of the Mystery, which included some of the songs she had written upon returning to Cape Breton: "Part of the Mystery," "Old Man," "Black Rock," and the first release of "Working Man." The work leading up to the album's release was immense; to ensure that it would be picked up, MacNeil and friends formed Big Pond Publishing and Production Limited in 1980, which today is run by her son Wade. In 1983 MacNeil released her third album, I'm Not What I Seem. In 1985 MacNeil was invited to sing at the Canadian Pavilion in Japan, at Expo '85. Upon her return home she taped her first television special for CBC, Celtic Fantasy, at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. Unfortunately the successful year ended in heartache when MacNeil's father died in early December. After MacNeil had performed several times at Expo '86 in Vancouver, the media began encouraging everyone to go and see her sing. Vancouver was a long way from home, and out of MacNeil's homesickness came "She's Called Nova Scotia." MacNeil was selected along with John Gracie to tape a pilot episode for a CBC television series called View From the Heart, a variety show similar to her later series Rita & Friends. After travelling to Nashville to record "Flying on Your Own" and "Fast Train to Tokyo," MacNeil learned the show would not go ahead. The press suggested Macneil's appearance had adversely affected her chances; a newspaper headline of the time read 'Fat lady with cleft lip not marketable: So says CBC Toronto'. Not letting this disappointment get her down, MacNeil was ready to release her fourth album, Flying on Your Own, but record companies were unwilling to pick it up, so she decided to release it under her own record label, Lupin Production. Upon the release, sales in the Maritimes skyrocketed. At the same time she filmed a movie called Candy Mountain, in which she played the small role of a singer named Winnie. By February 1987 Virgin Record Canada and A&M Records Canada had taken over the sales of Flying on Your Own, which had sold 22,000 copies. Sales reached 40,000, eventually hitting Gold Record status, and selling 75,000 copies by the end of 1987. MacNeil also won her first Juno Award in 1987 for Most Promising Female Vocalist. In 1988 MacNeil received an honorary doctorate from the University of New Brunswick, and released two more albums,