Riki Knox

The Sunday night concert at the Port Perry Fair was a huge success again this year with record crowds attending! Starting the night off with a huge bang was hometown favorite Riki Knox, who got the crowd all amped up with her high energy performance. What a great show!!! She was followed by CCMA nominee Dallas Smith who definitely gave the fans another great show to end the night! Stay tuned for next years concert announcements! - Port Perry Fair Board

With as much heart as she has talent, Riki Knox is the embodiment of determination. Knox’s roots run as deeply as her connection to music and she credits that to her father’s decision to raise her and her siblings in a small Ontario farming community. Much like her father’s own childhood, Knox’s was filled with all things outdoors: family and fun on a farm just outside of Port Hope in Elizabethville, Ontario. A singer-songwriter himself, he instilled in Riki a love for the musical greats like Waylon, Johnny, Merle, Patsy and Dolly, along with a little bit of Springsteen and Redding. This combination of grit and guidance helped create a newly rising star that was years of hard work in the making.

Nominated for the Rising Star Award at the 2015 CMAO Awards, Riki is building a name for herself in Canadian country – one amazing achievement at a time. 2015 will mark a big year for Knox, who, after years of pursuing music and developing her craft as a writer and performer, will release her debut album “That’s Country Y’all,” in September. Produced by Willie Mack, with many of the songs co-written by him as well, Knox says she found herself “an angel” in the hit writer/producer.

“I feel so grateful to have been given the opportunity to work with Willie. Someone I highly respect in this industry suggested him at a time when I was searching for a producer I could trust; someone who would understand my sound and musical vision. Willie is a triple threat in this business…a killer songwriter, singer and producer. We ended up writing for a few months – songs that really resonated with me – before heading into the studio. Willie helped bring out the best in both me and in my songs during the writing and recording process. I couldn’t be happier with the way every song on this album turned out!”
The debut single from the album “Six Feet Under” has received plenty of positive reviews, and Knox’s personality and talent have made her memorable for Music Directors when she’s on the road visiting radio stations. She even brings her own custom-bottled wine! Her down-to-earth personality makes her easy to connect with; something that translates into her songs and makes it easy for her to win over fans with every well-crafted word.

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When asked which song on the album is her favourite, Knox explains that it’s a hard choice.“That’s a tough question… I don’t know that I can pinpoint one song that I would label my ‘favourite.’ Every song on this album holds a piece of my heart or history, and each song landed a spot because it was special in its own unique way.”

From “Too Little Too Late,” an up tempo, emotional song about trying to fix a relationship after the “damage has been done,” to the country lifestyle anthem title track “That’s Country Y’all,” Knox’s life and personality is sewn into the seams of every single note in the songs that make up the album. The track list isn’t set in stone yet, as Knox tries to wade through the stack of true life experiences she’s written into song. She says the final number of tracks will ultimately be a surprise. Knox laughs when she admits it’s a good problem to have when you’ve got “too many good songs to pick from,” and simply hopes that this will mean that a second record is inevitable.

While Knox has gotten comfortable in the studio working on this project, she is certainly no stranger to the stage. Her hard work and incredible pipes have had her grace many a stage, including opening for a few heavyweights like Dallas Smith, Marc Jordan, Carole Pope, Jack DeKeyzer & Justin Hynes. With her album set to release soon, Knox has been busy promoting its release. She recently returned from a trip to Texas where she shot her music video for “Six Feet Under” and visited with sponsor Lane Boots. She will finish work on her album over the next few weeks and will hit stages across the Canada this summer to share her exciting brand of country music.

Learn more about Riki at rikiknox.com - Country Music Association Of Ontario

The Latcham Centre in Port Perry was shakin’ and a rattlin’ on Nov 14 when Riki Knox hosted her CD release party, showcasing her first CD entitled That’s Country Y’all. The new music is available now on her website at www.rikiknox.com and you can also pre-order on iTunes with the CD scheduled to be released on Nov 22, however, the sold out crowd this past Saturday night got an early preview.

Riki Knox has been hard at work to create this full length new release. Teaming up with award winning producer Willie Mack, and writing with the likes of Jason McCoy and Troy Kokol, Knox travelled from Ontario, to Canada’s west coast, and then back and forth from Nashville until she had the music just right. Stints in Texas to film supporting video for her songs also rounded out her travels.

She is no stranger to hard work, and it looks like that work ethic is about to pay off. The 2014 CMAO Rising Star nominee is a consummate performer. She has a very strong presence on stage, a powerful voice, and style all her own. Riki lives the country life in small town Ontario farming community. So when she sings about the country life, she knows what it’s all about.

Introduced by Pete Walker of KX96 country radio, the party got started off on the right foot with a performance from Ben Hudson. The tall Uxbridge area singer/songwriter performed a solid set which included his original song Wear and Tear and certainly got the crowd hopping. Watch for more from this guy!

Knox then took over and delivered her signature energy-driven show. She was supported by a super tight group of musicians that included: Randy Vautour (guitar/vocals), Clayton Mark (guitar), Mike Vautour (drums), Dan McGrath (fiddle), Ron Vautour (bass) and Michelle Vautour (backing vocals).

Working through her set lists, Riki had the Port Perry crowd up dancing and singing and it was very obvious that everyone enjoyed the show. Each person attending received an advance copy of That’s Country Y’all (which is also one of my favourite tracks). One lucky attendee also won a free pair of Lane boots, courtesy of Knox’s sponsor Lane Boots of Texas.

This show marked the third time in 2015 that I was lucky enough to have Riki in front of my camera lens. Absolutely watch out for this lady! Big things are coming. Country radio needs to get fully behind her music and get it out for the masses to enjoy.

Scott Burns

www.rikiknox.com - Soundcheck Entertainment