Local country singer Tiffany Dowhan performed at the Beaver River Fish and Game on Friday to a packed house of local supporters and fans.
“The support in Bonnyville has been phenomenal. It's always been wonderful for me in this town,” Dowhan said before the show, which is part of a north central seven-show Alberta tour to promote her new album High Heels & Spurs.
The 12 songs on the new album range from edgy tracks like “Can't Hide in a Small Town,” to songs that tug at listeners' heartstrings like, “I Won't Beg You To Love Me,” according to her website. Fans can expect a new single to hit the radio in the new year.
“As an independent artist you can do a lot yourself. It's not about getting a record deal anymore. Things have changed so much, the industry has changed,” she says. “It's nice too because you're in control of your destiny.”
Dowhan's two different sides inspired the album title, High Heels & Spurs: the cowgirl side and the side that likes to get dressed up. “People when they see me if I'm dressed up would never know that I ride horses and I rope and that we have a ranch… People that really know me know that.”
The album showcases Dowhan's new sound, which is less traditional and more rock music influenced. Country music has changed a lot and become less traditional, she says. Combined with a love of rock music, an edgier sound came naturally.
Dowhan recorded High Heels and Spurs in Saskatoon with award-winning producer Bart McKay. On the album, Dowhan sings unreleased songs by Byron Hill, who she describes as one of the best writers in Nashville, as well as Larry Wayne Clark, Tebey, and Anthony Kelly.
High Heels & Spurs also includes a song she wrote with her grandmother-in-law Mereline Griffith, an inspirational tribute to cowboys who have been hurt in or out of the rodeo arena.
The album will be officially released in spring, but is available at shows and will be made available locally soon.
Dowhan spent a week on a successful radio station tour meeting programmers in Ontario in September. Toronto is a big centre for the country music industry, Dowhan explains. “It's probably one of the hardest places to get played.”
Downhan released the single “Sweet Dreams” in 2006. Her second single, “Hey Cowboy,” hit number one on 790 CFCW Radio's Weekly Top Canadian Singles in 2007. A third single, a tribute to chuckwagon racer George Normand written by Griffith, was released in 2008.
Griffith had recorded a version of the tribute song previously for family and friends shortly after Normand died in a chuckwagon racing accident. Dowhan, a member of the Bonnyville Pro Rodeo and Chuckwagon Association (BPRCA), re-recorded the song as a fundraiser for the track at the rodeo grounds.
“It's just something that's part of our heritage,” says Dowhan, explaining her family's involvement with the BPRCA. Dowhan's husband, Chris Griffith, is a team and tie-down roper, while her father-in-law Russ Griffith is the president of the association.
Dowhan says the amazing support she receives from family has helped provide stability on the tour and that the November tour has been really successful so far. She's played venues in Radway, Lac Bellevue, Barrhead, and Redwater. After the show on Friday, she played the Goodridge Hall the next night, and then Spruce Grove on Sunday. The next show lined up will be a New Years Eve performance at Sandy Rapids Hall.
For more information on Dowhan, visit her website at www.tiffanydowhan.ca.
