JODY RAFFOUL may originally be from a small town in Southern Ontario, but his diverse career as a working class pop-rock singer/songwriter has continued to put him in the spotlight in the United States.
Already a reliable “critic’s pick” in the Detroit region, Jody performs over 200 shows a year and has opened for: Collective Soul, Kid Rock, Nickelback, Joe Cocker, Blues Traveler, Richard Marx, Counting Crows, The Allman Brothers Band, Uncle Kracker, John Entwhistle, Chris Isaak, Paul Rodgers and most recently Bon Jovi.
At home in a small club or the big stage, his signature voice and compassionate stage presence has been described as a hybrid mix of Bono and Bruce Springsteen making every performance unique which is what helped Jody to become the National WINNER of the 2006 Bon Jovi “Have a Nice Gig” Contest, hand-picked and announced personally by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. He went on to open a sold out show at Giant’s Stadium in Bon Jovi’s home state, New Jersey, alongside fellow Canadians, Nickelback.
Jody’s acoustic album Simple Life (2000) not only garnered attention from the music industry, contemporaries and some of Jody's musical influences, but it also showcased Jody's diversity. His sensitive, in-tune songwriting ability combined with infectious rifts took his second album, Like A Star (2004), to another level backed with a full band. Both albums have only been available at live shows and have collectively sold in excess of 25,000 copies, primarily in the Detroit/Windsor Metro area.
BIG SKY is Jody’s first national U.S. album release and is his most prolific work to date. It’s composed of songs about life’s up and downs and Jody’s “sky’s the limit” attitude toward life. The first single “Stay (with me)” has an infectious beat and is about the excitement of a budding relationship in which you want that person to give your relationship a chance. “Little Black Car” is a beautiful ballad which Jody paints a vivid picture of the simple pleasures of being in love. Only fitting with today’s news, “Chasing Paper” with its forceful rhythm tells the true, yet harrowing story of the meaning of life over money; based on one of Jody’s friends. “Learn From Me” came about when Jody was asked to write a theme song for an anti-bullying program in Jody’s native Leamington, Ontario Canada called B-RAD. B-RAD was developed by several police services designed to help teens deal with Bullying along with Relationships, Alcohol and Drugs. The up-tempo “It’s Grand” rings true to its title – about living life to the fullest, while the somber “And It Shines” is about life’s end.
Source: http://www.jodyraffoul.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=161
