Michelle Wright puts on entertaining Christmas show at the Empress in Fort Macleod

Tina Rittinger Peta
and Michelle Wright

Tina Rittinger Peta

I have seen Canadian country star Michelle Wright in concert many times and you always know that you're not going to be disappointed by her performances. This past week Michelle entertained an audience from all over Southern Alberta with two shows at the historical Empress Theatre in Fort Macloed. Michelle again showed why she is one of Canada's favourite country performers (although you don't have to like country to attend one of her shows.) She has such a beautiful strong voice and she also entertains the audience with her little stories.

Michelle Wright at the Empress Theatre in Fort Macleod
Tina Rittinger Peta photo

“A holiday for me is being home in my house in Nashville with my husband and my doggies,” she said when I spoke with her.


Wright has a sister in Barrie and her mother spent 14 years in Sudbury. She hopes to put up a Christmas tree with her sister’s family again this year.
“That northern Ontario experience is part of my life,” she said.

Wright's show mixed traditional seasonal carols, some of her band’s favourite Christmas music, some personal holiday family reminiscences and some strong new music, all punctuated by the powerful hits that have earned her recognition as one of Canada’s greatest vocal talents.

The country legend said her Christmas tour is a work of utter joy. She did her first holiday tour nine years ago and was hooked. “It has just become a joy for myself and my band, to be out there singing these songs and decorating the stage like a winter wonderland. It’s just a beautiful time,” she said.

Since her 1988 debut Do Right By Me, Wright has been drawing rave reviews for her powerful voice and her distinctive style. Over the subsequent 22 years, she has sold nearly two million albums in the United States and Canada and amassed a total of 25 top 10 hits and more than 30 major awards.

Growing up in Merlin, Ontario, a small farming community, she heard the rhythm and blues and Motown hits coming out of Detroit, just 45 minutes away. But specially she heard the strains of country music, since her parents were both country performers. “My earliest memories of music are singing in the car, or spending the weekend with my father after my parents separated and watching him put on a rhinestone-studded suit to perform in.” As a young girl, she tagged along on countless jobs.  “We never were a family band, but I got a lot of inspiration and encouragement from my mother. That’s where my love of country music really began.”

As always, it is a joy to experience Michelle's charm and grace while she sings music. I wouldn't want to miss any opportunities to see her in concert. She was darling!