Biography

Rita MacNeil, CM, ONS (born May 28, 1944) was a Canadian country and folk singer from the community of Big Pond on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. Her biggest hit, "Flying On Your Own", was a crossover Top 40 hit in 1987 and was covered by Anne Murray the following year, although she has had hits on the country charts throughout her career. In the United Kingdom, MacNeil's song "Working Man" was a No. 11 hit in 1990. Sadly Rita passed away on April 16, 2013 from complications of surgery after a recurrent infection.