Canadian Country star Gord Bamford isn’t the type of guy to let any moss grow on him. He’s either performing, recording new material, choosing the latest single for his album helping out a variety of charities, and lately, organizing an all star line-up for the Ponoka Stampede as one of the owners.
Bamford, who has a variety of huge hits including ‘Drinkin’ Buddy,”Day Job,” “Hank Williams Lonesome,” and many more, is supporting his major label debt “Is it Friday Yet.” Right now, he is excited about beginning a tour with Miranda Lambert, which comes to Lethbridge, Sept. 6.
“I haven’t met her yet, but I’m looking forward to meeting her. Her people are great, so I’m guessing she is too. So I’m looking forward to being on the tour with her,” he said.
Bamford and his band will be playing a 45 minute opening set, so he isn’t sure how many of his many hits he’ll be able to include.
“It’s going to be a gee at night. It’s a 45 minute opening set, so it’s always always good to leave them wanting more,” he chuckled.
“We’re full on,” he said.
He and his band have no less than 16 CCMA awards for the new album. He has been nominated for single of the year for “Is It Friday Yet,”, songwriter of the year for the same song and, most important to him, the fan’s choice award.
“I’ve been nominated for them before, I’ve won some and I’ve lost some,” he said adding fans are the most important.
“The most rewarding is fan’s choice. If it were up to me the whole thing would be fan’s choice,” he said.
His all star band, drummer Chad Melchert, bassist Lisa Dodd, and guitarist Ryan Davidson has also been nominated for CCMA awards for their own instrument. And his mandolinist Robin Pelletier has been nominated in the special instrument category.
“They’re a newer group. I hired them in January. They’re some of the best players in Canada. I had a great band before that, but it was time for a change,” he said adding the new band are friends,
“It’s a treat playing with them. I’d rather be playing with friends. It’s just they’re good people and that’s what we look for. We don’t really need the best,” he said emphasizing they are still some of the best in the country.
Sony Records has given Bamford free rein since he signed with him, so like his previous three independently released albums, Bamford still has a lot of say in what single to release.
““Disappearing Tailights,” will be the next single released Sept. 24. But he is already looking ahead.
“It may be ‘A Cowboy’s Last Ride,’ but it may be too country for what is out there now,” he said.
“But I don’t want to be like everybody else. I want to be different,” he said adding he‘d also like to release “Farm Girl Strong,” which is somewhat of a sequel to his big hit “Drinkin’ Buddy.”
He is also planning ahead for his next CD, noting he’d like to release it in late 2013, early 2014.
