Cochrane’s own, George Fox will be officially inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame this September In Calgary. 

“I guess the real estate values just went off on George Fox Trail.” jokes Fox. “I was very surprised. You start looking back to those days back in the 90s, primarily when I was ripping and running and racking up lots of air miles and doing my thing.”

George Fox is known for his country hits such as ‘Time Of My Life’ and ‘Mustang Heart’. Before he shared the stage with legends like Randy Travis and Loretta Lynn, Fox grew up on a piece of land just outside of Cochrane.

“I grew up on a ranch just northwest of Cochrane with my parents, Bert and Gert Fox.” 

“It was Bert, Gert, and a little squirt.” 

“My mom and dad, while they both passed away, they were very big parts of the community. At that time, I remember the population sign going up the Cochrane Hill was 4,400 people and it stayed that way, It seemed like forever. It wasn't the complex fast-moving world it is today.”

Fox has since moved to a piece of land in Ontario but says he will never forget where it all began.

“I got my band going out of high school. If you would have gone to the Legion hall or the Cochrane bar or something, while you'd see a bristol board sign there with a magic marker saying future hall of famer George Fox live tonight.”

“I have to tell you that it was probably the most fun I ever had in my life.”

Many Cochranites mention George Fox’s name in their daily life, and not just to request his songs on 91.5 FM. George Fox Trail is one of the main roads in town that leads to the communities of Bow Ridge, Jumping Pound, and more.

“It's just as much for my mom and dad. My name is on it but I think of the people that built that community and I think of them more so necessarily than my career.”

“A girl that was a neighbour of my parents who had ultimately moved into Cochrane from the ranch. She wrote a letter to the newspaper suggesting her neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Fox are great people and the son is a singer. You should name a street for him.”

“At the time, Vern Friesen was the mayor and he got right behind this, thought it was going to be George Fox Road, but my thing was the trail of the Fox.”

“Then the subsequent to that was fresh tracks and all this kind of stuff, so I thought, well, you know, let's call it George Fox Trail.”

Check out the full interview with George Fox here where he details everything from his time at Cochrane High to building his career in Nashville.