Artist: Gordie Sampson, Album: Sunburn, Song: Sunburn

"You're gonna be my great regret though I guess it hasn't hit me yet.  Slow drag on my last cigarette just a good excuse to take all I can get.  You're the lesson I never learn, you're my sunburn."  Gordie Sampson is a singer songwriter from Cape Breton.  Gordie has made a name for himself as a world class songwriter.  He's won a Grammy and multiple Juno awards as a result of other artists recording his music.  The most notable example and the one that yielded a Grammy, was the number #1 hit, Jesus Take The Wheel, performed by Carrie Underwood.  He's had everyone from Faith Hill to Bon Jovi sing his songs as well.  This kind of notoriety overshadows his own musical releases which have all been excellent recordings in their own right.  His debut in 1998 was nominated for a Juno but lost out to the late Willie P. Bennett (see blog 1/29/11).  Sunburn was his sophomore release in 2004.  This album is stacked with great songs including the title track, Sunburn.  I caught Gordie live one summer following this release at a Harbourfront concert in Toronto, opening for Joel Plaskett.  He is a great performer and typical of his eastern roots, was born and raised on rock and roll and isn't afraid to show it.  I think he even covered a Black Sabbath tune that night if my memory of the events is correct.  Gordie released his most recent album in 2008 and continues to have his songs released by other artists.  Little Big Town has a song of his on their new release.  You can follow Gordie at http://gordiesampson.com/.  You can watch the video for the song, Sunburn, on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhFOmkaxEt8).  You can purchase this album on Itunes.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!