Born: 1944

Born in 1944, this Maritime folksinger from Big Pond, Cape Breton, has been making music since 1971, when she wrote her first song. At seventeen, Rita MacNeil moved to Toronto, married, and had two children. Divorced in 1978, she moved to Ottawa, where she scrubbed floors for a living. She later returned to Big Pond where she formed a trio. Her big break came at Expo 86 in Vancouver where she played at the Canadian Pavilion for a six-week run.

She recorded her first album, Born A Woman, in 1975, the first of three recorded independently. Her major label debut came in 1987 with Flying On Her Own on Virgin Records.

Her accomplishments are many. She is the only female singer ever to have three albums in Australia's Top 100 in the same year. In 1990 she sold more records in Canada than Garth Brooks and Clint Black. In 1991 she was invited to play at Royal Albert Hall in London, England. In 1992 she was named a member of the Order of Canada by Governor-General Ray Hnatyshyn.

In the mid-1990's, MacNeil hosted Rita & Friends, her own CBC television show. Besides her music, she is the owner of Rita's Tea Room in Big Pond, Nova Scotia.


Singles
1987 Flying On Your Own
1987 Fast Train To Tokyo
1987 Used To You
1988 Leave Her To Memory
1988 Walk On Through
1990 When Love Surrounded You And I
1990 We'll Reach For The Sky Tonight
1990-91 You Taught Me Well
1991 Call Me And I'll Be There
1992 Bring It On Home To Me
1993 Moment In Time
1993 Shining Strong
1995 Rolling Thunder

Albums
1975 Born A Woman
1981 Part Of The Mystery
1983 I'm Not What I Seem
1987 Flying On Your Own
1988 Reason To Believe
1989 Rita
1989 Now The Bells Ring
1990 Home I'll Be
1992 Thinking Of You
1993 Once Upon A Christmas
1993 Working Men The Best of Rita MacNeil
1995 Volume One
1995 Songs From The Collection Porch Songs
1995 Reason to Believe

Video


Compilation Tracks