Happy 150th Birthday Canada - Musical Tribute

I am Canadian Anthem 

https://youtu.be/L8gYMxDi_-0

MUSIC: You knew it had to be my top pick. My first thought when I think of what I love about this country is the music. I'm not sure what it is exactly but when I hear a new song I often know immediately if the artist is Canadian or not. Some of the best in my opinion.

Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor

1. Blue Rodeo: Playing small town and big venues from coast to coast to coast for 25 years, Blue Rodeo has a song or two for nearly every genre of music. And in those years, they have released 15 studio albums, 4 live albums, 1 compilation, 2 DVD's, and one box set. Additionally there have been side projects from most of the band members. Co-founders Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor met in high school and their enduring friendship is evident as they "play" and sing together on stage. While some of the other band members have changed over the years, Bazil Donovan (bass) is an original member of the band. Movie fans may recall seeing the band perform in the movie Postcards From the Edge. If you don't know Blue Rodeo check out some of my faves like Hasn't Hit Me Yet, Lost Together, I Can't Hide This Anymore, Try and my tribute video The Ballad of the Blonde Mona Lisa and the Dime Store Greaser.

2. 54-40: Hailing from the west coast of Canada, they have been making solid music since 1981. Their most well-known song is a little ditty called I Go Blind, which was featured on the Friends TV show soundtrack when it was covered by Hootie and the Blowfish. But it came from Canada. And there is so much more to discover Baby Ran, You Should Come Over and Greatest Mistake. The band is still touring but tends to focus on the west coast. I consider myself fortunate to have heard and met lead singer Neil Osbourne when he played a show here in Halifax. Now, a whole band show...One Day in My (Your) Life. 

Peter Cash, Jesse Bell, Andy Maize
Skydiggers

3. Skydiggers: Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson originally formed as a duo in Toronto called West Montrose, shortly their after with an expanded lineup the name of the band was changed to Skydiggers. Their first album was released in 1989 but the label went bankrupt and the promotion was non-existant. And that was not the only time that the band fell on hard times due to bankruptcy of their label. "I Will Give You Everything" is the song everyone has heard but their catalogue is so much more than that. Their catalogue is so vast that you are sure to find something that appeals to your specific musical taste or so Some Say. Thinking Marvin Gaye for your next romantic evening? Check out Slow Burning Fire ;)

4. Tragically Hip: They write songs, not for the money but for the need to tell a story. This is a perfect description of this iconic Canadian band. There is a story behind the songs. 38 Years Old, a jail break. Wheat Kings, wrongly imprisoned David Milgaard. These are just 2 examples. The Hip began in 1984 originating in the small town of Kingston Ontario. In 2016 it was revealed that lead singer Gord Downie had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The final tour of the band began and on August 20th 2016, the Hip performed their last concert as a band in their home town.

Crash Parallel

5. Crash Parallel: When the album and single World We Know was released it seemed that this band was destined for great things. Supporters of Earth Day embraced the song as an anthem in 2008. But their most recognized song is Rain Delays and on the strength of that song I bought the CD. Each and every song on that disc blew me away. The songwriting of vocalist Tim Edwards and guitarist Danny Saitua were "unparalleled". In 2011 pre-ordered their second release with great anticipation, but sadly it was to be their last. Although there are some rumblings of a possible comeback. I've spent many a Long Night Dreaming.

6. Sarah McLachlan: While still in high school in her home town of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Sarah was offered a recording contract with a Vancouver based recording company. She finished high school and one year at college before heading west to release her first album in 1988, and where she remains to this day. Sarah has received accolades on both sides of the border and continues to record and is very active in her charitable causes, including her school of music and support of the ASPCA. But no song of Sarah's moves me like Fallen.

7. Anne Murray: World renowned Anne Murray like Sarah (above) hails from Nova Scotia (Springhill). Anne began her musical career as an on air talent with CBC's Singalong Jubilee. Starting in 1968 with her first of 32 studio albums, she has racked up a long list of firsts, paving the way for may other artists that followed. And it began with a her signature song Snowbird. These days with an 11 handicap she is known for her golf game as well as her many awards and musical achievements. 

