Robbie MacNeill
Robbie MacNeill | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 or 1947 (age 77–78) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Surveyor, guitarist, singer-songwriter |
Robbie MacNeill (age 77–78[1]) is a guitarist and singer-songwriter. He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he attended Queen Elizabeth High School.[1] He studied engineering at Dalhousie University for two years, and then went to Toronto to work as a surveyor in 1964.[1] In the late sixties and early 70's he arranged, conducted and performed with The Privateers, billed as 'Eastern Canada's Only Professional Fork Chorus'. He went on to work with a number of other artists, and released his own album 'Pieces' in 1984.[2]
Robbie gained exposure on CBC's Singalong Jubilee in 1967. [3] There, he met Anne Murray who invited him to play backing guitar with her (as a duo) for her early touring of The Maritimes. Their first show together was at a high school in Nova Scotia. They played weekend shows at small venues such as The Monterey (Halifax, NS), The Prince Edward Lounge (Charlottetown, PEI), Wong's (Antigonish, NS), and the Colonial Inn (Amherst, NS).[4] Anne Murray released singles he wrote, including "Robbie's Song for Jesus"[1] and "A Million More.".[5] She also covered 'Let Sunshine Have Its Day', 'Lullaby' and 'Sleep Child' on her albums. In Anne's autobiography All of Me, she said of MacNeill: "... in addition to being a fine guitar player was a wonderful songwriter. To this day his 'A Million More' is one of my favourite songs." Robbie also played on Anne's brother Bruce Murray's 1975 debut, which included a cover of Robbie's 'Sunshine Song'.[6]
While Anne's career took off in the 1970's and beyond, Robbie served as a backing guitarist for John Allan Cameron, who showcased his talent. In 1975 The Ottawa Citizen wrote, "Robbie MacNeill opened the second half. He is the essence of the good contemporary folk singer. His voice is clear and distinctive, and his solo guitar is all the accompaniment he needs. He wrote the songs he sang, including Sunshine Love and Evangeline - the beautifully haunting love song he nostalgically wrote for Nova Scotia before moving from Halifax to Toronto two years ago.".[7] Evangeline was published in Coast to Coast Fever [8] and covered by both Stan Rogers (From Coffee House to Concert Hall) and Raffi (Adult Entertainment). Robbie was the musical director for John Allan's series on CTV.[3], and produced his album 'Weddings, Wakes and Other Things' [9]. John Allan covered Robbie's Song for Jesus on his 1972 album 'Lord Of The Dance'.[10]
Robbie was a member of the trio Country Fair (which later became Graham County), with Toronto singer-songwriter Don Graham.[11]
He has performed solo at music festivals such as the Home County Folk Festival in London, Ontario[3] the Vancouver Folk Music Festival[12] and the Coffee House at the Coming Home to Brookfield annual celebration, in Brookfield, Nova Scotia.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Carter, Lyle (August 11, 2015). "Talented musician". Truro Daily News.
- ^ "Robbie MacNeill – Pieces (1984, Vinyl) - Discogs".
- ^ a b c A Festival Who's Who: Home County Folk Festival, London, Canada, 1976. London, Ontario: Home County Folk League. 1976.
- ^ Murray, Anne; Posner, Michael (2010). All of Me. Toronto: Vintage Canada. pp. 55. ISBN 9780307398451.
- ^ Murray, Anne; Posner, Michael (2010). All of Me. Toronto: Vintage Canada. pp. 181. ISBN 9780307398451.
- ^ "Bruce Murray – Bruce Murray (1975, Vinyl) - Discogs".
- ^ "Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Coast to coast fever".
- ^ "John Allan Cameron – Weddings, Wakes & Other Things (1976, Vinyl) - Discogs".
- ^ "John Allan Cameron - Lord Of The Dance".
{{cite web}}: Text "Discogs" ignored (help); Text "Releases" ignored (help) - ^ Longwell, Karen (October 23, 2011). "Country rock musician set to perform in Port Hope". NorthumberlandNews.com. Metroland Media Group Ltd. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ "1978 Artists". Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
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