Hunter Brothers

Country music has long featured vocal ensembles built around brothers, and the Hunter Brothers extend that custom with a sound fusing country, rock, and pop through their polished yet robust group harmonies. The five Canadian siblings originally focused on Christian music before pivoting to country in 2015; within a year they registered on Canadian country charts through singles such as “El Dorado” and “Born and Raised,” tracks that retained traditional roots while conveying an exuberant, celebratory atmosphere.

The lineup comprises Luke Hunter, J.J. Hunter, Ty Hunter, Brock Hunter, and Dusty Hunter, who were raised together in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. While tending the family farm they divided their spare time between hockey and music; their paternal grandfather, a self-taught player of five instruments, instructed them on piano fundamentals during work breaks, and church services supplied early harmony experience. Their mother backed their musical ambitions, yet their father, a committed hockey supporter, placed them on skates in childhood. The brothers competed in junior leagues each winter and sang at Christian music festivals across western Canada each summer. Four eventually turned professional in Canadian minor-league hockey, though a leg injury ended Ty’s prospects; over time they withdrew from the sport to concentrate on the farm.

Still devoted to singing, they left hockey behind and entered country music, releasing their first material as Hunter Brothers in 2015. Open Road Recordings issued the debut single “El Dorado” in January 2016; it reached number 25 on the Canadian country chart. Their fourth single, “Born and Raised,” entered the top ten and anchored the March 2017 album Getaway, which also yielded the top-ten track “Those Were the Nights.” In 2018 the group received three Canadian Country Music Association Award nominations—Best Group or Duo, Rising Star, and Best Interactive Group or Artist—while the Saskatchewan Country Music Association named them Group of the Year and Emerging Artists of the Year. Although the brothers continued farm work, mounting tour and recording demands led to the January 2019 release of their second album, State of Mind.