Country music singer-songwriter Tracy Millar will perform at the Empress Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17.
Nurse-turned-musician Tracy Millar, considered one of Alberta’s most talented disciples of traditional country music, is kicking off a new season of music at the Empress Theatre on Friday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
For the past two decades, this singer, songwriter, band leader and recording artist has shown she is all in on her favourite brand of country music.
As a performer who is perfectly at ease singing her unique originals or a country classic tune, Millar’s impressive run has been built on her ability to win over fans in honky-tonks, at rodeo dances, concert halls and via the airwaves.
Millar’s success is the combination of being a proven and popular entertainer, a terrific singer, and a focused recording artist.
Millar’s latest recording, I’m Not 29 No More, is one more example of her combined talents as a songwriter and singer, who walks into a song and inhabits it with complete authority as a vocalist and as a storyteller.
“I’ve always stuck to my roots, and I’ve always listened to traditional country music,” said Millar who made her first impression with radio programmers with her first full-length recording, You Go Girl, 20 years ago.
The calendar pages in the ensuing years are filled with major highlights and document a rise in recognition that has included main stage shows at major country music events and considerable radio play in Canada and across the pond.
Loretta’s Moonshine is the most recent example of fans connecting in a major way with a Millar tune, but she’s seen the same audience and song connection with a tune like Spread a Little Love Around, which was released back in 2008.
“I think the lyrics to Spread a Little Love Around have a new and additional meaning after the pandemic,” Millar said. “It’s sort of an anthem now, people really take the lyrics to heart.”
It was 15 years ago Millar was asked to be part of the ensemble for a critically acclaimed show, The Gift: The Words and Music of Ian Tyson.
While the ensemble has made a few changes in its line-up the last few years, Millar remains a featured vocalist in the show, performing Tyson classics like Springtime in Alberta, Navajo Rug, and Someday Soon, in theatres all over Alberta.
Millar loves being part of the show with an all-star cast.
“Every time I sing one of those songs, I can visualize it as I sing it,” Millar said. “Being a part of The Gift has given me much inspiration as a writer.”
Add in the major festival stages Millar has walked on to, the die-hard rodeo crowds she’s had dancing ‘til the wee hours, and the honky-tonk shows she dispenses to hard core country crowds and it’s easy to see why Millar has been a nominee for Horizon Female Artist of the Year and a Fan’s Choice Awards in the Alberta country scene.
Tickets to see Tracy Millar are at www.macleodempress.com, by calling 403-553-4404 or at the Box Office on Main Street.
All Empress Theatre concerts are sponsored by Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