Neil Young

8. Neil Young: Neil Young found his fame in the 1960's when he moved to California from Winnipeg, Manitoba and although he still lives in the US, he retains his Canadian pride and citizenship. Although born in Toronto, his childhood home was in Omemee, Ontario where he contracted polio at the age of 6. Musically, Young's career began when he dropped out of high school to front the band The Squires. He was also a member of such bands as Buffalo Springfield, Crazy Horse and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Young has been known as the Godfather of Grunge, a philanthropist (Bridge School concerts), an activist (co-founder Farm Aid), environmentalist (Mother Earth), political advocate (Rockin' in the Free World) and his Honour the Treaties Tour. But my personal favourites of all the some 64 songs in the Neil Young catalogue is Unknown Legend and Helpless.  

9. Tom Cochrane: Although Tom was born in Manitoba, he grew up in Ontario (moving there at the age of 4). AT 11 he bought his first guitar but ended up driving a cab in Toronto until a introduction to the band Red Rider in his mid-20's at the El Macambo which catapulted his career and led to 7 studio albums and singles like Lunatic Fringe and Big League (a song about playing hockey in Canada!). This was quickly followed by a solo career which spawned 6 studio albums. On this the 25th anniversary of the release of Mad Mad World, a tour will be passing through Nova Scotia and I will be front row centre singing along to my favourites which will hopefully include the likes of Wish You Well, Life is a Highway and Dreamers Dream. His voice is so pure and rich. I look forward to meeting him. 

10. Great Big Sea: This band which hails from Newfoundland and Labrador became a force of nature from sea to sea despite the musical focus of the band being rock versions of their home provinces traditional songs and sea shanties. A far stretch from the popular music of the time. The instruments, the style of such songs as Run Runaway and Mari-Mac made them unique and I dare you to listen without at least one foot tapping. It's hard to be sad when you hear this band interpretation of songs new and old. Canada learned a little more about this rock drifting off the eastern coast and I knew that there was something special over there that I had to explore further and understand. I don't think I am alone. I still need to go kiss the cod and get Screeched.

Alan Doyle and I

11. Alan Doyle: With the disbanding of Great Big Sea, both Sean McCaan and Alan Doyle focused on their solo careers. While both successful in their own right, Alan has held onto more of the traditional Newfoundland music and lyrics with his new band, The Beautiful Gypsies. The same "gotta get up and dance" beat that pulls you in. 1,2,3,4 and So Let's Go are two examples. Along with the music, Alan can now add author to his resume with the release of "Where I Belong" a great read about his humble roots in rural Newfoundland. And a new book on the shelves soon!

11. Guess Who: Formed in 1965 in Winnipeg Manitoba, they had a good 10 year run of hits and success on both sides of the border. And although there have been many band changes over the years, they are still going today. But for me it was Randy Bachman/Burton Cummings era that was the best. From hits such as Share The Land and These Eyes to the edgier American Woman which was the first song by a Canadian Band to make #1 on the US chart. Burton Cummings had a solid solo career and has recently returned to front Guess Who once again.

12. Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO): A founding member of the Guess Who, Randy Bachman won his first singing competition at the age of 3 - a sign of bigger things to come. Despite the success of the Guess Who, Randy left after feeling like he was labelled a lunactic. BTO had a much edgier sound, something that people could get up and dance to not talk over. Their biggest hit was and remains the working person anthem Takin' Care of Business. 

Shania Twain

13. Shania Twain: Is the best selling female artist in country music today Forever and For Always. Hailing from small town Timmins Ontario, she was performing in bars by the age of 8 (to help support her impoverished family). She wrote her first songs at 10 years old and by 13 she was asked to perform on CBC's Tommy Hunter variety show. Shania had aspirations of being a rock performer but her initial success came as a country artist with songs like Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? Success as a cross-over artist came with the likes of Man! I Feel Like a Woman. The video for that song was a reverse parody of Robert Palmers video for Addicted to Love. An impressive lists of hits for this Canadian icon who only released 5 studio albums in her career (so far) had one album (Come On Over) that charted for 2 years.

14. Gordon Lightfoot: The storyteller of Canada, Lightfoots career has spanned 5 decades and produced more than 200 recordings. You didn't grow up in this vast country without having a connection to at least one of Gordon's songs. Consider The Canadian Railroad Trilogy telling the story of the steel ribbon that connected our country or The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I lived on the shores of Gitchee Gumee on November 10 1975 when that mighty ship went down. It will always hold deep meaning for me. The one thing I know for sure is that many songs that I treasure by other Canadian artists were penned by Gordon Lightfoot. Click here for a list of songs.

