The Wilkinsons
Encyclopedia
The Wilkinsons is a country music
trio from Trenton, Ontario
, Canada
. Founded in 1997, the group comprises lead singer Amanda Wilkinson
, her brother Tyler Wilkinson, and their father, Steve Wilkinson. The Wilkinsons achieved success late in 1998 with the hit single "26 Cents
", a Number One on the Canadian country music charts and Top 5 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts. It was followed by "Fly (The Angel Song)
", also a #1 in Canada.
Although their U.S. success waned after "26 Cents", The Wilkinsons have continued to have singles in the charts in Canada. Lead singer Amanda Wilkinson has also created several solo recordings in addition to her career in The Wilkinsons.
, Canada
. Before the country trio was formed, he was struggling to make ends meet after he lost his job at a nuclear power plant due to downsizing. He took menial jobs in order to provide for his family, but his real passion was music
. Their success in the music world began in 1998 when The Wilkinsons moved to the heart of country music, Nashville, Tennessee
. Steve and his wife, Christine, along with their three children Amanda, Tyler and Kiaya arrived in Nashville with an old 1982 yellow Cadillac
pulling a tent trailer and with $17,000 to their name.
They performed at an Atlanta club for an investor showcase where Mark Wills
asked if he could perform "26 Cents". Steve turned down the offer made by Wills, though he regretted his decision during the four hour drive back to Nashville. However, Steve’s regret was short lived when Reese Wilson invited the group to sing in Nashville’s famous Broken Spoke nightclub. The Wilkinsons amazed the crowd and a record company bidding war commenced. They had been in Nashville for just ten days. While the war ensued, the group met and sang for Vince Gill
. Gill was moved to tears by fifteen-year-old Amanda’s powerful voice and surprised the trio by inviting them to sing on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry
. Gill accompanied The Wilkinsons with the song "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry". Shortly after, the group signed with Giant Records.
, reached #16 on the Billboard
Top Country Albums charts in 1998. The trio have been nominated for the Country Music Association
's Horizon Award and Vocal Group of the Year and for Single of the Year by the Academy of Country Music Awards
. Their second album, Here and Now
, won the Canadian Country Music Association
award for Best Album. The band has received nine Canadian Country Music Awards, one Juno Award
and two Grammy nominations (both for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group).
, the singing family trio asked for and were given release by Giant Records when it closed its Nashville division. Shortly thereafter the trio was signed to BNA Records
. Weeks before the release of their first single for BNA, the label's president wanted Amanda to record a solo album, which would ultimately disband the trio. The trio eventually left the label and signed with the independent Canadian label Open Road Records for their 2005 album, Highway
.
. Amanda received four nominations at the 2006 Canadian Country Music Awards (Single of the Year, CMT Video of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and Album of the Year).
Tyler started the alternative rock
band Motion Picture Ending. The band is composed of drummer
and long-time friend Justin Devries, bassist
Curtis Weekes, guitarist
Greg Bolton and lead singer and guitarist Tyler Wilkinson.
Greatest Hits… and Then Some
, a greatest hits
album, was released on October 7, 2008. The first single, "When I'm Old", was released in mid 2008.
on the CMT Canada
network, The Wilkinsons. The show follows the family as they move back to The Quinte Area, Ontario
, from Nashville, Tennessee
. In 2006, the show was nominated for Country Music Program or Special of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards.
^ "1999" reached number 26 on Canadian RPM Country Singles when RPM ceased publication.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
trio from Trenton, Ontario
Trenton, Ontario
Trenton is a community in Southern Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario, Canada. Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the main population centre in Quinte West....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Founded in 1997, the group comprises lead singer Amanda Wilkinson
Amanda Wilkinson
Amanda Nichole Wilkinson was born January 17, 1982, in Belleville, Ontario, Canada and was raised in nearby Trenton, Ontario. She is a Canadian country music singer. She is also a member of country group The Wilkinsons, which includes her father Steve and brother Tyler. She began singing early. Her...
, her brother Tyler Wilkinson, and their father, Steve Wilkinson. The Wilkinsons achieved success late in 1998 with the hit single "26 Cents
26 Cents
"26 Cents" is the title of a song recorded by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons. It was released in June 1998, it was the first single from their album Nothing but Love. The song reached #1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in August 1998 and number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...
", a Number One on the Canadian country music charts and Top 5 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts. It was followed by "Fly (The Angel Song)
Fly (The Angel Song)
"Fly " is the title of a song recorded by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons. It was released in October 1998 as the second single from their album Nothing but Love. The song reached number-one on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart in January 1999 and number 15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot...
", also a #1 in Canada.
Although their U.S. success waned after "26 Cents", The Wilkinsons have continued to have singles in the charts in Canada. Lead singer Amanda Wilkinson has also created several solo recordings in addition to her career in The Wilkinsons.
