Country and western guitarist and singer Artie MacLaren appears to still be on the roster of artists at Weatherby Sound, and his son Tony has a MySpace page . He's also listed as the rhythm guitarist on Sharon Strong's great album, but that's about all I was able to dig up on Artie. The liner notes:

"Artie MacLaren is the answer to skeptics who feel it's unlikely that another top country singer will come out of Canada to assume international fame. If ever a big league talent existed, it shows itself in the work of this talented young singer. Artie exhibits style, showmanship and a fantastic feel for country music, and these qualities have surprised everyone who has seen him perform. When Artie appeared on the Carl Smith TV show on CTV recently, guest star Porter Wagoner looked up a rehearsal to see just who the "hot" singer was. Wagoner's appraisal of Artie's performance was "Simply great" and you'll agree when you hear these 12 great tunes by a great new Canadian talent. One of these songs, "Skip Hop and Wobble" has been charted as a leading Canadian c & w by RPM, Canada's music business weekly, and the other songs on this album are equally great. You're bound to hear more of Artie MacLaren, just about the hottest Canadian country star to come down the pike for a long time."

The Race Is On, an Arc Records production, features meat-and-potatoes rock-inflected country music with that signature Arc sound, and nothin' but. All four of the songs here are covers. "The Race Is On" was a George Jones hit, and "Best Guitar Picker", written by Jack Clement, was also done by Jones. "Sawmill" is a Mel Tillis number, and "Don't Fall In Love With A Gambler," written by Jimmie Skinner, was a hit for Jimmy Martin.

Don't Fall In Love With A Gambler
Best Guitar Picker
Sawmill
The Race Is On