  Born in Red Deer in 1972, Tineta Couturier moved to Drayton Valley as a child and grew up listening to the country sounds that were prevalent on the Alberta airwaves.At the age of 18 she won a talent contest at Cook County Saloon in Edmonton, where part of the prize was a recording contract with Royalty Records. With Harlan Smith producing the sessions at Damon Soundtek Studios, she released her debut album, LOVE ON THE LINE a year later. Her look and sound instantly drew comparisons to Tanya Tucker from the critics. The first single was the lead-off two-stepper “Slippin’ Away,” which made its way to #67 on the Canadian country chart, followed by the #33 “Everyone’s Laughin’ But Me.” Critics hailed the album, which also boasted a cover of CCR’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” and its steel guitar, the tenderness of “Warm Rain,” and “Sometimes I Do.” She toured western Canada, making some stops out east while writing material for her follow-up album. She spent some time in Nashville working with other writers, and upon returning home she released 1995’s DRAWN TO THE FIRE after dropping her last name from the monikor. It featured her first top 20 single, “Walkin’ That Line” and like its predecessor, the album was full of an upbeat pop-country blend. More tours ensued while “From My Heart’s Point of View” made it to #27, and in the spring of ’96 “A Little Gettin’ Used To” stalled at #50. With the demise of the record label, she continued touring for a couple of years, but eventually got out of the business full-time, but still makes appearances around Alberta at various festivals and other occasions.
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