History
Steve Wilkinson was born on August 18, 1955 in Belleville, OntarioBelleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Before the country trio was formed, he was struggling to make ends meet after he lost his job at a nuclear power plant due to downsizing. He took menial jobs in order to provide for his family, but his real passion was music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. Their success in the music world began in 1998 when The Wilkinsons moved to the heart of country music, Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Steve and his wife, Christine, along with their three children Amanda, Tyler and Kiaya arrived in Nashville with an old 1982 yellow Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
pulling a tent trailer and with $17,000 to their name.
They performed at an Atlanta club for an investor showcase where Mark Wills
Mark Wills
Daryl Mark Williams is an American country music artist, best known professionally as Mark Wills. Signed to Mercury Records between 1996 and 2003, he released five studio albums for the label — Mark Wills, Wish You Were Here, Permanently, Loving Every Minute and And the Crowd Goes Wild — as well...
asked if he could perform "26 Cents". Steve turned down the offer made by Wills, though he regretted his decision during the four hour drive back to Nashville. However, Steve’s regret was short lived when Reese Wilson invited the group to sing in Nashville’s famous Broken Spoke nightclub. The Wilkinsons amazed the crowd and a record company bidding war commenced. They had been in Nashville for just ten days. While the war ensued, the group met and sang for Vince Gill
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...
. Gill was moved to tears by fifteen-year-old Amanda’s powerful voice and surprised the trio by inviting them to sing on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
. Gill accompanied The Wilkinsons with the song "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry". Shortly after, the group signed with Giant Records.
Career
The Wilkinsons' first album, Nothing But LoveNothing But Love (album)
Nothing But Love is the first studio album by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons. It was released on August 11, 1998. The album produced their first chart singles in "26 Cents" and "Fly ", which respectively reached #3 and #15 on the Hot Country Songs charts. Both songs were #1 country...
, reached #16 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Country Albums charts in 1998. The trio have been nominated for the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
's Horizon Award and Vocal Group of the Year and for Single of the Year by the Academy of Country Music Awards
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
. Their second album, Here and Now
Here and Now (The Wilkinsons album)
Here and Now is the second studio album by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons, and was released on April 4, 2000. The album includes "Jimmy's Got a Girlfriend", which peaked at number 34 on the U.S. country charts.-Track listing:...
, won the Canadian Country Music Association
Canadian Country Music Association
The Canadian Country Music Association was founded in 1976 as the Academy of Country Music Entertainment to organize, promote and develop a Canadian country music industry. The association changed its name to the Canadian Country Music Association in 1987.-Awards:The CCMA held the first Canadian...
award for Best Album. The band has received nine Canadian Country Music Awards, one Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
and two Grammy nominations (both for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group).
Move to BNA Records
In 2001, after the release of their third album ShineShine (The Wilkinsons album)
Shine is the third studio album by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons, and was released on May 22, 2001. Only one single was released from the album: "I Wanna Be That Girl"...
, the singing family trio asked for and were given release by Giant Records when it closed its Nashville division. Shortly thereafter the trio was signed to BNA Records
BNA Records
BNA Records, formerly known as BNA Entertainment, is a label group that shares ties with Arista Nashville and RCA Nashville from parent company Sony Music Nashville, which itself is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, BNA features country music acts on its roster...
. Weeks before the release of their first single for BNA, the label's president wanted Amanda to record a solo album, which would ultimately disband the trio. The trio eventually left the label and signed with the independent Canadian label Open Road Records for their 2005 album, Highway
Highway (The Wilkinsons album)
Highway is the fourth studio album by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons, and was released on March 29, 2005.-Track listing:# Little Girl - 4:08...
.
Solo work
Amanda Wilkinson signed with Universal South Records and released her solo debut album, Amanda WilkinsonAmanda Wilkinson (album)
Amanda Wilkinson is the first solo studio album by Canadian country music singer Amanda Wilkinson. The album was released on September 6, 2005, and produced four singles: "Gone From Love Too Long," "No More Me and You," "It's Okay to Cry" and "Walk Away."...
. Amanda received four nominations at the 2006 Canadian Country Music Awards (Single of the Year, CMT Video of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and Album of the Year).
Tyler started the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Motion Picture Ending. The band is composed of drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and long-time friend Justin Devries, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Curtis Weekes, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Greg Bolton and lead singer and guitarist Tyler Wilkinson.
2008
In 2007, The Wilkinsons won Independent Group of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards.Greatest Hits… and Then Some
Greatest Hits… and Then Some (The Wilkinsons album)
Greatest Hits… and Then Some is the first greatest hits album by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons. The album was released on October 7, 2008 by Angeline Entertainment...
, a greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album, was released on October 7, 2008. The first single, "When I'm Old", was released in mid 2008.