Brad Roberts
Crash Test Dummies

15. Crash Test Dummies: From humble beginnings in bars in Winnipeg, Manitoba came the distinctive deep base vocal stylings of Brad Roberts. Many a young girl swooned in the early 1990's when Brad Roberts sang those immortal words Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm. It's an amazing track with a deep personal meeting for me. Their first release in 1991, Superman's Song roared up the charts in Canada and they were named Group of the Year. But their 3rd studio album did not get much airplay and the band seemed to disappear. In fact, a further 7 albums have been released. I didn't see the band but I did catch a solo performance by Brad Roberts - the long locks were shorn but the voice, it hadn't changed. 

16. April Wine: This band from Halifax Nova Scotia was most active between the years 1969-1986. Although incarnations of the band exist still today. The bands first hit was a cover entitled You Could Have Been a Lady, it was a hit in Canada and also achieved success in the US market. It had more bite than the original and resonated with the youth of the 70's. Oowatanite, Bad Side of the Moon, You Won't Dance With Me, This Could Be the Right One. They were songs to the soundtrack of a young teens life playing at the school dance or the rec room at a private party.

17. Celine Dion: The name that most people remember when asked to name famous Canadian singers is Celine Dion. Is there a Canadian who doesn't know the story of how 39 Rene Angelil mortgaged his house to finance the first record of then 12 year old Celine upon hearing her demo tape? Six years later they would marry and they were considered by some to be Canadian royalty. Musically Celine has a 3 octave singing range which she uses seemingly effortlessly in My Heart Will Go On (James Cameron's Titanic theme). One can simply not deny the purity and clarity in her voice, she makes it seems so effortless, like in this example of a very young (22) Celine. Where Does My Heart Beat Now.

Kevin Kane of the Grapes of Wrath
Bryan Potvin of the Northern Pikes

18. Grapes of Wrath: It is hard to believe that members of this band started out as a punk rock band called Kill Pigs. Thankfully for the music world that didn't last because what we got in place of it was some of the best alternative rock music to come out of the west coast of Canada. Tom Cochrane stepped up to produce their first studio release entitled Treehouse which contained the single Peace of Mind - still one of my very favourites. Listening to the words, listening to the music it moves me like nothing else. Everyone should listen to and know the Grapes of Wrath (not the book). Start with All the Things I Wasn't, O Lucky Man and go from there.

19. Hank Snow: He was not of my generation but I did go to his museum in Liverpool Nova Scotia and have an appreciation for his music. He had a career that lasted 50 years and he recorded in that time 140 albums. That's nearly 3 per year! To further his musical career Hank Snow moved to Nashville. It worked, he was invited to play at the Grand Ole Opry in 1950. Snow was known for his colourful, studded on-stage attire, his association with the start of the career of Elvis Presley and songs like My Nova Scotia Home or A Fool Such As I. 

20. Michael Buble: A singer, songwriter, producer and actor from Burnaby, British Colombia, Michael dreamed of being a singer when he was 2 years old. That dream came true. But although famed Canadian record producer thought there was something promising in this Bubles voice, he wasn't sure his 21st century interpretation of 1930's big band songs like Moondance, could be marketed for the masses. But like many artists there is evolution as evidenced in this 2009 hit Hasn't Hit Me Yet. 

Rush

21. Rush: Hardrockers hailing from the Toronto Ontario area formed in 1968 and their musical style has changed with each passing decade but there is no denying their talent in the mastery of their instruments, including voice. Geddy Lee's vocals are like no other (high pitched and a tad raw) also a brilliant multi-instrumentalist (guitar, keyboards, singing all at once), Alex Lifeson's spectacular guitar riffs and unusual chord progressions and Neil Peart is well known for his extensive drum kit that includes a diverse array of percussive instrumentations. Check out Tom Sawyer or Closer to the Heart for some fine examples of Rush.

22. Drake: Long before breaking into the musical scene, Drake was a well-known actor on the Canadian TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation from the age of 15 to 21. Musically, Drake has made a significant impact on the music scene since his first self-released mixed tapes in 2006. Whether or not you know Drake's music you have been touched by his social media influences. He penned the acronym YOLO (You Only Live Once) in his recording of The Motto (explicit lyrics). In its' controversy over lavish product placement and odd choreography, Hotline Bling became a viral sensation. When he began to refer to his home town Toronto as "The Six" (short for area code 416 and the 6 boroughs of Toronto) it caught on and became a thing. It's a Drake thing.

