Two Of Canada's Finest, Doug Cox & Linda McRae Release 'Beyond The Great Pause' + Announce Tour

By Stevie Connor. Photo Credit: Greg Reely Photography.

Doug Cox and Linda McRae, two of Canada’s finest, have released a new collaborative album 'Beyond The Great Pause'. You can hear the past and the present in their instrumentation, their stories and their songs.

With sixty years experience and countless performances between them, these veteran award-winning recording artists each with a menagerie of stories to tell, a truckload of strings and things in their arsenal and preponderance of songs will have you glued to your seat listening to their every word, sometimes laughing, singing along, tapping your toes and humming their melodies for days afterward.

Doug and Linda first shared a stage at the inaugural Stan Rogers Folk Festival, in Canso, NS, resulting in some of the most enjoyable, generous stage time they had ever experienced. Doug later invited Linda to be part of his “Starman: An Acoustic Evening of David Bowie Songs". They decided not to wait so long between collaborations and voila their new project was borne.

There are world musicians, and there are musicians of the world. In the case of Alberta-born Doug Cox, this extremely talented six-stringer happens to be both. Doug was initially drawn to the blues, particularly bottleneck slide guitar. He soon discovered the Dobro, and before long earned a national and international reputation as he skillfully fused a wide range of acoustic roots and Americana musical styles. Doug’s surpassing dexterity with so many idioms has seen him play and record with such diverse superstars as Indian slide guitarists Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Salil Bhatt, Tex-Mex kings Los Texmaniacs, British Bluesman Long John Baldry, Austin's sweetheart songwriter BettySoo and Rwandan The Mighty Popo (to name but a few!).

Doug's worked hard on his art and his craft, and you can hear it when he plays. You can also see it, in the names of the artists he's making music with and the places he's played and when you read between those lines, you know he's earned the respect of his peers and a lot of very happy listeners. He is also a catalyst among musicians and artists for many fascinating collaborations.

Linda McRae, just like her music, is about as real as it gets. That's a quality you rarely see in this modern music world. A Canadian-Nashville based multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, she has 37 years’ experience touring and teaching both nationally and internationally.

From her days as band member extraordinaire to the iconic Canadian Celtic band, Spirit of the West, to everything she has done since, Linda remains an artist full of integrity. Playing banjo, guitar and accordion in an unflaggingly authentic, deeply satisfying, and refreshingly acoustic style with a big dose of soul and skilled musicality, McRae’s unforgettable melodies and thought-provoking lyrics make her a captivating artist.

She has performed in venues as diverse as the Orpheum Theatre with the Vancouver Symphony to New Folsom Prison with the “in house blues band” where she facilitates writing workshops for the inmates. These experiences lead to the creation of Express Yourself Writing Workshops currently being presented across North America. She is a 2016 BC Entertainment Hall of Fame Pioneer Inductee and 2017 Boston Family Folk Chorale Songwriting Competition winner.

A full in depth interview with Linda McRae about the making of the album can be heard on our sister platform, Blues & Roots Radio, on their 'Album Of The Week Show', from Friday February 17th, and you will be able to listen on demand here at The Sound Café on our Podcast page from Thursday February 16th.

CD RELEASE DATES

APR 8 Doug Cox and Linda McRae CD Release Sat, Apr 8 @ 7:30PM Rogue Folk Club, 3214 W 10th Ave , Vancouver, BC APR 14 Doug Cox and Linda McRae CD Release Fri, Apr 14 @ 7:30PM The Dream Cafe, 67 Colourful, Front St, , Penticton, BC APR 16 Doug Cox and Linda McRae CD Release Sun, Apr 16 @ 7:00PM Key City Theatre, 20 14 Ave N , Cranbrook, BC APR 20 Doug Cox and Linda McRae CD Release Thu, Apr 20 @ 7:00PM Old Church Theatre, 755 Harmston Avenue, Courtenay, BC APR 21 Doug Cox and Linda McRae CD Release Fri, Apr 21 @ 7:00PM Qualicum Beach Community Hall, 644 Memorial Ave, Parksville, BC

APR 22

Doug Cox and Linda McRae CD Release Sat, Apr 22 @ 7:30PM Upstairs Lounge, Oak Bay Recreation Centre, 1975 Bee Street, Oak Bay BC

Website: coxandmcrae.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/coxandmcrae

Twitter: twitter.com/lindamaemcrae

Twitter: twitter.com/DougCox1

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lmcrae42

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dougcox3106