Interview with Marie Bottrell
b"At age 11,\\xa0Marie Bottrell\\xa0joined her two older siblings on stage for the first time. After earning her chops with the Whitestone County Band,\\xa0Marie began recording for the Mercey Brothers' MBS label at just 17.\\n\\n\\nMarie released her self-penned composition\\xa0Just Reach Out And Touch Me\\xa0in 1978. The positive reaction led to an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry Show on its Canadian tour.\\n\\n\\nAfter a successful second single made its way up the charts, Marie was rewarded with a nomination at RPM's Big Country Awards in the Outstanding New Artist category.\\n\\n\\nMarie was voted Outstanding Female Performer by RPM in 1979 and over the course of her career she has scored four JUNO nominations and two wins as the CCMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 1983 and '84.\\n\\nMarie began touring with her own band and together, Marie Bottrell & Cottonwood appeared on all of the popular \\xa0shows of the day including; Tommy Hunter, The Joan Kennedy Show, Ronnie Prophet, The Family Brown Show and\\xa0Ray St. Germain as well.\\n\\n\\nThroughout her career, Marie has performed with Nashville stars like Tammy Wynette, Tom T. Hall, and Minnie\\xa0Pearl. Marie was inducted into the\\xa0Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame\\xa0in 2010."