Steve Wilkinson

t all started with a vacuum cleaner.
Steve Wilkinson, patriarch songwriter of The Wilkinsons, the Ontario-based contemporary country music trio that
includes his daughter Amanda and son Tyler, recalls the day he wrote
“26 Cents,” the song that would change their lives forever. Back in the day when music was still the household’s pipe dream -- and struggling to make ends meet after an unexpected downsizing at a nuclear power plant and a shortage of work as a carpenter in Belleville, Ontario -- Steve took menial jobs in order to feed his
family, which also includes his wife Chris and young daughter Kiaya. “Things weren’t great up here,” Steve says, recalling a time when the
family frequented food banks and barely had 26 cents to rub together. “I was working as much as I could. I cleaned a restaurant for $25 - three
hours work in the morning. Truth be told, that’s where ‘26 Cents’ was written.
“I literally stopped part way through my cleaning job, ran out to my
Ford Granada and I sang what I had of ‘26 Cents’ into a little handheld recorder.”
It’s only natural that “26 Cents” – the “penny for your thoughts and a quarter for the call” account of a mother’s unconditional love for her daughter -- would open the trio’s watermark new
album The Greatest Hits …And Then Some. It’s the song that launched the good ship Wilkinson into the mainstream: a Nashville record deal and a U.S. gold album with Nothing
But Love, a Top 3 Billboard Country chart hit, multiple Grammy nomination, numerous CMA, ACM and Juno nominations, as
well as a five-trophy sweep at the 1999 Canadian Country Music Awards. Most importantly, perhaps, is that “26 Cents” ushered in a lasting career that’s now entering its second decade.
Steve's early influences were varied and many. From the Beatles, Paul Simon and Billy Joel to the Eagles. Sort of ironic that when it came time to get a US Green card Steve Wilkinson had endorsement letters form no less than Don Henley and Glenn Frey of the Eagles as well as Vince Gill in the country world.