is Good" and "I Would for You." A music video
was shot for "All About Her," and reached #8 on CMT Canada's Chevy Top 20.
Over the next few years, Bamford opened shows for Tim McGraw
, Kenny Rogers
, Carolyn Dawn Johnson
, Don Williams
and Terri Clark
. In both 2005 and 2006, he was nominated at the Canadian Country Music Awards for Independent Male Vocalist of the Year, Independent Song of the Year, and the Chevy Trucks Rising Star Award. On June 4, 2007, Bamford was one of only two Canadian artists invited to perform at the Global Artist Party at the CMA Music Festival
in Nashville.
, produced by Nashville producer Byron Hill
, was released on September 25, 2007. The first single, "Blame It On That Red Dress," was Gord's first top 10 hit on the Canadian country singles chart and the music video, directed by award-winning director Stephano Barberis, reached #1 on CMT Canada's Chevy Top 20 for one week.
, was released in April 2010. So far, four singles have been released from the album, "Day Job", "Put Some Alcohol On It", "My Daughter's Father" and "Hank Williams Lonesome".
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer. He has released four albums and charted more than 20 singles on the Canadian country charts from 2000 to present. This total includes 8 songs that have charted on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
chart, which began publication in 2007.
Early years
Bamford was born in Traralgon, AustraliaTraralgon, Victoria
Traralgon is a regional city located in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Traralgon is a city within the City of Latrobe....
. When Bamford was 5 years old, he moved with his mother, Marilyn, from Australia to Lacombe
Lacombe, Alberta
Lacombe is a city in Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Red Deer, the nearest major city, and south of Edmonton, the nearest metropolitan area...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
after his parents divorce. A singer who toured with an Australian country band, Bamford's mother encouraged him to pursue a career in music. In 1995, Bamford entered and won the Nornet Radio Network's "Search for the Stars." With Rob Bartlett from Sundae Sound producing, Bamford went to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
to record his debut single, "Forever Starts Today," written by Dean McTaggart
Dean McTaggart
Dean McTaggart is a Canadian singer-songwriter and producer. He was lead vocalist in the Canadian band The Arrows from 1981 to 1986. The Arrows produced two albums and one EP and had popular hits in Canada including "Meet Me in the Middle", "Say It Isn't True","Heart of the City" and "Talk...
. The song received a positive response from Canadian country radio the following year.
2000-2002: God's Green Earth and hiatus
In January 2001, Bamford released his debut album, God's Green EarthGod's Green Earth
God's Green Earth is the first studio album by Canadian country music artist Gord Bamford. It was released in January 2001 by GWB Records and distributed by Royalty Records...
, on his own GWB Records. The album was produced by Bart McKay at Sound Edge Productions in Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. Bamford wrote two songs on the album. Five songs were released from the project - "God's Green Earth," "24 x 24," "Where a Cowboy Likes to Roam," "Man of the House" and "Classic Country Song." The album didn't do as well as Bamford had expected and left the business discouraged.
2003-2006: Life Is Good and nominations
In 2003, Bamford began spending time in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
writing with Steve Fox
Steve Fox (musician)
Steve Fox is a Canadian singer/songwriter. He was born in Brampton, Ontario and raised in Coquitlam, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. He then moved to Toronto in the early 1980s to pursue a career in music...
, Tim Taylor, and Byron Hill
Byron Hill
Byron Hill , is an American songwriter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Working professionally in Nashville, TN for more than thirty years, his songs have been recorded by over 650 Country and Pop artists.-Music career:...
, who went on to co-produce his second album. The album, Life Is Good
Life Is Good (Gord Bamford album)
Life Is Good is the second studio album by Canadian country music artist Gord Bamford. It was released on October 19, 2004 by GWB Records and distributed by Royalty Records...
, was released on October 19, 2004. Bamford wrote or co-wrote 10 of the 11 songs on the project. Six singles were released from the album, including the top 20 singles "Heroes," "My Heart's a Genius," "All About Her," "Life Is Good" and "I Would for You." A music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was shot for "All About Her," and reached #8 on CMT Canada's Chevy Top 20.
Over the next few years, Bamford opened shows for Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
, Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
, Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Carolyn Dawn Johnson is a Canadian Juno Award winning country music singer-songwriter. Johnson first rose to fame by co-writing Chely Wright's 1999 Number One single, "Single White Female," which reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in September 1999...
, Don Williams
Don Williams
Don Williams , is an American country singer, songwriter and a 2010 inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He grew up in Portland, Texas, and graduated in 1958 from Gregory-Portland High School. After seven years with the folk-pop group Pozo-Seco Singers, he began his solo career in 1971,...
and Terri Clark
Terri Clark
Terri Lynn Sauson , known professionally as Terri Clark, is a Canadian country music artist who has had success in both Canada and the United States. Signed to Mercury Records in 1995, she released her self-titled debut that year...
. In both 2005 and 2006, he was nominated at the Canadian Country Music Awards for Independent Male Vocalist of the Year, Independent Song of the Year, and the Chevy Trucks Rising Star Award. On June 4, 2007, Bamford was one of only two Canadian artists invited to perform at the Global Artist Party at the CMA Music Festival
CMA Music Festival
The CMA Music Festival is a four-day music festival centered around country music hosted each June by the Country Music Association in Nashville, Tennessee...
in Nashville.