Josh Ramsay
Marianas Trench

23. Marianas Trench: Lead singer of this Vancouver, British Columbia based band, Josh Ramsay started singing at the age of 14 in his first band started in high school but it disbanded when Ramsay found himself kicked out of school with a heroin addiction. Marianas Trench formed in 2001 and hit the radio waves with the release of an EP Fix Me (also a single). And there have been 2 other EP's and 4 studio albums since then. Each one better than the next. Call it what you want it's upbeat and infectious. Consider Haven't Had Enough and the video for Who Do You Love deserves more than a sideways glance and a listen. Does it make you smile too? 



24. In-Flight Safety: This is one of those bands that should be much more well known they are, simply based on their talent. Even David Bowie took the effort to send a note praising their Vacation Land EP which was recorded in a basement. Formed in 2003 after John Mullane (vocals and guitar) and Glen Nicholson (drummer) met while attending university in New Brunswick the band has released 3 studio albums and 2 EPs. Chances are you have heard their music but not known it. Model Homes was featured on Degrassi, Rookie Blue and The Office tv shows. Dell Computers used Surround for one of their ad campaigns. Musically, vocally and stylistically I've never heard anything like them and I can't get enough. They are simply amazing. Coast is Clear http://inflightsafety.ca/   

25. Stompin' Tom Connors: You can't get anymore Canadian than Stompin' Tom and no list of great Canadian music is complete without his name on the list. He wrote more than 300 songs and released nearly 50 albums in his career which spanned from 1964 - 2013 with a 12 year hiatus therein. Those 12 years, were essentially a protest against the recording establishment. He returned 6 Junos that he had been awarded since the academy had chosen to award artists that were not residents of Canada. He returned from retirement to produce an album showcasing Canadian talent after his 50th birthday. 
Stompin' Tom got his break when unable to pay for a beer in Timmins he was asked to play a song or two instead. That turned into a 14 month gig in the small Northern Ontario town. Tom was eventually asked by bar owners to bring his own stompin' board because he would periodically stomp so hard with his foot that he would wear a hole right through the stage. Stompin' Tom wrote songs about Canada, not about the politics, but about the beauty and the history, about the culture and the people. Songs like Sudbury Saturday Night, Bud the Spud and of course The Hockey Song. 
Stompin' Tom Connors was a pioneer in promoting this great country and I for one am grateful. 

Honourable Mentions:
1. Devin Cuddy - Home
2. Janes Party - Comin' On Strong
3. Ron Hawkins - Peace and Quiet
4. Crash Vegas - Smoke
5. Eliott Brood - Northern Air
6. Roch Voisine - Helene
7. Corey Hart - Never Surrender
8. Joel Plaskett - North Star
9. Justin Bieber - Love Yourself
10. Barenaked Ladies - If I Had a Million Dollars
11. Nickleback - Someday
12. Buffy Sainte Marie - Universal Soldier
13. Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah
14. Our Lady Peace - 4 AM
15. kd lang - Constant Cravings
16. Hillsburn - When We Were Young
17. Jann Arden (with Jackson Browne) - Unloved
18. Serena Ryder - What I Wouldn't Do
19. Quiet Parade - We Were Here
20. Spirit of the West - Home for a Rest

Devin Cuddy and Janes Party

Ron Hawkins

Elliot Brood

Joel Plaskett

Hillsburn

Quiet Parade

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
Blue Rodeo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Rodeo
54-40: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/54-40_(band)
Skydiggers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skydiggers
Tragically Hip: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tragically_Hip
Crash Parallel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_Parallel
Sarah McLachlan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_McLachlan
Anne Murray: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Murray
Neil Young: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Young
Tom Cochrane: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cochrane
Great Big Sea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Big_Sea
Alan Doyle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Doyle
Guess Who: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guess_Who
Randy Bachman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Bachman
Bachman-Turner Overdrive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachman%E2%80%93Turner_Overdrive
Shania Twain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shania_Twain
Gordon Lightfoot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Lightfoot
Crash Test Dummies : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_Test_Dummies
April Wine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Wine
Celine Dion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celine_Dion
Grapes of Wrath: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath_(band)
Hank Snow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Snow
Michael Buble: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bubl%C3%A9
Rush: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_(band)
Drake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_(musician)
Marianas Trench: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianas_Trench_(band)
In-Flight Safety: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-Flight_Safety
Stompin' Tom Connors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stompin%27_Tom_Connors