Biography

The release of three singles by Kate Ashby-Craft is a culmination of performing the role of June Carter Cash.For the past several years Ashby-Craft has been performing this role in the musical tribute show "The Legend In Black" which is a tribute to the music of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.It is while performing this role that Ashby-Craft fell in love with Americana music and decided she wanted to be this kind of artist.Ashby-Craft therefore teamed up with legendary Record Producer Charles Foskett to produce three singles in this genre using some of the Who's who in musicians.
From Guitar Player,Jerry Donahue(Fairport Convention,Elton John),Stand Up Bass,Malcolm Creese (Sting,Cleo Laine),Drums,Clive Bunker(Jethro Tull),Harmonica,Paul Jones (Manfred Man),Violin,Scarlet Rivera(Bob Dylan,Indigo Girls)and Singer/Songwriter Lauren Field on Back Up Vocals.
The first of the three songs "Keep On The Sunnyside" a classic Americana song is also Ashby-Craft's philosophy "no matter how dark things get...says Kate..there is always a brighter side." The Second song "Home Lights Shining" is about true love and is great fun to sing.The third song "Wonder Woman" is a powerful ballad that could be every woman's anthem.
Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Kate Ashby-Craft
started off as a classical voice and theatre major in University but wanting to experience other kinds of music Kate went on the road performing everything from country, rock to folk and jazz and blues touring Canada and the U.S.A.
In the late 70’s Kate recorded her first album called “The Many Faces Of “. The first single off of that album “Situation Blue “was well received by Canadian Easy Listening Radio stations.
During the 80’s Kate won a province wide talent search in her home province of Nova Scotia. At that time she was performing country music so she recorded two country singles, both of which made the charts. Also at that time she co-wrote a song called “Was It Easy “which was number 11 for the year 1986 on the CanCountry Radio Chart for all of Canada.
In the 90’s wanting to pursue her songwriting, Kate left the road for a while and settled in the St. Marys, Ontario area. Kate’s music fits very nicely in the genres of AAA,Country,Americana and Jazzy Pop. Her powerful, soulful voice accentuates the often issue-oriented lyrics. In the fall of 1995 she released her debut CD”The Heart and The Mind”. The first single off the CD, “A Song For Lorian” was well received by radio and garnered airplay on numerous adult contemporary stations as well as the C.B.C. and campus radio. Out of 3,000 entries from twenty different countries “A Song For Lorian” received a certificate of merit for placing in the top 10 % in the 1997 International UNISONG song contest.
In May 2003, Kate released the second single from her debut CD called “You’re My Addiction “. She received commercial country radio airplay all across Canada, U.S.A. and Europe. This resulted in a nomination from American Commercial Country radio for the “Golden Microphone Award “(Best Singer) as part of Airplay International’s “King Eagle Music Awards” held in Nashville on September 27, 2003.
Kate’s second CD “Love Is All There Is” was released September 2006. Musically this album ventures into the Jazzy Pop genre. This album has received rave reviews and has charted on several college radio charts. In October 2007 this CD was nominated for 4 Music Awards in the Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards for all of Canada and in 2009 was licensed to W.O.A. Records for all of India. Out of 6,000 entries, her song “You Are My Woman/You Are My Man”, from this album, was chosen as a semi-finalist in the prestigious 2009 UK Songwriting Contest.
Kate’s music is receiving Internet, Community and Commercial radio airplay around the world.
In September 2008 Kate accepted the role of June Carter Cash in the touring show The Legend In Black, a tribute show to the music of the late Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.
Kate Ashby-Craft has been seen and heard on various TV and radio shows such as City TV’s “Breakfast Television” and CBC’s Ontario Morning and has performed at such notable venues as the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Waterloo’s Festival Of Lights, Canada Day celebrations in London as well as the Songwriter’s Association Canada’s Bluebird North in Toronto, The Canterbury Folk Festival in Ingersoll and The Stratford Festival of Canada.
Kate lives in the country with her husband Mark,Rourke the cat and lots of wildlife.