Canadian country band Emerson Drive performs in Bradenton

Mid-summer is an unlikely time to find Canadians in Bradenton, but there will be at least four in town on Saturday.

Canadian country quartet Emerson Drive, who have been making hit records for nearly 20 years, will be performing at Joyland.

Emerson Drive is now based in Nashville, but they’re still better known in their native Canada. They’ve won a bunch of Canadian Country Music Association awards, including Duo or Group of the Year three times.

But they’ve had plenty of success in the United States as well. They had a top-five hit with “I Should Be Sleeping” in 2001. They also opened for fellow Canadian Shania Twain during her Up! tour in 2002, when she was at the height of her popularity. Those high-profile gigs no doubt helped Emerson Drive win the Country Music Association’s Top New Group or Duo award in 2003.

They’re still pulling in award nominations, mostly in Canada, and they released an EP just last year.

The band has gone through a lot of personnel changes, but three of the four members, including founding singer Brad Mates, have been together since 1998. Keyboardist Dale Wallace joined 13 years ago.

Details: 7 p.m. July 23, Joyland, 5520 14th St., Bradenton. $10 advance, $15 door. 941-756-6060, joylandcountry.com.

This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Canadian country band Emerson Drive performs in Bradenton."