Page 168 - Reason To Sing by Kelita Haverland

Reason To Sing

Hudson even got me onto a few local television shows. All
I can say is thank God our hard work and investment paid off!
The album garnered three Top 10 country hits and crossover
airplay all over Canada. It landed me a guest spot on the popular
Tommy Hunter Show and on a CBC TV Variety Special
hosted by Ian Tyson. I had fun hanging out backstage with one
of the guests, a young comic upstart named Jim Carrey.
That album won me country music’s “Rising Star of the
Year” award. To attend the ceremony, we drove from Toronto
to Regina (2,700 kms) with the dogs and a childhood friend of
Hudson’s from England (who sure got a quick tour of Canada).
When I accepted my award, I was so exhausted I exclaimed, “I
get so nervous when I’m exciting!”
Hudson and I both felt proud of our accomplishments. We
were off to a very good start. I had embraced my new role and
we were transforming me into a country music artist. I studied
what the other female singers were doing and started adding
my own flair. I was rhinestone-studding my denim jackets and
jeans, sporting short shorts and skirts and 80’s hairdos. I added
a few feather boas too.
Hudson had put on his marketing hat and was finding
his way around the business as my manager. Momentum was
starting to build. There was a buzz happening. Then came
more award nominations including Canada’s equivalent of
the Grammy, the Juno. I was up against the famous snowbird
herself, Anne Murray. We knew we didn’t have a hope in hell
but still, it was an honour to be in her company. The Globe and
Mail’s TV Guide printed my promo headshot with the header,
“A Star to Eclipse Murray.” People were starting to talk.
There was absolutely no support from the record company.
There was no stylist or marketing team. There was no budget!
But the good news is we had full creative control. Hudson and

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