Paul Brandt

With his old-school sound and rich baritone, Paul Brandt turned himself into a household name in Canada’s country scene. Born Paul Rennée Belobersycky in Calgary in 1972, Brandt was raised on gospel in nearby Airdrie and found a kinship with artists like George Strait, who was holding strong to traditionalist approaches in the genre’s ‘90s heyday. As a young man, Brandt limited his musical endeavours to entering talent competitions while pursuing a career in nursing—until 1993, when the lonesome breakup tune “Calm Before the Storm” won a national songwriting contest. That song became the title track of his 1996 debut album, which also contained two mega-hits: the restless “My Heart Has a History” and everlasting love song “I Do.” Since then, he’s traded in personal narratives (1999’s “That’s the Truth”), tongue-in-cheek jazz (2001’s “Canadian Man”), modern arena rockers (2007’s “Didn’t Even See the Dust”), and made a return to commercial dominance, even joining forces with the new generation on 2015’s windswept “I’m an Open Road” with Jess Moskaluke.