(Halifax, NS) – Deric Ruttan, 2014 CCMA Award winner for the category of Songwriter(s) of the Year for the song, “Mine Would Be You”, headlined the first CCMA Songwriters’ Showcase in Truro at the Marigold Culture Centre on Saturday, June 13th. Ruttan performed alongside emerging Nova Scotian artists/songwriters JD Clarke, Amanda Riley and Makayla Lynn.
Deric Ruttan
Deric Ruttan songs have been recorded by Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gary Alan, Jason Blaine, Doc Walker and dozens of others. He has been recognized by the Canadian music industry with a number of SOCAN Awards, a JUNO nomination for Best Country Record for 2010’s Sunshine and multiple CCMA Award wins and nominations – he took home the 2014 CCMA Award for Songwriter(s) of the Year for his co-write on “Mine Would Be You”.
Facebook: facebook.com/dericruttan | Twitter: twitter.com/DericRuttan
JD Clarke
JD Clarke grew up in the rural community of West Gore, nestled in the Rawdon Hills of Nova Scotia. It was against this backdrop that Clarke learned to write songs and play guitar. Clarke’s years of personal passion and real life experiences (both good and bad) can be heard on such songs as the country-rock anthems, “What You’ve Got” and “All That Matters” to the Eagles-tinged, “Wouldn’t That Be Nice” and “Losing You”, to the power ballad “Heaven and Earth” – all of which Clarke co-produced, provided vocals for and performed most instruments on. He has already garnered 5 ECMA Award nominations, including the categories of Rising Star and Country Recording of the Year and has performed for audiences across Canada and parts of the US.
Facebook: facebook.com/JDClarkemusicchannel | Twitter: twitter.com/jdclarkemusic
Amanda Riley
With the release of her debut album, It Coulda Been Me, Amanda Riley is bringing her Nova Scotian-grown country sound to audiences from coast to coast. The album’s first two singles, “Summertime With You” and “Take the Country Road” introduced this talented young artist to Canadian country fans and earned her a nomination for Music Nova Scotia Country Recording of the Year. Hailing from Chester, Nova Scotia, Riley gained nationwide popularity on CMT’s Big in a Small Town and as a Halifax finalist on Canada’s Got Talent.
Facebook: facebook.com/amandarileysmusic | Twitter: twitter.com/amandariley22
Makayla Lynn
Named one of Reverbnation’s top new artists, Makayla Lynn is a fresh face in the industry with the vocals, songwriting ability and stage presence that many call unprecedented for her age. With more than a half million video views from over 17,000 social media fans, Makayla Lynn is quickly becoming a household name. She has penned over 50 songs and recently released her album, Daydream, that has already seen 4 major award nominations and a single released across Canada with great success. She has shared the stage and opened for some of country music’s biggest names in front of crowds as large as 30,000 and in some of the most iconic venues.
Facebook: facebook.com/musicalmakayla | Twitter: twitter.com/musicalmakayla
The best part of a songwriters circle is it lets you see a more personal side of the artist. Each artist, as they introduce their songs, talk about the inspiration and the process of writing. Often they will introduce new songs that they have never sung in public. As was the case tonight when Amanda Riley sang two original songs “I Feel Nothing” and “Off Your Mind”. Amanda has a very powerful voice and sings with ease the bad relationship songs she is known for and freely admits to. JD Clarke performed with his usual sense of humour and charm and without his hat. For a person who says “I’m not good at speaking in public” he told some great stories. Makayla Lynn won over everybody’s heart with her warmth, compassion and talent that is well beyond her years. She is only 14 years old. Deric Ruttan compared her to Taylor Swift at that age.
Deric Ruttan as moderator kept the evening light and enjoyable. He spoke of his song writing experience with other writers and related fondly his writing experiences with Jimmy Rankin and even admitted to having a “crush” on Cookie Rankin. The audience showed their appreciation by joining in on the songs , making requests and loudly applauding every song.
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