Country music star wows crowd with acoustic show at the Orillia Opera House
Canadian country music singer Tim Hicks took over the stage at the Orillia Opera House Sunday night on his Campfire Troubadour Tour.
The Ontario-born singer says he's excited to be back playing in his home province.
"I love Ontario. I feel like I built a little bit of a fan base even prior to having songs on the radio and whatnot, so it's nice to see old faces and get to some towns that I haven't played in a long time," says Hicks.
- Download the CTV News app free to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
This tour is a more intimate experience for fans, with acoustic arrangements and stripped-down versions of his biggest hits.
"When I was out playing in bars, typically front of the week I was playing on my own or with a buddy of mine so it's really natural to do things stripped back. That has afforded us the opportunity to play in some towns that we wouldn't normally get to play," says Hicks.
Joining Hicks on the Ontario leg of the tour is up-and-coming artist Dayna Reid.
The singer is originally from Elmvale and just released her first single in January.
"The first single I released was called 'She's Me' and it's really about, when I was writing that song I was writing a tune that was going to make me kind of like believe in myself enough to actually take the leap of faith and pursue this business," says Reid.
Reid says Tim Hicks has been a mentor to her, and they even collaborated on a song on his new album.
"Tim is such a down-to-earth guy both on and off the stage, so it's been awesome," says Reid.
Hicks says he isn't surprised that the country music genre has grown incredibly popular over the last few years.
"I think that in my humble opinion it's sort of replaced a genre of music that we once called soft rock. You can kind of fill that void a bit with country. Plus, it's just great musicians, great singers singing great songs, which to me always wins at the end of the day," says Hicks.
With three shows left, Tim Hicks will wrap up his Campfire tour in Ottawa this week.
He'll head back to Nashville in the new year to start working on new music.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I got no remorse': Greg Fertuck, convicted of murdering missing spouse, sentenced to life in prison
Greg Fertuck will spend life behind bars with no chance of parole until he is 90 years old, a judge ruled on Thursday at Saskatoon's Court of King's Bench.
'Ford's dry summer begins': LCBO workers set to strike Friday after talks fall apart
Thousands of employees with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario are set to walk off their jobs on Friday as the union says 'talks have broken down' and it is not hopeful that a deal will be reached to avert a strike.
Britain's Labour on track for landslide victory, exit poll suggests, amid anger with Conservatives
Britain's Labour Party headed for a landslide victory Friday in a parliamentary election, an exit poll suggested, as voters punished the governing Conservatives after 14 years of economic and political upheaval.
Saskatchewan has the lowest hourly minimum wage. How does it stack up to the rest of Canada?
Hourly minimum wages increased in several Canadian provinces this spring with more on the horizon, which economists say will likely impact workers and businesses differently.
Trying to sell or buy a home this summer? What a realtor says you should know
In the first few weeks of summer, the real estate sector is experiencing an upturn marked by more housing inventory, a Canadian realtor says
No Frills grocery stores drop 'multi-buy' offer
As receipts tick ever higher for Canadians at the grocery store and shoppers continue to search for savings, one Canadian grocer has ended a perceived deal.
Hurricane Beryl churns toward Mexico after leaving destruction in Jamaica and eastern Caribbean
After leaving a trail of destruction across the eastern Caribbean and at least nine people dead, Hurricane Beryl weakened as it chugged over open water toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday, going from the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic to Category 2 by the afternoon.
CSIS director David Vigneault stepping down after seven years on the job
David Vigneault says he is stepping down from his job at the head of Canada’s spy agency. The director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, who spent seven years at the helm, is leaving the public service altogether.
Biden tells Democratic governors he needs more sleep and plans to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m.
U.S. President Joe Biden told Democratic governors during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday that part of his plan going forward is to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. so that he can get more sleep, according to three sources briefed on his comments.