For many, the beginning of a new year is the opportunity to start over.

For The Rankin Family, it's proving to be a time to mourn.

"January is a rough month," Jimmy Rankin says somewhat somberly.

Understandable, really, considering the Cape Breton singing family just finished burying sister Geraldine, who was part of the act during its initial incarnation in the '70s.

Her death -- she died of brain aneurism at her home in Calgary -- came days before the seventh anniversary of the death of brother John Morris, also an original member who spearheaded the version of the band which dominated the Canadian musical landscape through the '90s.

Ironically, that version of The Rankin Family -- with Jimmy, and sisters Raylene, Cookie and Heather -- was set to kick off a reunion tour when they received word of their sibling's death, which has cast a pall over an otherwise joyous time.

"Geraldine's passing was so sudden and senseless -- it always takes a lot of time to wrap your head around that," says Jimmy.

"It happened right when this tour was supposed to start and we made the decision to basically go from a funeral to a stage and I think it was a good thing.

"It keeps everybody busy and the shows have been going really well."

The tour, which brings the family to the Saddledome this evening, is the first for the Rankins collectively in almost a decade.

It was actually Calgary promoter Jeff Parry who coaxed them away from the other projects they were focussed on.

Jimmy, who has released a couple of well-received gritty singer-songwriter albums, was immediately piqued and made the call to the rest of the crew.

"It was like when we got together in 1989 and put a show together and started making records -- everybody was at a crossroads at that point in their lives and in their careers and it just sort of happened naturally," says Jimmy, who has another solo album ready for release. "That's kind of the way it happened this time around."

Natural, too, was the recording of the Reunion CD, which was initially intended as an EP for them to sell off the stage during the tour but grew into a full-length commercially available disc featuring tracks written by The Rankins -- including a couple of John Morris compositions -- as well as covers.

Filled with East Coast warmth and charm, it will definitely appeal to those fans of The Rankin Family, who followed the band through their Juno-winning, chart-topping heyday either as adults or even, it turns out, genetic matter.

"It was really remarkable to see how many kids were at the show in Vancouver," Jimmy says.

Tying that theme together -- passing of the music to other generations -- with the theme of loss is the appearance on the tour and album of John Morris' daughter Molly.

Jimmy says her presence has meant a great deal to the surviving members -- musically and emotionally.

"She's very much her own person and her own stylist," says the proud uncle. "But in so many ways she reminds me of him in her mannerisms and the way she carries herself and the way she approaches music."