So when he received notification last week telling him ‘Sun is Gonna Shine,’ a song from his latest album, was a semifinalist in the adult contemporary category, he couldn’t hide his emotions.
“It’s just one of those things where you’re putting a bunch of your bait in waters and you forget about it, and then when it comes back to you, you’re like, ‘oh yeah, I completely forgot about that.’ You start doing a happy dance in the middle of the department store you’re in and people can’t figure out why you’re giggling like a little school girl,” said A’Court, originally from McCallum Settlement, who released his latest album, Triumph & Disaster, this past fall.
While the lead song off the album is picking up steam (it’s even being picked up for the pilot of a new CBC show called ‘Port Hope’), it almost didn’t make it to the recording stage.
“In it’s original form, it wasn’t going to make the album, but after a few lines were developed, I really liked it. It’s the first time any of my songs is being used in television, so it’s been a good luck charm,” said the musician, while vacationing in Montreal.
A’Court talked with Newfoundland’s Chris Kirby and urged him to do a rewrite of the song together.
“I think we actually did the rewrite over Skype. That song was almost like a rock in a tumbler, going in the tumbler to do a few more drafts and it came out the way it was recorded on the album.”
Based out of Nashville, the International Songwriting Competition is something A’Court has been keeping an eye on for the last couple of years.
“They’ve been giving attention to Atlantic Canadian artists, so I thought that one of these days, I would do that,” he said about submitting his songs, which he did in the fall with his new material.
While there were almost 1,900 semifinalists announced, that number will soon get smaller when the finalists are announced near the end of the month. The awards will be handed out in April.
Along with the announcement, A’Court is working on getting enough support to get him to see the judges who decide who will fill an opening slot at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival in April in New York.
“That would only be one of the most awesome experiences,” said A’Court about performing at the festival, which sees heavyweights such as Johnny Lang, John Mayer, BB King and Buddy Guy.
The festival raises money for Clapton’s substance addiction treatment centres and this is the first year the festival has the contest for an opening slot.
It requires fan support online, which registers a buzz rating. The top 100 buzz ratings go before judges, who make a decision on who will perform.
“That would be so awesome,” said A’Court, who said he was about five per cent away from the top 100 buzz ratings when he last checked.
“I really need to rally the troops and ask for my fans to go on and support me, and share the link and to Tweet as often as they can.”
To help A’Court reach the top 100 buzz ratings, visit http://www.playcrossroads.com/u/charlieacourt and add your name for support.
rtetanish@trurodaily.com
FAST FACTS:
Name: Charlie A’Court
From: McCallum Settlement.
Claim to fame: Singer, songwriter, musician.
So far in 2013: Has been nominated for East Coast Music Awards ‘blues and R&B/soul recordings of the year for his ‘Triumph & Disaster’ album; has been named a semi-finalist for the International Songwriting Competition’s adult contemporary category with ‘Sun is Gonna Shine’ off Triumph & Disaster (co-written by Chris Kirby); and is vying for an opening spot at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival to be held in April in New York.
