Hunter Brothers
Canadian country music group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hunter Brothers is a Canadian country music group from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan,[1][2] composed of brothers Luke, J.J., Ty, Brock, and Dusty Hunter.[3][4] They signed with Open Road Recordings and released their debut single, "El Dorado", in February 2016.[5][6] It debuted on the Billboard Canada Country chart in March 2016.[7] The band earned their first Top 10 single at Canadian country radio with their hit "Born and Raised".[8] In 2019, their single "Lost" became their first #1 hit.[9]
Hunter Brothers | |
|---|---|
| |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Label | Open Road |
| Members | Luke Hunter J.J. Hunter Ty Hunter Brock Hunter Dusty Hunter |
| Website | www |
Personal life
The Hunter Brothers are a Canadian country band consisting of 5 brothers from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan: Luke, J.J., Ty, Brock, and Dusty. Their parents are Lorne and Norma Hunter,[10] and their uncle Jim Hunter is a former Canadian Olympic skier.[11]
These brothers grew up farming in the Canadian prairies. They spent their summers singing in churches across the country. In the Winter, they were heavily involved in the hockey community. Some of the brothers even played for some major league teams.
When the 5 brothers are at home working on the farm, they often pass the time in the field by re-writing well known songs with words that are relevant to farming culture, performing them over their CB radios. They often share these songs online through their various social media platforms.
Hockey careers
Four of the five brothers played junior ice hockey and three played in the professional minor leagues. J.J., Dustin, and Luke each played forward, while Brock and Ty were defencemen. Ty played rep hockey before suffering a broken femur.[10] The remaining four brothers all sustained injuries of various kinds and returned home to continue farming with their parents on their family's 20,000 acre farm.[11]
J.J. Hunter played three seasons in Western Hockey League with the Kelowna Rockets and Prince Albert Raiders; he attended six NHL training camps (1999 Detroit Red Wings, 2001–2006 Edmonton Oilers) and was under contract with the Edmonton Oilers for 5 seasons playing NHL pre-season games and five years in their farm system. Altogether, he played 6 years of pro-hockey including parts of six seasons in the American Hockey League with the Hamilton Bulldogs, Toronto Roadrunners, Edmonton Road Runners, Toronto Marlies, and Manitoba Moose; and parts of four season in the ECHL with the Toledo Storm and Columbus Cottonmouths.[12]
Dustin Hunter played junior hockey with the Melville Millionaires in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, then one professional season split between the Oklahoma City Blazers and San Angelo Saints in the Central Hockey League before his career was abruptly ended due to a severe eye injury.[13]
Luke Hunter played five seasons in the WHL with the Swift Current Broncos, and one season each with the Wichita Thunder in the CHL, and the University of Calgary Dinos men's ice hockey team in the CIS.[14] His career also came to a halt due to an eye injury.
Brock Hunter played junior hockey in the AJHL with the Drumheller Dragons, and the Fort McMurray Oil Barons before finishing up his career with the Kindersley Klippers in the SJHL.[15]
All the brothers joined forces together when they returned home to play for the same hometown hockey team, the Shaunavon Badgers in the WMHL.
Music career
Early years
When they were younger, they spent their time mirroring music videos from other artists, and learning to become performers. The Hunter Brothers quickly became known for their harmonies[16] and stage presence.
2016–2018: Getaway
In 2016, the brothers started recording a collection of songs with their label Open Road Recordings. On February 5, 2016 they released their debut single "El Dorado" to country radio[17] which helped put this new band on the map within the Canadian country music industry. "El Dorado" was co-produced by Brad Rempel of Canadian country band High Valley[17] along with Seth Mosley and Mike "X" O'Connor
"El Dorado" debuted on the Billboard Canada Country charts in March 2016, and reach number 24 on the chart.[18]
In the spring of 2017, the Hunter Brothers released their debut album Getaway. This album included two singles that earned them their first two songs that entered the top 10 on the Billboard charts: "Born and Raised", and "Those Were the Nights".
Their single "Born and Raised" from their Getaway album was selected as the official anthem for the 2018 IIHF World Junior Hockey Tournament.[19] "Born and Raised" also won Saskatchewan Music Award for Single of the Year.
After the release of "El Dorado", the Hunter Brothers were nominated for four Saskatchewan Country Music Association Awards, and won for both Group of the Year, and Emerging Artist categories.[20]
2019–present: State of Mind and Been a Minute
In January 2019, they released their sophomore album State of Mind. The record showcases the brothers' talent and growth. The first single from the record "Lost" has been certified Gold[21] in Canada and became their first #1 single at Canadian Country Radio. "Lost" was also awarded Single of the Year at the 2019 Saskatchewan Music Awards.[22] The album also included the singles, "Northern Lights" and "Silver Lining".
In 2019, their album State of Mind was the number one selling country album in Canada for four consecutive weeks and has had over 10 million streams worldwide.[23] Earlier in 2019, the Hunter Brothers joined country superstars Paul Brandt, Jess Moskaluke and High Valley for The Journey Tour on 26 dates across Canada. They debuted at CMA Fest in Nashville, and also landed three CCMA Award nominations. The band was nominated for 2 JUNO Awards in 2020 for Country Album of the Year for their sophomore album State of Mind and Breakthrough Group of the Year.
