Smokey Mountain High was written by Mike McKenna Jr. in Mira, Nova Scotia, produced by Quinn Bachand in Victoria, British Columbia, mixed by Charles-Émile Beaudin in Montreal, Quebec, and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova in Ottawa, Ontario. Album artwork designed by Erin McKenna Lefort in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Songs ‘Grassfire’ and ‘A Hill to Die On’ were both co-written with Makayla Lynn Parry of Nashville, Tennessee. When I First Came to Caledonia’ is a Cape Breton traditional song, collected by Amby Thomas and published in ‘Songs and Stories from Deep Cove, Cape Breton’.

This project was funded and made possible by Factor Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of Nova Scotia, and the Government of Canada.

2024 All Rights Reserved by Mike McKenna Jr.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Standard Vinyl Record pressing, for making quality wax and always keeping a great attention to detail. ‘The Ballad of Donald Marshall’ is a song dedicated to the memory of the late Donald Marshall Jr. of Membertou First Nation, Unama'ki; a Mi’kmaw man wrongly convicted of murder, and a symbol of indigenous fishing rights in Canada. Smokey Mountain High is a collection of songs inspired by the people, the stories, and the natural wonders of Cape Breton Island.

Released November 1, 2024

Musicians

Mike McKenna Jr. - Lead vocals, Acoustic guitar Quinn Bachand - Acoustic Guitar, Fiddle, Mandolin, Banjo, Bass, Piano, Viola, Synth, Electric Guitar, Drums, Percussion Béatrix Méthé - Backup Vocals Clayton Linthicum - Pedal Steel Guitar Colin Savoie-Levac - Electric Guitar