For Courtney Hunt, singing in the band Appaloosa is a dream come true.
“Appaloosa’s been around longer than I’ve been alive,” Hunt told the Cloverdale Reporter. “They were the first band that I ever watched in a bar. When I saw Appaloosa, I said to myself, ‘I need to do this one day.’”
And she did. She eventually became the lead singer, jumping at an opportunity that presented itself later.
Hunt also sings solo. She was named BCCMA “Emerging Artist of the Year” in 2023 and she released her hit single “Country Side of Me” the following year. The track landed Hunt on Canadian country radio and SiriusXM’s “Top of the Country.”
Hunt didn’t join Appaloosa right away, but her path crossed the band’s trail a few years later when she entered a karaoke contest at the Cloverdale Rodeo. Someone filmed Hunt and sent it over to Appaloosa and the band reached out.
She joined after that and has enjoyed every second she’s fronted the band.
Appaloosa had been around for years before Hunt joined. The band has Vancouver roots and plays festivals all over B.C. Their classic and country rock music is a big hit with fans. The band consists of Jake Stolz on lead guitar and vocals, Chris Frie on bass guitar and vocals, Chris Murray Driver on drums, and Hunt on vocals.
Appaloosa plays a lot of events throughout the year, but Hunt said the Cloverdale Rodeo is the most satisfying and the one she looks forward to the most.
“Rodeo is my favourite,” she said. “It kicks off the festival season. It’s always our first big show of the year and it's always one of our favourites.”
Hunt grew up in Langley and said she loves animals. She grew up riding horses and she used to train horses for show jumping. That’s why the rodeo atmosphere is just that much more appealing for her than regular festivals or concert settings.
Hunt will also perform solo on the Cookhouse Stage and the Hops and Vines Stage during the Rodeo and Country Fair (free with a Fairgrounds admission ticket, $20 at the gate), but no schedule for those stages has been released yet.
Appaloosa plays the Longhorn Saloon on Friday and Saturday of Rodeo Weekend (May 16-17). A gate admission ticket the Cloverdale Fairgrounds ($17.28 online) is required to see them, plus a Longhorn Saloon ticket ($27.82 online).
The 77th Cloverdale Rodeo and the 134th Country Fair runs May 16-19.
For more info on the rodeo and country fair, visit cloverdalerodeo.com.
