Joey Kitson, lead singer of seven-time East Coast Music Award-winning and Juno Award nominated Celtic rock group Rawlins Cross, released his debut solo album STAN), a tribute to folk legend Stan Rogers, is now promoting the album by doing selected dates across the Maritimes.
My first opportunity to perform the music of Stan Rogers was as a contributor to the 1995 album project, Remembering Stan Rogers: An East Coast Tribute. I found the songs to be a natural fit for me vocally. Being East Coast born and raised I could also truly identify with the people, stories and emotions depicted in Stan’s great songs.
The idea for this more extensive treatment of Stan’s material started during my preparation and research for my role in the Charlottetown Festival’s Summer 2009 production Stan Rogers – A Matter of Heart – A Musical Revue. My good friend and sometimes roommate on the road, Ian McKinnon of Ground Swell Productions and Rawlins Cross fame, has often encouraged me to consider my first solo recording project. We both agreed that Stan’s strong material would be the perfect foundation for such an album.
Joey Kitson is one of Atlantic Canada’s favorite singers. No wonder really. The versatile vocalist is equally at home singing Celtic ballads, soulful rhythm and blues, big band jazz or mannered musical theatre. As the charismatic frontman for Rawlins Cross, Kitson has toured through North America, Chile and Europe, collected numerous music industry awards and helped sell truckloads of albums. He also has sung with the great Doug “Dr. Music” Riley, finding yet another outlet for his impressive musical sensibility.
Over the past decade, Kitson has also maintained another career, performing musical theatre at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown. He has appeared many times on the storied stage, beginning with a production of Bye, Bye Birdie while still a high school student. His other stage credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, British Invasion, the blockbuster Canada Rocks and the timeless Anne Of Green Gables.
