John McDermott can recall the precise moment when he realized that giving up his day job and making singing his full-time career had been the right decision.
That moment came Oct. 5, 1993 at 8 p.m. at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax as he walked on stage to a full house and a thunderous East Coast welcome.
It was his first concert with his own band, after a year as the opening act for the internationally renowned Irish group, The Chieftains.
He was received with such wild encore-inducing enthusiasm the concert turned into a four-hour marathon. John was hooked!
Now, 20 years and more than 25 albums later, John McDermott is an international recording star and household name.
Besides his stellar musical career — platinum, double-platinum, triple-platinum albums and multiple Juno nominations — he is also known for his commitment to veterans' causes.
They include the U. S. Congressional Medal of Honour Society's Bob Hope Award, the Ted Williams Globe & Anchor Award from the USMC.,
Here at home, he got a commendation from the minister of veterans' affairs for ongoing work that includes his foundation McDermott House Canada, which is dedicated to improving care in the final stages of terminal illness and providing a warm, welcoming place to stay for Canada's veterans, military, first responders and their families.
In concert, whether he is sharing the stage with a topnotch group of musical friends or touring the world as part of the famed Three Irish Tenors, McDermott continues to enchant audiences with his beautiful tenor voice and sensitive renditions.
Though time and travel have introduced him to a wealth of new material and experiences, he manages to incorporate that diversity into his performances, while retaining the charm and humour that endeared him to audiences from the beginning.
For this 20th Anniversary National Tour — a two-decade retrospective — McDermott will highlight a variety of songs from his early recordings through his latest releases.
He performs Nov. 2 at the Sid Williams Theatre in Courtenay. For details, phone 250-338-2430, ext. 1 or visit www.sidwilliamstheatre.com.
— Shantero Productions