The Canora Composite School auditorium will be full of music and fun tonight (October 26) to kick off the Stars for Saskatchewan concert series.
Lisa Brokop will be the first performer in the series, which was put together by the Canora Arts Council to run from October 26 to February 23. The Canadian singer-songwriter is the feature performer for this month and will be followed by the band, The Lion, The Bear, The Fox.
“It’s not often – in fact, some might say very rare – for an artist to have an enduring musical career,” said a biography on Brokop, which added that despite all odds, the artist is set to celebrate 20 remarkable years of singing, songwriting and performing.
“I love what I do,” said Brokop in the biography when asked why she has found success in the music industry. “Every note I sing, whether in the studio or from the stage, is true.
“It hasn’t always been an easy road. There have been many curves, bumps and detours. But really, it is the love of the music that motivates each step I take in the business. It keeps me moving forward. And I think fans feel and appreciate that love.”
Brokop’s “love affair with performing” began when she was born in suburban Vancouver. As a baby, her parents noted that she was singing before she could talk and by the age of seven, she was on stage with her mother and brother to perform everything from polkas to Kenny Rogers' classics. By age 12, she was sitting in with other Vancouver bands.
Brokop became a professional artist at the young age of 15 when she joined a touring band. A year later, her solo career began when she released Daddy Sing To Me, the first of a string of singles from her debut album My Love.
As a teenager, Brokop also showed an interest in acting, and at 19, she landed the lead female role in the feature film Harmony Cats.
“The movie, in which Brokop plays a country singer who leaves home in search of a big break in Nashville, proved to be prophetic,” the biography said. Shortly after filming wrapped and as she was doing a showcase in Nashville, Brokop was signed to Capitol Records with which she released two critically acclaimed albums over the next three years. Her first was the Canadian-certified Gold record Every Little Girl’s Dream, followed bythe self-titled Lisa Brokop, which garnered hits such as Give Me a Ring Sometime, Take That, Before He Kissed Me, and She Can't Save Him. The success caused the Academy of Country Music to recognize Brokop in 1995 with an award nomination for Top New Female Vocalist.
In 1998, Lisa signed with Sony Nashville/Columbia Records and released When You Get To Be You with the singles What's Not To Love, How Do I Let Go and the top-10 smash hit Better Off Broken, the biography said.
Shortly after releasing the album, Brokoptook some time away from touring “and discovered a hidden wellspring of songwriting talent, which gave her renewed self-respect, strength and determination.” Brokop then worked on her next album titled Undeniable, which was the winner of several Canadian Country Music Awards, including two nods for Independent Song of the Year for the songs Something Undeniable and I'd Like to See You Try, and three consecutive trophy wins for Independent Female Artist of the Year.
It was during this time that Brokop began to focus on songwriting, as all 10 songs on Undeniable were co-written by her. Other stars began to record tracks she penned, including Reba McEntire, Terri Clark and Pam Tillis.
In 2004, Lisa signed with Curb/Asylum Records and released a new album entitled Hey, Do You Know Me.
“From the poignant title track to classic ballads like Just a Girl and Try Me Again Around Midnight, Lisa crafted an album that she was truly proud of with a perfect combination of compelling music and gripping lyrics,” the biography said.
Brokop released her seventh album, Beautiful Tragedy, in August 2008 on the independent Ellbea Records label. Eleven of the album's 12 tracks were co-written by Brokop, with the songs produced by Brokop and her husband, Paul Jefferson. The family welcomed a baby Ivy into their lives in August 2009 before releasing a duo project titled The Jeffersons in 2011.
Brokop returned to commercial country radio in 2013 with the successful singles Let It Burn and Love Me If You Can, both of which were produced by fellow Canadian singer Carolyn Dawn Johnson.
Brokop states that she is ready begin another new chapter by putting together the new musical venture and the performance that will be featured in Canora, “Lisa Brokop: The Patsy Cline Project.” Brokop will be paying homage to one of country music's greatest stars with some of Cline's classic hits like Sweet Dreams and Walkin After Midnight as well as some of her own material specifically written for the project, such as Better Off Broken.
"I'll be coming full circle with this project", Brokop said in her biography. " When I first started singing, I would sing some of Patsy's songs because I didn't have my own. They are still among some of my favourites today and I am so excited to have the opportunity to honour this amazing lady and the incredible music she gave us!"
The Stars for Saskatchewan concert series has been arranged by Canora Arts Council as part of the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC), which presents over 300 live performances in communities across Saskatchewan to a total audience of over 75,000 people.
Those interested in seeing Brokop’s performance and other shows in the Stars for Saskatchewan series may contact the Canora Arts Council.
