Rawlins Cross
Encyclopedia
Rawlins Cross is a Canadian Celtic band. With members from Newfoundland
, Nova Scotia
, Prince Edward Island
and Ontario
, the band took its name from an intersection
in St. John's
, Newfoundland
.
The band burst onto the East Coast recording scene in late 1989 with its first indie recording, A Turn of the Wheel and a video for the single "Colleen." Just weeks after its release, "Colleen" scored a top ten radio slot on Toronto's influential CFNY station.
Rawlins Cross released Living River in 1995, which garnered two Juno Award nominations. The band toured Canada three times that year and signed a licencing deal for its music in Europe.
Rawlins Cross performed live on the nationally-televised East Coast Music Awards and performed at the ninth annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration Festival in Germany and also represented Canada at the Expo Cumbre de las Americas in Santiago, Chile.
Two more albums followed: Celtic Instrumentals in 1997, a retrospective collection, and the studio album Make It On Time, which would prove to be the band's last album for more than a decade.
Following a six year hiatus, Rawlins Cross reunited in the fall of 2008 and released its seventh recording, Anthology. The band is once again performing select dates in North America.
After vocalist Joey Kitson joined the band in 1993, a number of the songs on the first two CDs, including "Turn Of the Wheel", "MacPherson's Lament", "Colleen" and "Open Road" were recorded again with Kitson singing lead, and released on subsequent recordings.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, the band took its name from an intersection
Rawlins Cross, St. John's
Rawlins Cross, formed by the intersection of Prescott Street, Monkstown and Military Roads, is a well known St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador landmark. Military Road, built in 1773, was one of the first roads in this area that joined Fort William with Fort Townsend. Monkstown Road was built in...
in St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
.
Formation and early history
Rawlins Cross was formed in St. John's in the late 1980s by songwriting brothers Dave Panting (guitar and mandolin) and Geoff Panting (keyboards and accordion) and Ian McKinnon (highland pipes and tin whistle).The band burst onto the East Coast recording scene in late 1989 with its first indie recording, A Turn of the Wheel and a video for the single "Colleen." Just weeks after its release, "Colleen" scored a top ten radio slot on Toronto's influential CFNY station.
Popularity and mainstream success
In 1992, the band released Crossing The Border, which further developed the fusion of highland bagpipes, mandolin and accordion with a rocking rhythm section. A year later the band recorded Reel 'n' Roll, which would be its best-selling album and launch a national radio hit with the title track. At this time, Prince Edward Island singer Joey Kitson joined the band.Rawlins Cross released Living River in 1995, which garnered two Juno Award nominations. The band toured Canada three times that year and signed a licencing deal for its music in Europe.
Rawlins Cross performed live on the nationally-televised East Coast Music Awards and performed at the ninth annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration Festival in Germany and also represented Canada at the Expo Cumbre de las Americas in Santiago, Chile.
Two more albums followed: Celtic Instrumentals in 1997, a retrospective collection, and the studio album Make It On Time, which would prove to be the band's last album for more than a decade.
Following a six year hiatus, Rawlins Cross reunited in the fall of 2008 and released its seventh recording, Anthology. The band is once again performing select dates in North America.
Style
Rawlins Cross mixed Scottish, Irish, Celtic, and Rock'n'Roll elements. Their style ranged from Celtic-instrumental to blues to folk, always with a strong rhythmic feeling, and combined contemporary song stylings with traditional instrumentation and story elements. The principal songwriters were brothers Dave and Geoff Panting.After vocalist Joey Kitson joined the band in 1993, a number of the songs on the first two CDs, including "Turn Of the Wheel", "MacPherson's Lament", "Colleen" and "Open Road" were recorded again with Kitson singing lead, and released on subsequent recordings.
