Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame artist brings ‘Out of the Ashes’ show to St. John’s and Gander with family, friends and the next generation of home-grown talent.
Thomas Jordan
Kicker
Newfoundland and Labrador country music legend Eddie Eastman is returning home next week for his first provincial tour in more than a decade.
The production features fellow Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame members Donna and Leroy Anderson, Eastman’s daughter Sherida Foster and emerging Newfoundland artist Darcy Scott.
Eastman will perform at the John C. Perlin Arts and Culture Centre in St. John’s on Nov. 10 and the Joseph R. Smallwood Arts and Culture Centre in Gander on Nov. 12.
Born Eddie Rowsell in Terra Nova, Eastman began performing at age nine. His career includes two Juno Awards for Country Male Vocalist of the Year in 1981 and 1983. His hits include Eastbound 401 and Between the Barroom and the Bedroom, he also hosted his own CBC television program, The Eddie Eastman Show.
Although he now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, Eastman maintains close ties to the province.
“It all feels good to get back because, after all, I was born and raised there,” Eastman said. “It’s home sweet home.”
The tour takes its name from a song Eastman co-wrote with Donna and Leroy Anderson. Leroy began writing the piece after a fire destroyed his family’s farm in Calgary when he was a boy.
The song later took on added meaning as wildfires devastated communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, across Canada and in the United States. Its message focuses on recovery, resilience and finding hope after personal hardship.
Eastman said work on the project began about three years ago. After they released the song, promoter Pam Pardy suggested building a tour around it.
The Andersons, longtime friends of Eastman, will perform their own music during the shows.
Eastman is also looking forward to sharing the stage with his daughter Sherida Foster, a trained vocalist and pianist.
“It’s nice to have her with us,” Eastman said. “She will perform lead singing as well as back-up vocals on a couple of songs.”
A group of 25 young musicians called the Make and Break Orchestral Folk Band, directed by Ray Johnson, will join the performers for the title song, ‘Out of the Ashes’.
Darcy Scott, 23, a former College of the North Atlantic Applied Music student, will open both performances. He caught Pardy’s attention when he opened for Kellie Loder in Brigus, earning an invitation to join the tour.
“These early wins are like a fire. They keep the dream in motion,” Scott said.
Scott plans to perform a short set influenced by his folk background. He is also preparing to release a new single Nov. 13, featuring a string arrangement of an earlier song, as part of the lead-up to his second album.
“These are some of the biggest shows I’ve done all year,” Scott said. “Surrounding myself with those pros is really going to be a great, eye-opening experience.”
Eastman plans to perform familiar hit songs, He hopes audiences leave with more than memories of the music.
“After major fires or any form of destruction, new growth appears and life continues,” Eastman said.
“The uplifting part is that it’s for anybody going through hard times or hitting rock bottom. There is always a way up and out of the ashes.”
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