Rawlins Cross

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Rawlins Cross


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Origin = St. John's, Newfoundland
Genre = Celtic rock
Years_active = 1988 – 2001
Label = Ground Swell Warner Music Canada
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URL = [http://www.rawlinscross.ca/ www.rawlinscross.ca]
Current_members = Joey Kitson Dave Panting Jeff Panting Ian McKinnon Brian Bourne Howie Southwood
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Rawlins Cross was a Newfoundland Celtic rock band that formed in 1988. The band took its name from a famous intersection in St. John's, Newfoundland, since all of the original members of the band lived quite close to it. After many successful tours, awards, and six CD releases, including two on the Warner label, the band disbanded in 2001. After a six year hiatus, all six members of Rawlins Cross are back in the recording studio. [Rawlins Cross Reunion]

tyle

Rawlins Cross mixed Scottish, Irish, Celtic, and Rock'n'Roll elements together to create their own unique sound. Their style ranged from Celtic-instrumental to blues to folk, always with a strong rhythmic feeling, and combined contemporary song stylings with traditional instrumentation and story elements. The principal songwriters were brothers Dave and Jeff Panting. Bagpiper Ian McKinnon was and is notable for his ability to play classic rock guitar riffs on Highland pipes. The instrumental combination of McKinnon's warpipes with the Panting brothers' aggressively electrified mandolin and accordion made the appellation "Celtic rock" particularly apt for this band.

After vocalist Joey Kitson joined the band in 1993, a number of the songs on the first two CDs, including "Turn Of the Wheel", "MacPherson's Lament", "Colleen" and "Open Road" were recorded again with Kitson singing lead, and released on subsequent recordings.

Band members

*Joey Kitson — lead vocals, harmonica
*Dave Panting — mandolin, guitar, banjo, harmonica, bouzouki, background vocals, songwriting
*Geoff Panting — accordion, keyboard, background vocals, songwriting
*Ian McKinnon — bagpipe, tin whistle, bodhran, trumpet, percussion, jaw harp
*Brian Bourne — Chapman Stick, bass, background vocals
*Howie Southwood — drums

Joey Kitson joined the band in 1993.

Discography

Albums

*A Turn of the Wheel (1989)
*Crossing the Border (1992)
*Reel 'N' Roll (1993)
*Living River (1996)
*Celtic Instrumentals (1997)
*Make it on Time (1998)

Awards and nominations

* 1997 Juno Awards
** Nominations
*** Best Roots/Traditional Album - "Living River"
*** Best Album Design - "Living River"

* 1999 East Coast Music Awards
** Winner
*** Best Roots/Traditional
** Nominations
*** Entertainer of the Year
*** Best Group of the Year

Trivia

* The waltz "The Wedding Gift", recorded first on *Reel 'N' Roll, was written by Dave Panting as a wedding present for Ian McKinnon and his bride. The band received so many requests from couples who wished to use the tune as their own wedding waltz, according to Panting in a CBC Radio interview, that he gave blanket permission for any such use without any royalties payable except that users were asked to send Panting a picture from the wedding. He says this resulted in a deluge of postcards from all over the world.

Footnotes

[1] [http://www.rawlinscross.ca Rawlins Cross Official Website]