Band members
- Joey KitsonJoey KitsonJoey Kitson from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island is the three-time ECMA Award winning vocalist for Rawlins Cross. Kitson is currently starring in a production of "Stan Rogers - A Matter of Heart" a musical review of the legendary Stan Rogers at the Mackenzie Theatre in downtown Charlottetown...
— lead vocals, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Dave Panting — mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, harmonica, bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, background vocals, songwriting - Geoff Panting — accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, background vocals, songwriting - Ian McKinnon — bagpipe, tin whistleTin whistleThe tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
, bodhranBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
, trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, jaw harp - Brian Bourne — Chapman StickChapman StickThe Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and has been used on music recordings to play bass lines, melody lines, chords or textures...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, background vocals - Howie Southwood — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1989 | A Turn of the Wheel A Turn of the Wheel A Turn of the Wheel is Rawlins Cross' debut album, released in 1989 on the Ground Swell label.-Track listing:#"Wild Rose"#"Farmer's Daughter/ High Reel"#"A Turn of the Wheel"#"Mountainside"#"MacPherson's Lament"#"Colleen"... |
| 1992 | Crossing the Border Crossing the Border Crossing the Border is the second album released by Rawlins Cross. It was released in 1992, under the Ground Swell label.-Track listing:#Legendary – 3:45#Chessboard Dancer – 3:52#Nightfall – 3:45#Israel Got a Rabbit – 2:01#Eleventh Hour – 3:28... |
| 1993 | Reel 'N' Roll Reel 'N' Roll Reel 'N' Roll is a Rawlins Cross album. It is the band's third album, released in April 1993 by Ground Swell.-Track listing:#"Reel 'N' Roll" – 4:59#"Don't You Be the One" – 3:48#"It'll Have to Wait" – 3:15#"Long Night" – 5:13#"Wedding Gift" – 4:00... |
| 1996 | Living River Living River -Track listing:#"Forever Dancing" – 3:07#"Matter of the Heart" – 5:07#"Morning After" – 3:28#"Wild Rose" – 2:31#"When My Ship Comes In" – 4:34#"Sad Story..." – 3:12#"Open Road" – 3:19#"Little Sara/Jessie's Jig" – 2:57... |
| 1997 | Celtic Instrumentals Celtic Instrumentals Celtic Instrumentals is a collection of Rawlins Cross' favourite instrumental tracks from their previous CDs plus some newly recorded tunes. It was released in 1997 by Warner Music.-Track listing:#MacPherson's Lament#Little Sara/Jessie's Jig... |
| 1998 | Make It on Time Make It on Time Make it on Time is Rawlins Cross' sixth and final album.-Track listing:#Boogieland#Crossroad#Near Dearly Departed#You Will Always Have My Love#Make It on Time#Some People#Where Would I Be#French Painter/ Drive'er Down#Don't Wait on Me#Rockaway... |
| 2008 | Anthology |
| 2010 | Heart-Head-Hands |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN AC | CAN | |||
| 1994 | "Reel 'N' Roll" | Reel 'N' Roll | ||
| "Long Night" | 60 | |||
| 1996 | "When My Ship Comes In" | Living River | ||
| "The Long Way Home" | 49 | 58 | ||
| 1998 | "You Will Always Be My Love" | Make It on Time | ||
| "Where Would I Be" | 56 |
Awards and nominations
- 1997 Juno AwardJuno AwardThe Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s- Nominations
- Best Roots/Traditional Album - Living RiverLiving River-Track listing:#"Forever Dancing" – 3:07#"Matter of the Heart" – 5:07#"Morning After" – 3:28#"Wild Rose" – 2:31#"When My Ship Comes In" – 4:34#"Sad Story..." – 3:12#"Open Road" – 3:19#"Little Sara/Jessie's Jig" – 2:57...
- Best Album Design - Living River
- Best Roots/Traditional Album - Living River
- Nominations
- 1999 East Coast Music Awards
- Winner
- Best Roots/Traditional
- Nominations
- Entertainer of the Year
- Best Group of the Year
- Winner