Nova Scotia has some country twang, says Dean Brody

Dean Brody wins the Male Artist of the Year award during the Canadian Country Music Awards in Edmonton, on Sunday September 8, 2013. (Jason Franson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

HALIFAX -- Dean Brody taps his brown suede sneaker against the floor of a downtown Halifax bar, his right hand strumming a mahogany ukulele as he belts out a country song about a whirlwind romance.

The country music star had just driven into the city from his home in Windsor, a small Nova Scotia community about an hour away near the Minas Basin.

It's a province that's typically associated with fiddle music. But Brody, who was born in British Columbia and has lived in Nova Scotia for six years, says the Maritime province has some country twang.

"You think that the West is country and that's where country music is. But then you come out East and there's a real redneck, hillbilly side to Nova Scotia," says Brody with a laugh.

"It was like, 'Oh hey, that guy's wearing camouflage. Wow, that's a jacked-up truck with big mud tires on it.' That was something that kind of surprised me when I came out here."

Canada's country stars are headed to Halifax for the Canadian Country Music Association Awards on Sunday. It could be a big night for the 40-year-old Brody, who is at the top of the pack with seven nominations including album of the year for his fifth studio album "Gypsy Road," video of the year for his single "Upside Down" and male artist of the year.

Brody says he's thrilled about the nominations and is excited to hang out with his musical colleagues in Halifax, where his family will soon be moving.

"Any time you get industry people that are really knowledgeable about the business and what you do and they say, 'Dean, what you're doing is awesome,' and they give you that nod, it means a lot," says Brody.

"It's really encouraging to me as an artist because I really am hard on myself. The way I write and the music that I make ... you kind of wonder, 'Is this OK? Are we doing OK?' So when you get those nods, those nominations, it means a lot."

Brody already has seven CCMA awards under his belt. But the soft-spoken husband and father of two wasn't always Canadian country royalty.

There was a point that he nearly abandoned his now-flourishing music career.

"I was about to say, 'I need a normal job. I need to provide for my family. This is crazy,"' recalls Brody.

"But almost that night or the day after is when I got a call from my producer ... who said, 'I got you a (record) deal here if you want it."'

Now, Brody is gearing up to embark on a month-long tour with Paul Brandt this fall, playing for tens of thousands of people in venues across the country. But his high-energy concerts don't always come easy, Brody says.

"It's always a challenge for me to be on stage because I'm pretty quiet as a person," he says. "The stage still has that element of fear for me."

Brody, Brandt, Gord Bamford, Johnny Reid and Dallas Smith -- all nominated in the fan choice award category -- will perform at the awards show at the Scotiabank Centre.

Bamford boasts a total of six nominations at this year's awards, while Smith, Tim Hicks and Brett Kissel all racked up four nominations.

Jess Moskaluke, the only female artist nominated in the album of the year category for her record "Light Up The Night," will also take the stage, as will Kira Isabella, Wes Mack, Steven Lee Olsen, MacKenzie Porter and others.

The gala is being hosted by TV personality Jessi Cruickshank and will be broadcast on CBC.