This is shaping up to be a big year for County musician Ryan Van Lee, who has a new single dropping next month, an Ontario-wide tour lined up for the summer and a debut EP in the works.
The country singer has forged a unique path in the music industry over the past decade. Starting out as a cover artist, singing songs made famous by other musicians, Van Lee has been focusing primarily on original content since the successful launch of his debut single, Shot in the Dark, in 2023
Since then, he’s released three more songs he says are close to his heart – Christmas With You in 2024 and both Company and Born to Fly in 2025. The four songs were streamed more than 1.3 million times worldwide on Spotify last year.
“It’s pretty surreal. Last time I checked, my songs had been played in 69 different countries around the world,” Van Lee said. “Someone from Paris messaged me on Instagram recently just to say how much he loved my stuff. That was kind of an ‘I made it’ moment for me.”
His latest effort, Downtown – a collaboration with Orillia-based rock band Bleeker – is coming out March 7. It’s one of three singles Van Lee plans to release this calendar year. He said it tells the story of country boys heading down to the city to show folks how to party.
Having toured all over North America since graduating from Hal High, including popular venues in Florida and Nashville, as well as back home in Canada, Van Lee said he had no idea where the music industry would take him when he started out as kid.
While his chosen instrument is now the guitar, Van Lee started out on the accordion – an inherited love from his grandfather, Lawrence Van Lieshout.
“I was only seven or eight when I started to notice music. My opa was the only musician in the family… we’d play together at Midnight Madness in Haliburton and at old age homes in the area,” Van Lee said. “Then I was entering talent contests and competing against adults – and actually doing really well.”
His life changed when, at 14, his grandmother Sherry Blair took him to see Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer Johnny Burke. Blown away by the musician’s talent, Van Lee said he asked Burke if he’d teach him how to play the guitar.
Initially, Van Lee met with Burke weekly, but that quickly morphed into jam sessions almost every other night. A quick learner, Van Lee told Burke he also wanted to learn how to sing with the best of them.
The first song he played was Jambalaya by Hank Williams, at a local talent show. From there, Van Lee started getting booked for small venues around central Ontario. He’d travel with Burke wherever the hall of famer was playing and would often by invited up on stage. A highlight reel memory was accompanying Burke for his 50th anniversary tribute show.
“They had Little Jim Dickens and George Jones calling in. Terry Sumsion was there with his tour bus, and I ended up sitting on the bus with Johnny, Terry and a couple other music legends just playing the guitar,” Van Lee said. That led to a series of bookings on the country jamboree scene.
Years later, Van Lee reflects on that education fondly. After deciding to get into songwriting in the late 2010s, he said he could feel Burke’s influence flowing through him with each completed piece. With a body of work now behind him, Van Lee said he expects to release his first album this year. He signed with Canada’s CF Management last year to help navigate the next phase of his career.
“This is a bit of a make it or break it year, I’d say. I’m never going to quit until I get to where I want to go, but at this stage of my career this is a very important year,” Van Lee said.
He’ll be back in Haliburton this summer, scheduled to play at Rotary Summerfest Aug. 4. To listen to Van Lee’s music, search his name on all streaming platforms.
