Wilkinsons

[admin]

 [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ]

The Wilkinsons was a Canadian country music trio from Trenton, Ontario. Founded in 1997, the group consisted of lead singer Amanda Wilkinson, her brother Tyler Wilkinson, and their father, Steve Wilkinson.

The Wilkinsons achieved success late in 1998 with the hit single "26 Cents", a Number One on the Canadian country music charts and Top 5 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts.

It was followed by "Fly (The Angel Song)", also a No. 1 in Canada. A second album, Here and Now, produced the group's last American top 40 hit in "Jimmy's Got a Girlfriend". Afterward, the trio recorded three more albums, one of which was not released, and a Greatest Hits package.

Steve Wilkinson was born on August 18, 1955 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.  Before the country trio was formed, he was struggling financially after he lost his job at a nuclear power plant due to downsizing. He took menial jobs in order to provide for his family, but his real passion was music. They signed to Giant Records in 1998.

The Wilkinsons' first album, Nothing But Love, reached No. 16 on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts in 1998. The trio have been nominated for the Country Music Association's Horizon Award and Vocal Group of the Year and for Single of the Year by the Academy of Country Music Awards. Their second album, Here and Now, won the Canadian Country Music Association award for Best Album. The band has received nine Canadian Country Music Awards, one Juno Award and two Grammy nominations (both for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group).

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpFBNBFuFw0

"26 Cents", also written as "26¢", is the debut song of the Canadian country music group The Wilkinsons. Written by group member Steve Wilkinson along with William Wallace, it was released in June 1998 as the first single from their album Nothing but Love.

The song reached number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in August 1998  and number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.  It was named both Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) Song Year of the Year and Single of the Year at the 1999 Canadian Country Music Association Awards.

The song is about a girl who just turned 18 and is moving away to her own place. The song's title comes from the "penny for your thoughts, a quarter for the call" her mother gives her before she leaves.