Alberta country singer Gord Bamford scores a big deal
Some good news on the Albertan country music front, for a change: Lacombe, Alberta’s own Gord Bamford has finally earned the big country deal – a record contract with Sony Music Entertainment Canada.
His Sony debut album, Is It Friday Yet?, comes out March 6.
Well played, Alberta boy. But what does all this mean? Is he a country superstar yet? Sony represents artists like Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and holds the catalogue of Johnny Cash, so that’s what it means. Should Bamford write or find a good song that hits the masses, and he may have already done so, and with the might of Sony behind him, he could be the next Keith Urban. Fun fact: Bamford was born in Australia, before his family moved to the Alberta prairies. He got his musical start after winning a talent contest in 1995 and has been workin’ steady droppin’ G’s ever since.
Scroll through the titles of his recent songs – Little Guy, Drinkin’ Buddy, Hurtin’ Me Back, Day Job, Put Some Alcohol On It, My Daughter’s Father, Hank Williams Lonesome are but a few – and we see Bamford is a man’s man with blue collar cred up the ying yang. He looks the part and he sure sounds the part, complete with that adorable little bass scoop in his rich country baritone that drives the cowgirls crazy. Yup, he’ll do just fine in the country music mainstream.
Heck, he already has. Modern record deals are often a case of one company working on a project with another company. In this case, one is a much larger company, but the point is that many artists have already developed their careers and their direction before they even enter into a record deal. Up to now, on his own, Bamford has racked up (insert here: impressive list of stats, awards and accolades that come with all Canadian country music press releases and generally include the letters “CCMA”). Impressive, no? Ah, we kid – because we love. In a press release issued Monday, Bamford said this: “Signing with Sony Music Entertainment Canada was probably the best Christmas gift a guy could have received. I’m ecstatic, proud and honoured with my new partnership with the label and look forward to great fun and success. I feel like a part of the Sony family already, and we are just getting started.”
Expect a tour announcement in the next couple of weeks.
