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Rita MacNeil Stage Outfit

Not currently on exhibit

Artifact TypeDress

Date20th Century

This dress was formerly owned by Rita MacNeil, the late country-folk dynamo. Born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, MacNeil endured great hardship in her youth before becoming one of the country’s most beloved singers and television personalities. Her albums fused country, folk, rock and Celtic music and her acclaimed musical variety show, Rita and Friends, ran on the CBC from 1994 to 1997. MacNeil was a three-time JUNO award winner, and recipient of the Order of Canada.

Cultural SignificanceAlthough there are a number of musical styles that can be said to correspond with a particular fashion aesthetic, perhaps none is more iconic than that of the Country and Western genres. Throughout the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, numerous stars of the country western scene, such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, looked to niche tailors to produce customized suits that would set them apart and establish a certain stage presence. The suits were often brightly coloured and elaborately adorned with tassels, sequins, imitation jewels and rhinestones, and intricate embroidery. They also typically consisted of a complete ensemble that included corresponding boots and hat. Arguably the most notable of such tailors was the Ukrainian immigrant Nuta Kotlyarenko (1902 – 1984) who became better known as Nudie Cohn of Hollywood, California. Nudie produced some of the most expensive custom garments, catering both to country superstars as well as high-profile performers in other popular genres, including Elton John, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley. Other well-known tailors included Rodeo Ben, Turk of Van Nuys, California, Manuel of Nashville, Tennessee, and Rockmount Ranch Wear of Denver, Colorado.Users/PerformersRita MacNeil was born 28 May 1944 in Big Pond on Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island. Her early life was plagued with hardships, including facial disfigurement as a result of a cleft lip and palate, molestation by a family member, and her parents’ alcoholism. Her family relocated to Sydney, Nova Scotia, then later to Toronto, Ontario where she remained despite her family moving back to Cape Breton and a failing marriage unfolding throughout the 1960s. MacNeil began developing her musical career as a response to the burgeoning women’s movement in the early 1970s. Her first album emerged from a song of the same name, ¬Born A Woman, and was released in 1975. In 1980, she formed a production company with a group of friends, which came to be known as the Big Pond Publishing and Production Company Limited. By the release of her second album in 1981, she had developed a solid popular following for her career, with her music lauded for fusing country, folk, rock, and Celtic styles. Perhaps the most significant moment in MacNeil’s career came in 1986, when she performed at Expo ’86 in Vancouver; her popularity following this performance catapulted her into stardom. A number of television offers and albums followed into the 1990s, including 1987’s Flying On Your Own, which achieved Gold status under the direction of Virgin Records, and the hugely successful Rita & Friends, which aired on CBC Toronto between 1994 and 1997. MacNeil is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including three Juno awards, eleven East Coast Music Association (ECMA) awards, five honourary doctorates, and SOCAN’s highest industry honour. She has also been inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, the Order of Nova Scotia, and the Order of Canada. MacNeil passed away on 16 April 2013 as a result of complications from surgery.

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