Episode 1 of Country Music Television’s Big in a Small Town series/contest will feature Shaunavon’s Catherine Lewans when it airs Aug. 23 at 5 p.m., with repeats on Aug. 25th. Check local listings.
Episode 1 will feature competitors from the Jasper, Penticton and Saskatoon regions, including Lewans.
Episode 3 is the live-to-air performance showdown to select the winner, airing Sep. 6. The Grand Prize includes:
A singles-based exclusive artist agreement with Slaight Music Inc.;
Production of two music videos, funded by CMT Canada;
An opening slot on the CMT Canada Tour; and
An opportunity to present the “Video of the Year” Award at the 2012 CCMA Awards™ in Saskatoon.
Lewans was understandably thrilled to have been chosen as one of 30 artists across Canada to participate in the contest.
She has worked with some of the world’s best musicians and songwriters as her career flourished from humble beginnings on a farm outside Shaunavon, including a duet with international recording artist Dierks Bentley at Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, where she was invited to perform Long Trip Alone as part of his encore.
She also performed two shows during the Frenchman River Gospel Jamboree on Aug. 4, headlined by Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers. Still very much at home on the farm, Lewans delights in the echoing acoustics of an empty grain bin on a hot summer day, and her YouTube video Grainery Singing 101 was recently featured nation-wide on CBC Radio. (http://www-.youtube.com/watch?v=sDQhJoebTXI)
Lewans won the Saskatchewan Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year in 2011, and has been nominated for SCMA’s 2012 “Entertainer of the Year”, “Female Vocalist of the Year”, and “Back Up Band of the Year.”
Voting begins Aug. 23 at: http://biginasmalltown.cmt.ca/like.
