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In
1988, a young man set down a long rolling gravel road. In the
distance a small yellow farmhouse faded from view. Leaving the
safety of his home in the foothills of Southern Alberta, George
Fox was about to get the break he had long hoped for. On that
clear spring day he could never have imagined the amazing success
story he was about to become.
It
is now more than a dozen years since that fateful drive. Fox
has a mantle of country music awards, he has recorded 8 albums
and there is a street named after him in his hometown. George
has traveled the world, opened for some of the biggest names
in country music and headlined sold out shows coast to coast.
Growing up in Cochrane, Alberta, (pop. 4500), the son of cattle
ranchers Bert and Gert Fox, George was like a lot of rural kids
he lived, breathed and worked the farm. One day he arrived home
from school and casually told his parents he was starting a
rock band. Little did anyone know that the seeds for the future
had been sown. In 1981, George went to Sweden on a farm exchange
program. The host farmer asked Fox to bring along some country
albums and it wasn't long before Fox also took to the music.
Upon
his return to Alberta, he decided he should devote another five
years to ranching but fate had other plans. Soon Fox was back
playing music, writing songs and a short while later with his
life savings he went into the recording studio. The end results
were tapes he could sell at local shows. In 1988, one of those
recordings passed through a series of hands, eventually landing
on the desk of a Warner Music executive. A short while later
a phone call from the label took George from the safety of the
foothills and set the wheels in motion for what was to become
an extraordinary career. With the release of his first self-titled
album in 1988 country music fans discovered George Fox. Debut
singles, “Angelina” and “Goldmine” were
sent soaring up the country charts and in subsequent years,
“No Trespassing,” “Mustang Heart,” “I
Give You My Word,” “What's Holding Me” and
“Breakfast Alone,” to mention just a few, would
join them in the Top 10 and become signature songs. Throughout
the eighties George opened for such country greats as Randy
Travis, Dolly Parton, George Strait and Willie Nelson. It wasn't
long however before he was headlining his own sold out shows
from Canada to Australia. Fox's music has also traveled him
to Switzerland, Spain, Brazil and even Germany where he entertained
Canadian troops. George's charm was found not only in his music
but also in his ability to weave a story and engage the listener.
Today
George lives in Southern Ontario on an expansive acreage that
farms winter wheat, soybean and corn. There was a turn of the
century farmhouse still standing on the land and George and
Monica have been painstakingly restoring and adding on to over
the years. They acquired Lucky, a large black lab, and in 2000,
George's Dad, Bert, sold the family ranch in the foothills of
Alberta. But as they say, when one door closes another opens.
Memories of growing up in rural Canada, his love of the land
and his respect for the working man have now taken George in
a new direction. While continuing to write songs and tour, George
has taken pen in hand and begun work on a book. While it is
still a work in progress, you can be assured it will hold what
have affectionately become known as “George - isms”
to his legion of fans. From cattle rancher to Canadian country
music ambassador, taking the road less traveled has been the
hallmark of George Fox's life and career. To be sure, the road
you take to follow your dream, is also the road that brings
you back home.
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