Nova Scotia-via-Toronto singer-songwriter Sandy Bell’s debut solo album, Break of Day: Songs for Colin, was born out of heart-wrenching grief, after losing her only son Colin Bell in a tragic train accident. He died at age 20 while walking home one night, listening to music on his headphones, in Brantford, Ontario. (See below for greater detail.) Produced by Andrew Collins (five-time JUNO-nominated and seven-time Canadian Folk Music Awards winner).

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/album/2RyNNWvkxOCQ79xAfqyrDG

While Bell has sung and written music for much of her life, and co-founded country roots band The Wanted, for decades she was devoted to raising her boy and professionally promoting other music artists' dreams. But she kept her own dream alive to someday release a solo album. It took retiring and moving to Nova Scotia for Bell to finally do it, at age 63 – even though this was never the album she imagined recording.