2007-2009: Honkytonks and Heartaches
Bamford's third album, Honkytonks and HeartachesHonkytonks and Heartaches
Honkytonks and Heartaches is the third studio album by Canadian country music artist Gord Bamford. It was released on September 25, 2007 by Royalty Records.The album was nominated for a 2008 Juno Award for Country Recording of the Year.-Track listing:...
, produced by Nashville producer Byron Hill
Byron Hill
Byron Hill , is an American songwriter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Working professionally in Nashville, TN for more than thirty years, his songs have been recorded by over 650 Country and Pop artists.-Music career:...
, was released on September 25, 2007. The first single, "Blame It On That Red Dress," was Gord's first top 10 hit on the Canadian country singles chart and the music video, directed by award-winning director Stephano Barberis, reached #1 on CMT Canada's Chevy Top 20 for one week.
2010-present: Day Job
Gord Bamford's fourth album, Day JobDay Job (album)
Day Job is the fourth studio album by Canadian country music artist Gord Bamford. It was released on April 6, 2010 by Royalty Records. Its first single was the title track.-Track listing:#"Day Job" – 2:31...
, was released in April 2010. So far, four singles have been released from the album, "Day Job", "Put Some Alcohol On It", "My Daughter's Father" and "Hank Williams Lonesome".
Personal life
On August 30, 2004, Gord and his wife Kendra welcomed a boy, Nash David weighing in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces. They had a daughter, Paisley in 2007 and on August 3, 2009, they welcomed another daughter, Memphis Quinn.Albums
| Year | Album details | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country | CAN | ||
| 2001 | God's Green Earth God's Green Earth God's Green Earth is the first studio album by Canadian country music artist Gord Bamford. It was released in January 2001 by GWB Records and distributed by Royalty Records...
|
— | — |
| 2004 | Life Is Good Life Is Good (Gord Bamford album) Life Is Good is the second studio album by Canadian country music artist Gord Bamford. It was released on October 19, 2004 by GWB Records and distributed by Royalty Records... |
* | — |
| 2007 | Honkytonks and Heartaches Honkytonks and Heartaches Honkytonks and Heartaches is the third studio album by Canadian country music artist Gord Bamford. It was released on September 25, 2007 by Royalty Records.The album was nominated for a 2008 Juno Award for Country Recording of the Year.-Track listing:... |
7 | 67 |
| 2010 | Day Job Day Job (album) Day Job is the fourth studio album by Canadian country music artist Gord Bamford. It was released on April 6, 2010 by Royalty Records. Its first single was the title track.-Track listing:#"Day Job" – 2:31... |
3 | 30 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
|||
| 1996 | "Forever Starts Today" | — | single only |
| 2001 | "24 x 24" | — | God's Green Earth |
| "Where a Cowboy Likes to Roam" | — | ||
| "God's Green Earth" | — | ||
| 2002 | "Man of the House" | — | |
| "Classic Country Song" | — | ||
| 2004 | "Heroes" | — | Life Is Good |
| "My Heart's a Genius" | — | ||
| 2005 | "All About Her" | — | |
| "Life Is Good" | — | ||
| 2006 | "I Would for You" | — | |
| "We're All Cowboys" | — | ||
| 2007 | "Blame It On That Red Dress" | 66 | Honkytonks and Heartaches |
| 2008 | "Stayed 'Til Two" | 78 | |
| "Postcard from Pasadena" | 78 | ||
| 2009 | "Little Guy" | 78 | |
| "Drinkin' Buddy" | 83 | ||
| "Hurtin' Me Back" | 100 | ||
| 2010 | "Day Job" | — | Day Job |
| "Put Some Alcohol On It" | 87 | ||
| "My Daughter's Father" | 94 | ||
| 2011 | "Hank Williams Lonesome"A |
- ACurrent single.
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "The Night Ain't Over Yet" | Chad Klinger Chad Klinger Chad Klinger is a Canadian country music artist. Klinger recorded his self-titled debut CD in Nashville in 1998, produced by Dean Sams of Lonestar. Two singles released from the project, "Who Needs the Moon" and "Bring It On," reached the Top 30 of the RPM Country Tracks chart... |
The Man I Am Inside |
| 2011 | "Chicken & Biscuits" | Colt Ford Colt Ford Jason Farris Brown known professionally as Colt Ford, is an American country music artist and former professional golfer. He has released three albums via his own Average Joe's label, and has charted four singles on the Hot Country Songs charts... |
Non-album song |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "My Heart's a Genius" | Colin Cunningham |
| "It's Christmas Time" | ||
| 2005 | "All About Her" | |
| 2007 | "Blame It On That Red Dress" | Stephano Barberis Stephano Barberis Stephano Barberis is a Canadian music video director, known for his work directing music videos... |
| 2008 | "Stayed 'Til Two" | |
| "Postcard from Pasadena" | ||
| 2009 | "Little Guy" | |
| "Baseball Glove" | ||
| 2010 | "Day Job" | |
| "Put Some Alcohol On It" | Stephano Barberis | |
| "My Daughters Father" | John Kerr | |
| 2011 | "Hank Williams Lonesome" |