She had been in hospital battling an infection. He said MacNeil was a soldier who always defied the odds. She was this wonderful, passionate person who had something to say." Family shockedīrian Edwards, MacNeil's promoter and agent, said he couldn't believe it when he was told of her death. "You have to be who you are, and that was the essence of Rita. "I think I've learned that you mustn't be afraid to express yourself," Foulds said. Foulds, the artistic director of the Celtic Colours Music Festival, performed with MacNeil. In Cape Breton, Joella Foulds said MacNeil was an icon. Maybe they'll get to sing in a church or another place that keeps them very happy." "There are different degrees of the dream. "Who are we to say 'if you have a dream, don't waste your time,'" MacNeil said. Photo gallery: Rita MacNeil, a Canadian music icon in pictures.Social media: Canadians share their memories of Rita MacNeil.Cape Breton mourns its first lady of song.CBC Music: Rita MacNeil: a lasting influence.Condolence book: Readers share their memories of Rita MacNeil.She encouraged young singers, even if she wasn't a fan of their voices. MacNeil inspired a generation of Cape Breton songwriters and performers. Through it all, she kept a positive outlook. "I had no reason to be under surveillance, believe you me," she laughed. At the time, police were looking for communist connections. In 2008, MacNeil said she was shocked to learn she had been investigated by the RCMP in the early 1970s because of her work with the women's movement. In 1986, she opened Rita’s Tea Room in her hometown of Big Pond, where she also gave performances. MacNeil was a member of the Order of Canada and the recipient of five honorary doctorates. MacNeil's Christmas variety shows drew loyal viewers. She hosted a CBC-TV variety program, Rita and Friends, which ran from 1994 to 1997 and drew regular audiences of one million viewers. MacNeil recorded 24 albums and sold millions of records over the course of her career. "I think her humility and her wisdom were the two outstanding characteristics that I always appreciated." In 1987 she earned a Juno award as most promising female artist, at age 42. We were riding on a dirt bike and the two of us were in tears." "This voice came through the rain, mist, and we both stopped. "It was quite a picture, we were in a field at a folk festival," he said. Her first manager, Brookes Diamond, choked up as he spoke Wednesday about the first time he heard her perform. MacNeil's voice brought people to tears across the country. I never heard a song quite like it." 'Rita really was a star' "There probably wasn't a dry eye in the house," he said. He finally saw her on Canada Day, 1986, when she performed Working Man with Men of the Deeps. He said review after review praised her performance, and that summer sparked a love affair between MacNeil and Vancouver. "Word of mouth kind of grew," said Rod Mickleburgh of the Globe and Mail. At the time, MacNeil was well-known in her home province but a newcomer to the national stage. But somewhere deep down, you have to have belief or nothing's going to happen." Turning pointĬape Breton's first lady of song made her mark during a six-week run at Expo '86 in Vancouver. "You can work through all kinds of struggle. MacNeil was famously shy, but said her parents helped her overcome that trait by constantly reminding her to believe in herself. MacNeil later moved to Ottawa, where she recorded three albums, but eventually returned to Big Pond, where she formed a trio. She moved to Toronto at age 17, where she wrote her first song and began singing in folk clubs. Acclaimed Cape Breton singer Rita MacNeil has died at age 68.Ī notice on her website states MacNeil died on April 16 following complications from surgery.īorn in Big Pond, N.S., on Cape Breton Island, MacNeil was one of eight children.
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