Loss Of Yet Another Canadian Icon

byphaeton

834 followers

13 years ago

Last week Canada lost yet another Icon. Canadians were sad to hear that that the great singing voice of Rita Mac Neil, passed on following complications from surgery at the age of 68, in Sydney, Nova Scotia. She was well known for her powerful voice and stage presence. Among her accomplishments were three JUNO Awards, and she also received Accolades came from across this country from the likes of Anne Murray, to the "Travelling Man," Tommy Hunter. Rita was born in Big Pond, NS. in 1944.

Being raised in a coal mining area she had a soft spot in her heart for coal miners. When she performed "Its A Working Man I Am," on stage there wasn't a dry eye in the house. She certainly knew how to deliver a song and deliver she did. Not only was Rita an accomplished singer but she entered into the world of television by launching the CBC-TV variety show “Rita & Friends” in 1994.

Her show ran through 1997 and won her a prestigious Gemini Award. Rita was also made a member of the Order of Canada in 1992 and the Order of Nova Scotia in 2005. She also won multiple Canadian Country Music Association awards and East Coast Music Awards trophies.

Rita you will be missed. This is my favorite song of all time.

http://youtu.be/LesfYqwqvYo

Betty and I were privileged to visit Rita's Tea Room in her hometown of Big Pond which she opened up in 1986. She also wrote about her early life as one of eight children and featured highlights of her career in her 1998 autobiography "On a Personal Note."