Name Kenzie MacNeil | Role Composer | |
Education St. Francis Xavier University | ||
The Island - Eleanor McCain [True North: The Canadian Songbook]
Kenzie MacNeil (born September 2, 1952 in Sydney, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian songwriter, performer, producer and director in television, film, radio and stage, and a former Conservative Party of Canada candidate.
MacNeil has a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Francis Xavier University. He also studied at the University of Botswana and in Lesotho and Swaziland.
MacNeil was a major force behind The Rise and Follies of Cape Breton Island, a satirical sketch review that ran from 1978 to 1982. The revue included songs inspired by the coal and steel industry of Cape Breton. MacNeil composed the anthem "The Island", a tribute to coal industry workers in Nova Scotia. According to Men of the Deeps musical director, John O'Donnell, "the words offer a vivid demonstration that labour in Cape Breton has indeed had a deep cultural impact on the community." MacNeil served a term as chairman of the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation. He also worked as a development officer with the Nova Scotia Department of Economic Development, and has been the editor and publisher of the Cape Bretoner Newsmagazine.
MacNeil ran as a Conservative Party of Canada in Cape Breton—Canso in the 2004 and 2006 federal elections, coming third and second respectively behind Liberal incumbent Rodger Cuzner.
MacNeil is married and has four daughters.