On June 30, 2021, they released their third studio album Been a Minute, which included the singles "Hard Dirt" and "Been a Minute".[24]
On May 12, 2023, the Hunter Brothers released the extended play Burning Down the Barn, which they supported with the aptly-named "Burning Down the Barn Tour" across Canada in the fall of 2023.[25]
Tours
- Burning Down the Barn Tour (2023)
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Burning Down the Barn |
|
| All Kinds of Country |
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak positions |
Certifications | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [28] |
CAN Country [7] | ||||||||
| 2016 | "El Dorado" | — | 25 | Getaway | |||||
| "Long Way to Love You" | — | 40 | |||||||
| 2017 | "Getaway" | — | 31 | ||||||
| "Born and Raised" | — | 9 | |||||||
| 2018 | "Those Were the Nights" | — | 9 |
| |||||
| "Lost" | 100 | 1 |
|
State of Mind | |||||
| 2019 | "Northern Lights" | — | 17 | ||||||
| "Silver Lining" | — | 11 | |||||||
| 2020 | "Hard Dirt"[30] | — | 17 | Been a Minute | |||||
| 2021 | "Been a Minute" | — | 12 | ||||||
| "Diamonds" | — | 40 | |||||||
| 2022 | "Peace, Love & Country Music" | — | 41 | Burning Down the Barn | |||||
| "What Colour You Drive" | — | 38 | |||||||
| 2023 | "Burning Down the Barn" | — | 46 | ||||||
| 2024 | "Train (Station Edition)" | — | 44 | TBA | |||||
| 2025 | "Better Days" (with Shantaia) |
— | 51 | ||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||||
Other charted songs
| Year | Single | Peak positions |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country [7] | |||
| 2017 | "Joy to the World" | 46 | Non-album single |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Getaway" | The Edde Brothers |
| "Born and Raised" | Gavin Michael Booth | |
| 2018 | "Those Were the Nights" | |
| "Lost" | Ben Knechtel | |
| 2019 | "Northern Lights" | The Edde Brothers |
| "Silver Lining" | ||
| 2020 | "Hard Dirt" | Sean Smith |
| 2021 | "Been a Minute" | Sean Smith |
| 2022 | "Peace, Love & Country Music" | Sean Smith |
| 2022 | "What Colour You Drive" | Adler Irwin |
| 2023 | "Country State of Mind" | Adler Irwin |
| 2023 | "Burning Down the Barn" | Adler Irwin |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Canadian Country Music Association | Interactive Artist of the Year | Nominated | [31] |
| Saskatchewan Country Music Association | Group of the Year | Won | [20] | |
| Emerging Artist Award | Won | |||
| Fans’ Choice Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Single of the Year - "El Dorado" | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Canadian Country Music Association | Group or Duo of the Year | Nominated | [32] |
| Rising Star Award | Nominated | |||
| Interactive Artist of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Saskatchewan Country Music Association | Single of the Year - "Born and Raised" | Nominated | [33] | |
| SaskMusic | Single of the Year | Won | [34] | |
| 2019 | Canadian Country Music Association | Album of the Year - State of Mind | Nominated | [35] |
| Fans' Choice Award | Nominated | |||
| Group or Duo of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Saskatchewan Country Music Association | Group of the Year | Won | [36] | |
| Single of the Year - "Those Were The Nights" | Won | |||
| Video of the Year - "Those Were The Nights" | Won | |||
| Interactive Group of the Year | Won | |||
| Fans’ Choice Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | |||
| SaskMusic Awards | Single of the Year - "Lost | Won | [22] | |
| Country Album of the Year - State of Mind | Won | |||
| Single of the Year - "Northern Lights" | Nominated | |||
| Album of the Year - State of Mind | Nominated | |||
| Western Canadian Music Awards | Country Artist of the Year | Nominated | [37] | |
| 2020 | Juno Awards | Breakthrough Group of the Year | Nominated | [38] |
| Country Album of the Year - State of Mind | Nominated | |||
| Saskatchewan Country Music Association | Fans’ Choice Entertainer of the Year | Won | [39] [40] | |
| Group/Duo of the Year | Won | |||
| Single of the Year - "Lost" | Won | |||
| Single of the Year - "Northern Lights" | Nominated | |||
| Album of the Year - State of Mind | Won | |||
| Video of the Year - "Silver Lining" | Nominated | |||
| Interactive Artist or Group of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Canadian Country Music Association | Fans’ Choice Award | Nominated | [41] | |
| Group Or Duo Of The Year | Nominated | |||
| Video Of The Year - "Silver Lining" | Nominated | |||
| Western Canadian Music Awards | Country Artist of the Year | Nominated | [42] | |
| 2021 | Western Canadian Music Awards | Country Artist of the Year | Nominated | [43] |
| 2021 Canadian Country Music Awards | Group or Duo of the Year | Nominated | [44] [45] [46] | |
| Video of the Year - "Hard Dirt" | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards | Group or Duo of the Year | Nominated | [47] |
| Innovative Campaign of the Year - "What Colour You Drive" Content and Fan Contest | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | Canadian Country Music Association | Group or Duo of the Year | Nominated | [48] |