The Rankin Family: 11 things you should know

In honour of Raylene Rankin, a member of the Nova Scotia group The Rankin Family, who passed away after losing her battle with cancer over the weekend, here are some facts that you may not know about her and the cherished Celtic folk band.

1) They are from Mabou, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
As their website charmingly describes:

"If you made your way along Route 19 on Cape Breton Island, you would reach the small village of Mabou located in Inverness County. Had you veered just slightly off the main highway, you would have found a small street that was once home to a number of large families. One home in particular, bordered on the Community Hall, the local gathering place for weddings, dances and anniversaries. Live music would regularly fill the air. It was in this close-knit community that Kathleen (Kaye) and Alexander (Buddy) would raise their 12 children — five of whom would eventually become known to the world as The Rankin Family."

See more: Raylene Rankin dies of cancer

2) The band comes from a family of 12 children
As mentioned above, Kaye and Buddy raised 12 children, five of which would star in The Rankin Family band including, John Morris, Raylene, Heather, Cookie, and Jimmy.

3) They've been honoured with multiple Canadian music awards
According to their website, The Rankin Family has: 16 East Coast Music Awards, 6 Juno Awards, 4 SOCAN Awards and 3 Canadian Country Music Awards.

4) 1992's album "Fare Thee Well Love" was actually a re-release
"Fare Thee Well Love" was originally released in 1990, but after the band signed to Capitol/EMI Music, the label decided to re-release it in 1992 and today it is still one of the band's most popular albums with multi-platinum success.

5) Their album "Uprooted" made it onto the Billboard charts
Released in 1998, "Uprooted" went on to chart and peaked at number 12 in May of 1999 on Billboard's World Albums chart.

6) Their song "Fare Thee Well Love" is featured in the 1998 Disney Movie "Into the West"
Do you remember this song?

7) In 1999, the band separated and a year later member John Morris died in a car accident
Called "the musical heart of the Rankin's" John Morris died in 2000 in a winter car accident that the family describes as occurring on "an icy winter morning…on a slippery stretch of coastal road, while swerving to avoid a large pile of road salt."

8) When the band reunited in 2007, Molly Rankin (the daughter of the late John Morris) joined the band on a cross-Canada tour
"It's not so much that I'm stepping into his shoes," she said about joining the group. "I don't think anyone could — but I definitely would like to go in the direction he did."

9) One of The Rankin Family's most popular tunes is "You Feel the Same Way Too" from the 1995 album, "Endless Seasons"

10) Raylene Rankin's last solo album was released this past April called "All The Diamonds"
Fan song favourites on iTunes from the album include the title track, "Dear, Dark Eyes," and "I Have You."

11) Raylene went to school to become a lawyer
Before releasing their own independent self-titled record in 1989, each member of the band earned University educations and according to their website, sang in order to pay for tuition. As reported at the time of her death, Raylene trained to be a lawyer.

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