Rita MacNeil

Rita MacNeil (born May 28, 1944 in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian country and folk singer. Her biggest hit, "Flying On Your Own", was a crossover Top 40 hit in 1987, although she has had hits on the country charts throughout her career.

Related Topics:
May 28 - 1944 - Cape Breton - Nova Scotia - Canadian - Country - Folk - Top 40 - 1987

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She has continued to be a popular figure in Canadian music. In 1990, she was the bestselling country artist in Canada, outselling even Garth Brooks and Clint Black. She is also the only female singer ever to have three separate albums chart in the same year in Australia.

Related Topics:
1990 - Garth Brooks - Clint Black - Australia

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MacNeil first performed on stage in 1971, and recorded her first album, Born a Woman, in 1975. She performed at folk festivals throughout the 1970s and 1980s, culminating in her major label debut and pop breakthrough in 1987.

Related Topics:
1971 - 1975 - 1970s - 1980s

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MacNeil is one of Canada's most unlikely music stars; she was born with a cleft palate and is significantly overweight. Although she has sometimes been subjected to fat jokes (one particularly common one is to render her name as "Eata BigMeal"), she is also widely admired for her gracious personality and her perseverance. When a newspaper columnist in Philadelphia made fun of MacNeil's weight after she sang "O Canada" at a game in the 1993 World Series, his comments caused considerable controversy in Canada. (The columnist had written that MacNeil looked like she could only be moved by forklift; MacNeil subsequently commented that if she were asked to sing the national anthem at another game, she would make being carried out onto the field by forklift a condition of her acceptance.)

Related Topics:
Cleft palate - Overweight - Philadelphia - O Canada - 1993 World Series - Forklift

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MacNeil hosted a CBC television variety show, Rita and Friends, from 1994 to 1997. She also runs a tea room in her hometown of Big Pond, which has become one of Cape Breton Island's most popular tourist attractions.

Related Topics:
CBC - Variety show - Rita and Friends - 1994 - 1997 - Cape Breton Island

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She was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1992.

Related Topics:
Order of Canada - 1992

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