SEE Magazine: January 18, 2001

Stewart MacDougall is a songwriter’s songwriter, a musician’s musician; but first and foremost he is a music lover. As he talks about it, the joy music brings him is evident. His deep, distinctive voice resounds, he gestures animatedly and his enthusiasm becomes infectious.

"Growing up I listened to what was pop country for its time, like Patsy Cline, Don Gibson and Ray Price," says MacDougall. "Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells, I love them now, but at the time they seemed a little rough around the edges for me. I remember thinking, ‘why would they play a Kitty Wells record when they could just play another Patsy Cline?’ because I was so young."

The stellar story continues as the boy grows, influenced by cats like Merle Haggard. "He gave me hope that white people can sing," says MacDougall. "Because when I first heard Otis Redding, I stopped singing. I just knew that is so great and I can’t do that. I guess I’ll try to learn to play a lot better, ’cause I’ll never be able to sing like that. Then I heard Merle and I thought there is hope..."

Fortunately for us here in River City, the little kid from New Brunswick with the big voice came here in 1980 to play with Laura Vinson, and never left.

"I wanted to come here and check out Edmonton. I took the train – something else I wanted to do," explains MacDougall. "I got off the train and felt at home, I instantly liked it, it felt very welcoming."

From there MacDougall went on to play with k.d. lang and the reclines, Ian Tyson and the Chinook Arch Riders, and the Great Western Orchestra. Some of the finest music we get round these parts has come from MacDougall, a long-time Rossdale resident who just keeps writing, recording and quietly carving out an illustrious career for himself.

Tyson recorded MacDougall’s songs, as did Sneezy Waters and k d. lang. Her album A Truly Western Experience featured Hanky Panky, Bop-a-lena, Polly Ann and Up To Me (It’s Not Up To You, It’s Down To Me). His Busy Being Blue made it on to her best selling album, Shadowland.

MacDougall’s mug been on TV: Sun Country, Rita and Friends, Country Beat Presents and Buffalo Ground, a one-hour CBC special devoted to the Great Western Orchestra album of the same name. His co-writes with David Wilkie, Wind in the Wire and Cowboy Boogie, were recorded by Randy Travis for his TV special Wind in the Wire, and both were released as singles from the soundtrack CD.

Salamander Films and the National Film Board created an animated short film of MacDougall’s quirky Cactus Swing.

In late 1999, he released his first solo recording, Gathering Time. For his next album, he’s written eight new tunes, and is in pre-production for the tentatively titled Heresay. There will be co-writes on this new record, from Michael Shellard (One Horse Blue) and Billy Cowsill.

Expect more genre stretching from MacDougall on this recording, as well. "The sense of dynamics in hard-core country music is not that far removed from basic classical music; there’s a folk thread between the two... I’ve always loved bluegrass music, although my instrument is highly illegal..."

The performance this Saturday will be two hour-long sets of MacDougall solo; but the sonically astute artist, MacDougall likens it to a duo when he works with engineer Colin Lay, who is on board for this show.

"The thing I like about working solo is the challenge, but that’s also the thing that scares me, that I want to re-create the songs each time, re-discover them," MacDougall says.

MacDougall’s last public performance was at the CCMA’s gospel show at the Winspear Centre in September, and when he sat at the grand piano, his voice resounding in the hall with Come Away, well, it just doesn’t get any better than that.

The gig takes place at Bonnie Doon Hall (9240 - 93 St.) on Saturday, Jan 20. Doors are at 7:30 p.m., show at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person and are available at Southside Sound and at the door.