Reality television
The Wilkinsons were also the subject of a fictionalized "reality" television programReality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
on the CMT Canada
CMT Canada
CMT is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel which airs country music and family-orientated general entertainment programs in the form of music videos, award shows, concerts, sitcoms and more...
network, The Wilkinsons. The show follows the family as they move back to The Quinte Area, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, from Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. In 2006, the show was nominated for Country Music Program or Special of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country | US Country | US | US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
|||
| 1998 | Nothing but Love
|
4 | 16 | 133 | 4 |
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... : Gold Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... : Gold |
| 2000 | Here and Now Here and Now (The Wilkinsons album) Here and Now is the second studio album by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons, and was released on April 4, 2000. The album includes "Jimmy's Got a Girlfriend", which peaked at number 34 on the U.S. country charts.-Track listing:... |
5 | 13 | 114 | 2 | |
| 2001 | Shine Shine (The Wilkinsons album) Shine is the third studio album by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons, and was released on May 22, 2001. Only one single was released from the album: "I Wanna Be That Girl"... Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies... |
* | — | — | — | |
| 2005 | Highway Highway (The Wilkinsons album) Highway is the fourth studio album by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons, and was released on March 29, 2005.-Track listing:# Little Girl - 4:08... Open Road Recordings Open Road Recordings, a division of Maple Core Ltd., is a Canadian country music record label established by Ron Kitchener in 2003 and distributed through Universal Music Canada.-Open Road artists:* Ridley Bent* Dean Brody* Doc Walker* Emerson Drive... |
* | — | — | — | |
| 2007 | Home Home (The Wilkinsons album) Home is the fifth studio album by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons, and was released on March 20, 2007. The album produced five singles: "Six Pack," "Fast Car," "Papa Come Quick," "Nobody Died" and "Closets."-Track listing:... Fontana Distribution Fontana Distribution is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group that was launched in 2004, which deals in distribution, as well as in a range of sales, marketing, and back office support services, for a diverse roster of independent record labels and their artists. The company takes its name and logo... |
10 | — | — | — | |
| — denotes the album failed to chart or not released * denotes unknown peak positions |
||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album details | CAN Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Greatest Hits… and Then Some Greatest Hits… and Then Some (The Wilkinsons album) Greatest Hits… and Then Some is the first greatest hits album by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons. The album was released on October 7, 2008 by Angeline Entertainment...
|
24 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country | US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 1998 | "26 Cents 26 Cents "26 Cents" is the title of a song recorded by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons. It was released in June 1998, it was the first single from their album Nothing but Love. The song reached #1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in August 1998 and number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country... " |
1 | 3 | 55 | Nothing but Love |
| "Fly (The Angel Song) Fly (The Angel Song) "Fly " is the title of a song recorded by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons. It was released in October 1998 as the second single from their album Nothing but Love. The song reached number-one on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart in January 1999 and number 15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot... " |
1 | 15 | 53 | ||
| 1999 | "Boy Oh Boy Boy Oh Boy (The Wilkinsons song) "Boy Oh Boy" is the title of a song recorded by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons. It was released in March 1999 as the third single from their album Nothing but Love. The song reached number 3 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart and number 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country... " |
3 | 50 | — | |
| "The Yodelin' Blues" | — | 45 | — | ||
| "Nothing but Love (Standing in the Way)" | 12 | — | — | ||
| 2000 | "Jimmy's Got a Girlfriend Jimmy's Got a Girlfriend "Jimmy's Got a Girlfriend" is the title of a song recorded by Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons. It was released in January 2000 as the lead single from their album Here and Now. The song reached number 11 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart and number 34 on the U.S. Billboard Hot... " |
11 | 34 | — | Here and Now |
| "Shame on Me" | 10 | 49 | — | ||
| "1999" | * [A] | — | — | ||
| 2001 | "I Wanna Be That Girl" | * | 51 | — | Shine |
| 2003 | "L.A." | * | — | — | Highway |
| 2004 | "Little Girl" | * | — | — | |
| "Leaving Song" | * | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "Six Pack" | * | — | — | Home |
| "Fast Car Fast Car "Fast Car" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was released as a single in April 1988 from her self-titled 1988 debut album Tracy Chapman... " |
* | — | — | ||
| 2007 | "Papa Come Quick" | * | — | — | |
| "Nobody Died" | * | — | — | ||
| 2008 | "Closets" | * | — | — | |
| "When I'm Old" | * | — | — | Greatest Hits… and Then Some | |
| 2009 | "You Heal Me" | * | — | — | |
| — denotes the single failed to chart or not released * denotes unknown peak positions |
|||||
^ "1999" reached number 26 on Canadian RPM Country Singles when RPM ceased publication.
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "26 Cents" | Jim Shea |
| "Fly (The Angel Song)" | Deaton Flanigen Deaton-Flanigen Productions Deaton-Flanigen Productions is a music video directing duo composed of Robert Deaton III and George Flanigen IV. The two have directed multiple music videos, primarily in the field of country music... |
|
| 1999 | "Boy Oh Boy" | |
| 2000 | "Jimmy's Got a Girlfriend" | Jim Shea |
| "1999" | Eric Welch | |
| 2001 | "I Wanna Be That Girl" | Deaton Flanigen |
| 2003 | "L.A." | |
| 2004 | "Little Girl" | Warren P. Sonoda |
| "Leaving Song" | ||
| 2006 | "Fast Car" | Margaret Malandruccolo |
| 2007 | "Papa Come Quick" | |
| "Nobody Died" | ||
| 2008 | "When I'm Old" | |
| 2009 | "You Heal Me" |