George Canyon

Who is George Canyon?

George Canyon was born on August 22, 1970. He is a Canadian country singer and grew up in Fox Brook, Pictou County, Nova Scotia. He later lived in Hopewell, Nova Scotia and currently lives in High River, Alberta.

Family being his first priority, Canyon, a man of Faith, abandoned his musical aspirations years ago to work as a bylaw officer in order to support his family. His wife, Jennifer, urged him to keep writing songs and performing however George felt that it was no longer practical, and put music on the back burner.

In 2004, Jennifer persuaded him to audition for U.S.A Network’s "Nashville Star"- an internationally televised performance competition similar to the "American Idol" format. Canyon showed up, wowed the worldwide audiences and nearly won the entire contest. The rest is history punctuated by industry accolades, achievements and sustained success.

His integrity and dedication to his family lives as a theme through the songs he writes and the stories he tells with his music and the way he lives his life. It is also the same force that drives him to inspire youth through his role as a national spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 14, Canyon was informed that he would have to forgo his ambitions and dreams to serve his country as a pilot in the Canadian Air Force. Years later he would learn to manage his disease through diet, lifestyle and the effective use of insulin pump technology. In 2009, Canyon passed a series of medical tests and as a result of this was able to obtain his pilot's license.

On February 21, 2008 he was recognized for all his philanthropic work in support of the Canadian troops and was appointed Honorary Colonel for the Canadian Air Force at 14 Wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia.

He never could have predicted the journey, but he finally realized the dream that had evaded him as a young man of serving in the Air Force. Later that year, Canyon took his personal story and his own plane across Canada and organized several talks and concerts to inspire youngsters afflicted with type 1 diabetes, with his inspiring message, a project he named “The Sky’s Not The Limit”. He urged them to take ownership of their disease, pursue their dreams, and achieve their goals. "Being a kid is hard enough without having a disease that limits your choices. If I can tell my story and change a life or two, that's the kind of imprint I want to leave" Canyon says. The message has been effective, and George's story continues to resonate.

In the fall of 2010, George performed and spoke to over 20,000 people at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles at a JDRF fund-raising event.

His 2010 hit single "I Believe in Angels" has been adopted as a theme song by the JDRF in the United States and Canyon appeared on "GOOD MORNING AMERICA" to encourage youngsters with his story.

The song, “I Believe in Angels” received a SOCAN award in November 2011, for one of the most played songs at Canadian Country Radio in 2010.

As Canyon's charitable work continues, his achievements grow with it. In the past two years, he has been recognized as the most played Canadian artist at Canadian country radio. He's also one of the most recognizable and requested stars on CMT (Country Music Television). His videos garner hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube and he has won multiple Juno, East Coast Music Awards and Canadian Country Music Awards including "Humanitarian of the Year Award" for his philanthropic endeavors.

Also an actor Canyon has appeared on some highly rated Canadian television series’ such as CBC-TV’s "Heartland" and Showcase’s "Trailer Park Boys" and has starred in many television programs and specials.

He recently starred alongside Dean Cain and Luke Schroder in a made for TV movie, “A Mile In His Shoes” which aired in September 2011 in the US on GMC, and in Canada on Showcase in November 2011. George will also host “The Gift Of Giving” a star studded show...