A CHIPPENHAM rock musician has received an award from the Canadian Country Music Association for international newcomer.

Stuart Rolfe, who sings and plays with Stuart Rolfe and the Daylight Stealers, won the award for his song Quarter Mile which features in the Canadian TV show Heartland.

Mr Rolfe, 48, from Cepen Park, Chippenham, said: “I am absolutely over the moon. To be honest, it was out of the blue. I didn’t have any Canadian roots and it is very difficult to get in with that band of people.

“But because we got the track on the Canadian TV show Heartland picked up by people and they seem to have loved it. It has had thousands of streams in Canada.

“It has been a nice shock and we seem to have ended the year delightfully,” said Mr Rolfe, who has won the award for the first time in his own name having been an award winner working with other musicians.

Quarter Mile is one of the tracks on the band’s latest Extended Play album, which was released earlier this year and was recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

The new EP, No Gas Lost Roads, came out on September 25 on all streaming platforms and was physically available from October 1. It has been streamed more than 23,400 times.

Each copy sold will see a £1 donation being made to Springboard Chippenham. Those who buy the CD will get five tracks, plus a bonus track called Mamma.

Stuart Rolfe and the Daylight Stealers are a unique blend of musicians creating the big country sounds of Nashville. The group is made up of a talented team of five creative musicians, three of whom are based in Wiltshire.

They are vocalist and guitarist Stuart Rolfe; bassist Tyler Spicer from Holt; lead guitarist Dylan Smith from Trowbridge; drummer, Oliver Wylde from Manchester, and backing vocalist, harpist and harmonica player Daniel Perriman from Northamptonshire.

They pride themselves on their technical abilities and musical versatility, breaking country rock boundaries with their unique sound.

The band has also been invited by Naheed Nenshi, the mayor of Calgary in Canada, to play at the mayor's show in October 2021.

Mr Rolfe added: “I have also have released a Christmas song, Old Jack Frost, to cheer everyone up, in these strange and worrying times.

“Originally, the chorus would have been sung by Monkton Park Primary School pupils but Covid put pay to that so my two daughters Holly, 8, and Aubrie, three, have stepped up to the plate.”

To hear the latest track, go to https://open.spotify.com/track/0C0Meun0evBS93EmTsjYoR?si=Gvh9hiLUS1aWgDNQS3Qg-w