COX AND MCRAE SHORT BIO:

 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 a 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.

 

COX AND MCRAE LONG BIO:

The STORIES, the INSTRUMENTS, the SONGS
Two of Canada’s finest. You can see hear the past and the present in their instrumentation, their stories and their songs. A rare treat in an intimate setting. What a long, strange – and delightful – trip it continues to be!
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.

Doug Cox: 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.

 

FULL PRESS QUOTES:

2023 Album Reviews:

AMERICANA HIGHWAYS, John Appice: While the set is rooted in a vintage folk tradition they remind me of past duos that were meticulous in the choice of material & showcasing it sure-fingered & pristine. Clive Gregson with Christine Collister, Richard & Linda Thompson, Richard & Mimi Farina & later Mimi with Tom Jans (writer of the now standard “Loving Arms”). FULL REVIEW HERE

SKOPEMAG.COM, Jimmy Rae: Doug Cox and Linda McRae are true wordsmiths and skilled musicians as they take you on a journey ‘Beyond The Great Pause’. With creative, thoughtful and relevant lyrics and pristine acoustic guitar strumming, this album will delight listeners everywhere. Doug and Linda prove to be a magnetic duo and this recording will magnify this truth to a great degree. FULL REVIEW HERE

2022 performance Reviews:

Suzanne Searle, Artistic Director, Beneath The Arch Concert Series, Turner Valley, AB: Their original music entwined with superbly arranged blues, folk and popular favorites kept the audience entranced. Supreme musicianship coupled with engaging repartee with the audience made for a totally enjoyable evening.

Joseph Duperreault, Artistic Director, New Moon Folk Club, Edmonton, AB: Linda McRae and Doug Cox are masterful musicians in their own right but when you put them on stage together something magical happens. They layer their virtuosity into a powerful traditional folk sound that’s harmonious, engaging and highly entertaining. folk music artistry at its finest.

Kevin Rose, The Dream Cafe, Penticton, BC: Doug Cox and Linda McRae succeed in providing top class musicianship, but more importantly they are able to create that much sought after element, genuine connection with everyone lucky enough to attend their performance.

Rod MacMillan, Entertainment Director, Vermilion Folk Club, AB: True music royalty with a set list that draws from their respect for folk traditions and their own original repertoire. They created an immediate relationship with our audience through their story telling. I would encourage everyone to bring them to a venue nearest you!

Ted Crouch, Acoustic Avenue Music, Salmon Arm, BC: Linda McRae and Doug Cox are well recognized and respected artists with successful solo careers. Together they bookend a solid foundation of musical history, inspiration and influences both crossing and pushing boundaries of Americana, Canadiana and just plain deep roots with soulful and absolutely enjoyable songwriting, singing, story-telling and superb musicianship.

 

To book Cox & McRae in the USA please contact:

Black Oak Artists

Craig Grossman

craig@blackoakartists.com