Alberta Musician's Viral Tribute to Sharpshooting Grandmother Captures Hearts
Country musician Suzanne Tripp never anticipated that a homemade video of her singing about her grandmother's historic shooting victory would captivate millions online. The Montreal-based artist, originally from Medicine Hat, Alberta, has seen her TikTok video soar to 1.9 million views, transforming a family story into an internet sensation.
A Family Legacy Set to Music
The song Nancy-Mae celebrates Suzanne's grandmother, Nancy-Mae Tripp, who in 1964 won a sharpshooting competition in Pincher Creek, Alberta. Facing off against 79 men and one other woman, Nancy-Mae emerged victorious in a remarkable display of skill. Standing at just 1.5 metres tall, she required her husband's assistance to load the .222 Remington rifle due to its stiff and heavy loading lever.
"It was kind of just so regular for me to know how powerful and interesting she was," Suzanne reflected during a phone interview from Montreal. "It took a long time to realize how out of the ordinary the story was."
From Draft to Viral Phenomenon
Recorded in her uncle's Medicine Hat living room in 2024, the video features Suzanne performing the bluegrass tribute for her grandmother and other family members. Despite its heartfelt content, Suzanne hesitated to post it, believing its two-minute-and-fifty-second runtime was too long for TikTok's typically brief format. The video remained an unposted draft for eighteen months before she finally shared it in January to maintain her posting streak.
"I haven't had a video do even remotely well on TikTok, so it was a huge surprise," said the 28-year-old Calgary-born singer-songwriter. "It happened so fast that my cousins were calling up about it before I could even tell that it was happening because it was coming across their feeds."
Historical Context and Lasting Impact
The competition victory had significant consequences. The following year, organizers changed the rules to prohibit women from competing, a decision that adds historical weight to Nancy-Mae's achievement. Suzanne incorporated authentic details into her song, including actual quotes from her grandmother preserved in a newspaper article kept by her aunt.
One particularly poignant detail included in the lyrics reveals that Nancy-Mae's grandfather insisted she master proper shooting form before he would marry her. When asked if she would pursue big game hunting, Nancy-Mae responded that she was "not a killer," preferring marksmanship for its own sake—a sentiment that found its way into Suzanne's composition.
Building Momentum for a Musical Career
The viral success has provided unexpected momentum for Suzanne's music career. Between the original TikTok video and subsequent posts on Instagram, Nancy-Mae has collectively garnered over two million views. Suzanne plans to include the song on an EP titled Willow Sap, featuring five additional tracks scheduled for release this summer.
As an unsigned artist and undergraduate student at Montreal's Concordia University, Suzanne has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance the recording of the remaining songs. So far, she has raised $2,176 toward her $6,000 goal, leveraging the attention from her viral moment to advance her musical aspirations.
The story of Nancy-Mae Tripp's sharpshooting triumph, preserved through family lore and now amplified through social media, continues to resonate with audiences who appreciate both the historical significance and the personal tribute woven into Suzanne's musical homage.
