TIA McGRAFF
There are many talented country performers from Canada and Tia McGraff is certainly one of them. Raised in Port Dover, Ontario, Tia's love of music started at an early age when she performed in the '12 and Under' category in the Canadian Open Country Singing Contest. Her enjoyment of singing continued throughout her teens, being influenced by performers like Anne Murray and Linda Ronstadt. At the age of 19 Tia won the Female Open category in the contest which she had entered many years earlier. The prize money enabled Tia to buy a guitar, which she taught herself to play and her first song 'Mister' received major airplay throughout Canada. Tia's first album, released in 1994, 'Small Time Life' was well received in Canada and Europe. Following the critical acclaim of her 1997 sophomore album 'Jewel's Cafe', Tia decided to move to Nashville in 1999. The move enabled Tia to not only hone her songwriting skills but also opened the door for her singing when she was asked to perform on a charity album 'One Tear Less' alongside performers like Olivia Newton-John, Kevin Sharp and Ricochet.
A Little about Tia's Hometown - Port Dover, Ontario, Canada
Port Dover is a town in Norfolk County, Ontario at the mouth of the Lynn River on Lake Erie.
It was originally named Dover Mills after the port of Dover in the English county Kent. The original village was destroyed during the War of 1812 and later rebuilt near the original site. At one time, the freshwater fishing fleet based in the town's harbour was believed to be the largest in the world. Even with declining fish stocks, fishing continues to be important to the community.
Hence the significance of Tia's poignant song on her first album 'Smalltown Life', "The Fisherman's Song" (please see "Tia's Music" link to hear a soundclip of this song) which was a tribute to Port Dover fishermen, many of whom have 'gone down' with their boats in Lake Erie. I will ask Tia to e-mail a little more information about that song for me to post here. The town where I live, South Shields, England, is right on the sea, and the River Tyne (as in Jimmy Nail's song Big River' was once big in shipbuilding and fishing -http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/jimmy-nail/72114.html The name South Shields, and indeed North Shields, over the River, came from the SHEELS where the fishermen here used to shelter...I feel a real connection to the song, due to my own local history.
Since 1981 in Port Dover,, there has been a tradition of motorcycle enthusiasts gathering in the town on Friday the 13th.
Quote from www.medhunters.com : "You'll find plenty to do in the small town of Port Dover. You can soak up the rays at the quaint Port Dover Beach, or try horseback riding at Black Creek Stables. If you like golf, the Lynn Meadows Golf Course includes an 18-hole championship course with your name on it, plus dining facilities!
If you prefer to stay indoors, you can learn about the history of Port Dover's fishing industry at the Port Dover Harbour Museum, with its exhibits on shipwrecks, shipbuilding, and local traditions. And, for great food and live entertainment, Angelo's of Dover and Norfolk Tavern are both fine choices. For a real treat, take a trip to Port Dover's beautiful summer theatre, Lighthouse Festival Theatre, and see a show.
Don't be fooled by the term "small town".. Visit Port Dover and find out why it is the choosen tourist spot for so many!"
Click these links for maps of Port Dover and realtime information. As I write tit is 0 degrees with moderate snow! http://uk.multimap.com/wi/56512.htm, http://www.portdover.ca/indexe.htmlThis link contains a picture of David's restaurant in Port Dover where Tia has performed numerous gigs when back home! http://www.goldcoastliving.ca/GCLinsideCover.htm
These will allow you to read about and see images of Long Point, as mentioned in "The Fishermen Song." http://www.kwic.com/~point/long.htm, http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/long.html, http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/71464.html
These links will take you to information about Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes: http://www.great-lakes.net/lakes/erie.html, http://www.thefishinguide.com/lerie.shtml
This link will take you to the local newspaper, the Port Dover Maple Leaf: http://www.inportdover.com/ Maybe we'll see her in her hometown news in April and July!
A Little about Durango, Colorado, from where Tommy Parham hails....
As coincidence would have it, my parents and I were in the US last summer, in Illinois, Texas, New Mexico, and finishing up in Colorado again; a state we loved first time around, and one of the towns in which we were staying was Durango. It is a wonderful little town, which I fell in love with over three nights, and I'd go back in a flash!
Here is a little information about and some links to sites about Durango and the surrounding area; http://www.durango.org/index.asp, http://www.godurango.com/, http://www.durangotrain.com/ (one day I WILL do this in winter!) http://www.durangosilvertonrailroad.com/history.html, http://www.silvertoncolorado.com/, http://www.silvertonmagazine.com/ http://www.durango.org/Activities/SummerFall/Horseback.asp, http://www.fema.gov/regions/viii/missionaryphotos.shtm,
(I did my horse ride this trip at Rapp Corral ( a stables right by Silverton, which has lots of horses used in movies - one was out filming in Santa Fe at the time) early one morning. Our Guide, Travis, was brilliant and took us right up to see the most incredible view of Missionary Ridge where that huge fire took place…One of those really spiritual moments when you just connect with the wonder of the world around you!)PS If you'd like to see my own pictures of Durango, Silverton and the Narrow Guage Railway, please click here to see my blog: http://spaces.msn.com/members/helliehols/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c02_owner=1&_c= to see more of the town where Tommy grew up!
If anyone has any more information they'd like to add, please email the usual address! Or indeed, anything you'd like to know that maybe Tia or Tommy could answer about Port Dover and Durango! Thanks, Helen
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