{"id":2183,"date":"2024-03-23T17:22:46","date_gmt":"2024-03-23T17:22:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ccma.in-testing.co.uk\/?post_type=inductee&p=2183"},"modified":"2026-04-27T17:07:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T17:07:18","slug":"rita-macneil-53","status":"publish","type":"inductee","link":"https:\/\/soundcheck.ccma.org\/fr\/inductees\/rita-macneil-53\/","title":{"rendered":"Rita MacNeil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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Rita MacNeil<\/h2>\n

< Back<\/a>
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Inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013
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Rita\u2019s shyness, even during childhood singing lessons when \u201cthe teacher did most of the singing\u201d, thwarted her first attempt to express herself musically, so she only sang to her mother in the kitchen. As a teen, however, Rita loved to listen to music \u2013 Celtic, country, fold, rhythm and blues and rock. Her mother, Renee was a great encouragement, believing in her singing and wanting her to be able to perform, one day, because she knew that\u2019s what Rita loved.
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After a number of unsuccessful attempts to find work in the music business, Rita MacNeil found inspiration in the women\u2019s movement. In 1971 she wrote about women having a voice and called it, \u2018Need For Restoration\u2019. The next year, she wrote a song protesting a beauty pageant called, \u2018Born A Woman\u2019, which became the title of her first album, recorded in 1974. Picked up by Boot Records, \u2018Born A Woman\u2019 launched MacNeil into the folk music circuit.
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In 1979, MacNeil found work and inspiration and wrote singles, \u2018Black Rock\u2019, \u2018Troubadours\u2019, \u2018My Island\u2019, \u2018Brown Grass\u2019, and \u2018Working Man\u2019 which instigated press interviews, radio appearances and calls for concert appearances.<\/p>\n

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Rita MacNeil passed away on April 16, 2013 at the age of 69.<\/p>\n

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In 1988, Rita\u2019s \u2018Reason to Believe\u2019 album went platinum, the same year it was produced. In 1990 she sold more records in Canada than Garth Brooks, and in 1993, her CBC TV Christmas special, \u201cOnce Upon A Christmas\u201d drew 2 million viewers and her musical variety show, \u201cRita & Friends\u201d attracted 1 million views. Rita has received three Juno Awards, four CCMA Awards, 11 ECMA Awards and was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1992.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"featured_media":2140,"menu_order":9,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"inductee-category":[104],"class_list":["post-2183","inductee","type-inductee","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","inductee-category-all-artists"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRita MacNeil - https:\/\/soundcheck.ccma.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale:alternate\" content=\"en_ca\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rita MacNeil\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/soundcheck.ccma.org\/fr\/inductees\/rita-macneil-53\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"https:\/\/soundcheck.ccma.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CCMAOfficial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-27T17:07:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/soundcheck.ccma.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/53_Rita_MacNeil.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"263\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"271\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CCMAofficial\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\\\/inductees\\\/rita-macneil-53\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\\\/inductees\\\/rita-macneil-53\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rita MacNeil - https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\\\/inductees\\\/rita-macneil-53\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\\\/inductees\\\/rita-macneil-53\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/07\\\/53_Rita_MacNeil.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-23T17:22:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-27T17:07:18+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\\\/inductees\\\/rita-macneil-53\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\\\/inductees\\\/rita-macneil-53\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\\\/inductees\\\/rita-macneil-53\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/07\\\/53_Rita_MacNeil.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soundcheck.ccma.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/07\\\/53_Rita_MacNeil.jpg\",\"width\":263,\"height\":271,\"caption\":\"A woman with short, dark, curly hair smiles at the camera. 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