Susie McGregor is a multi-faceted artist with entrepreneurial vision. Whether she is filling center stage with a dynamic performance or working behind the scenes to mentor an emerging artist, her approach is rooted in one commonality: her appreciation for the delivery of a well-written song.

Susie’s contagious enthusiasm for the music industry has spanned nearly two decades and she has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in today’s country rock genre. She is an inspiring performer, just listen to Jamie Warren’s country song “The World According to Susie”.

Influenced by a love for musical theatre, Susie performs a song with all of the intended emotion behind it, from the tender call to intimacy to the full on hammer of lonely heartbreak. An animated and expressive performer, Susie’s powerful vocals have drawn Canadian audiences from coast to coast, warming hearts in communities as far north as Yellowknife and Whitehorse. A definite crowd pleaser, McGregor’s confident rapport and stage presence easily bridges the gap between the height of the stage and the hearts of her audience.

Susie learned the ropes of performing at a young age, singing the hits of Patsy Cline in her dad’s country band, which played in and around the cities of Port Coquitlam and Vancouver. At the age of 14, she was the first winner of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) Talent Contest, an experience that introduced her to the world of recording and music video production, and lit her enthusiasm for a career in the music industry.

In 1990, Susie met her partner Andrew Lorimer who owned a recording studio. A keyboard player touring with the band Prism, Andrew worked with Susie to record demo recordings that would help to promote her music. In 1992, she took time off from working in a special needs kindergarten and her back up role in a Roy Orbison tribute band. Over the next decade Susie worked hard at establishing herself as an artist. She fronted several country rock bands including Saddle Rock, and Wild Frontier until finally forming her own band “The Thrillbillies”.

In 1996, Susie and Andy started their own record label “Highland Music Multimedia”. In 1997 she released her debut album called “Something Real” which featured the popular video supported song “3000 Miles”. “The Warm Feet Tour”, a promotional radio tour that extended from one Canadian coast to the other, delivered the warmth of McGregor’s voice as well as a truckload of McGregor brand socks. Her following CD “Tartan” revisited the themes of the east coast as well as her own Scottish ancestry. The first of a compilation CD series called Jewels of the Island was released in 2000, and featured female singer/songwriters from Vancouver Island.

In 2002 a family crisis put Susie’s music on an unexpected hiatus. Grieving the unexpected loss of her mother, Susie stepped away from the stage, and as life would have it, invited her to step into the new world of parenting. Raising two daughters and caring for their aging parents has changed some of the logistics for Susie and Andy, but not their passion for the music business.

Gradually family life for Susie and Andy has found a new rhythm. Refocused and fueled by her innate entrepreneurial spirit, Susie has retraced the steps of her own music career with a first hand knowledge of what resources would benefit an emerging artist. She has initiated and organized opportunities of talent discovery through the Comox Valley Idol competition now looking to its 5th season. Jewels of the Island II and Jewels of the Island III, compilation CDs created by Highland Music and distributed at Canadian Music Week, have provided recording opportunities and exposure for emerging artists. Susie’s latest initiative has been to provide an overall education in the music industry by planning an annual 4-day music conference that features industry panelists from across North America. VIMBC is now in its 3rd year, and will take place June 24-27th.