THE WILKINSONS – Three of a kind
Capital News - Australia (Feb. 2003)

The career path of Canadian family trio The Wilkinsons bears some similarities to Australia’s own Dead Ringer Band. In spite of achieving an outstanding reputation as a country band, music industry pressure to concentrate on one member of the family has placed an air of uncertainty around future group recordings. In the Dead Ringer’s situation and with the blessing of her parents and brother, Kasey Chamber’s solo career has reached almost unbelievable heights around Australia, as well as achieving some success in the US. Amanda Wilkinson looks likely to head down a similar path.

In the second half of 2002, negotiations enabling the talented vocalist to branch out on her own appeared to be gaining momentum. And she’s linking up with two of the best in the music business. Former Arista Records president Tim DuBois, along with Tony Brown – a piano player for Elvis Presley who later became head of MCA Nashville – have set up a new record label, Universal South. And they have the female member of The Wilkinsons firmly in their sights. According to Amanda, however, The Wilkinsons will continue to record as a trio at least for one more album, which is likely to be released independently. “I think a lot of artists are turning in that direction,” Amanda said. “We went through such a craziness of switching record labels, which is not a fun thing to go through as artists. “But we’re kind of sorting things out at the moment and this is really going to be a huge passion project for the three of us,” she said excitedly.

It’s been six years since the talented trio of Steve Wilkinson, daughter Amanda and son Tyler, along with wife and mother Christine and youngest daughter Kiaya left their hometown of Trenton, Ontario and drove to Nashville. Armed with a collection of Steve’s songs, The Wilkinsons had the Nashville community talking after only a matter of weeks. They signed with Giant Records and released their debut album for the label, Nothing But Love, which contained one of 1998’s biggest country hits, 26¢. Their second album, Here And Now, together with another hit single, Jimmy’s Got A Girlfriend, raised their popularity further and endeared the “northerners” to the US record-buying public, and to Nashville’s music industry. “Before that, it was almost like ‘it’s us and them’,” Amanda recalled of their early Nashville days. “But there’s been a lot of talent that has come out of Canada in the last couple of years, and people are embracing that now, so it’s not a rarity any more.