Award winning country singer, Gary Fjellgaard will be heading to Red Deer County next week.“I sure love the small communities. It's more one-on-one,” said Fjellgaard of starting a tour this week that will take him from his home on Gabriola Island B.C, and bring him through communities in Alberta including Clareshom April 12, Priddis on the 13 before hitting Markerville April 14.“You know it's going to be a successful night when the ladies are there early setting up with coffee and dessert,” he said.The prairie-raised singer/songwriter has several awards under his belt including a Juno for country male vocalist in 2003 and was also inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.Fjellgaard plays acoustic guitar and his lyrics are written into stories with western roots. He just released a new album, The Collection, which contains his favourite cowboy songs he's written over the years.“I've re-recorded old materiel in a church in Nanaimo. It has that nice lonesome sound,” he said of the decision to record it of the choice to record just his voice and the guitar with only the engineer and himself.“I perform a lot with just the acoustic and people have me why I don't do a c.d. just like that,” he said of the motivation.The crooner will complete part of his tour with Saskia and Darrel the prairie roots couple.“We've done a lot of dates together over the years,” he said. “We open and closes shows together but they also do a bit of their own stuff and I do some of my stuff. So it's like three shows in one.”Fjellgaard will perform with the duo in April and will then play at the Bow Valley Music Club in May with David Francie and Ron Hynes.He will be at the Historical Fesala Hall in Markerville with Saskia and Derrel April 14 at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 with coffee and dessert to follow. Tickets are $25 at the Markerville Creamery or by phone at (403) 728-3006.
