Canada
THE TRAGICALLY HIP
The massively popular Canadian band, The Tragically Hip, is Gordie Downie (vocals), Bobby Baker (guitar), Paul Langlois (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass) and Johnny Fay (drums).
The band released its debut, self-titled album in the late 80s but it wasn’t until their second release Up to Here that they started receiving critical acclaim. The album included staple Hip tunes like “New Orleans is Sinking” and “Blow at High Dough”.
The band was embraced by their fellow Canucks for its steady rock riffs and ballads that predominantly featured Canadian themed lyrics - “Bobcaygeon”, “38 Years Old” and “Forty Mission Cap” to name a few.
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Its 1993 release, Fully Completely, awarded them some US crossover attention, mainly in bordering states like Michigan and New York. The band started touring across the Midwest of America and secured a spotlight on popular comedy sketch programme, Saturday Night Live, in 1995.
Its sixth album, Phantom Power, produced hits in the form of “Fireworks” and “Poets” and the Hip were booked for Woodstock 1999. The band also performed at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic games in 2002.
Over the course of their nearly two decade long recording career, The Tragically Hip has built up an impressive array of accomplishments despite not having blatant, mainstream success. On the other hand, it’s reported that the band has never really sought that international attention.
While the band sells out arenas in their native Canada, other tours in America or Europe consist of smaller, intimate venues. Some of the accolades awarded to The Hip by the Canadian market include a star of the Canadian Walk of Fame, numerous Juno awards and an induction to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. They also actively encourage bootleg recordings of their concerts.
The Tragically Hip’s mix of roots rock, unique lyrics and incredible live performances have earned them a devoted fan base across both rock and indie genres.
Sources: Juanita Appleby; Joanna Rubiner
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THE BAND
The Band was an influential Canadian-American rock and roll group of the 1960s and ’70s, formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Band included Robbie Robertson (guitar, piano), Richard Manuel (piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone, organ), Garth Hudson (organ, piano, clavinet, accordion, synthesizer, saxophone), Rick Danko (bass guitar, violin, trombone), and Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar).
The members of The Band first worked together as The Hawks, the backing band of rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins from 1959 until 1963. Afterwards, Bob Dylan recruited the quintet for his history-making 1965/1966 world tour and they joined him on the informal recordings that became the acclaimed ‘Basement Tapes’.
Labelled “The Band” by their peers, the group left their communal home in Saugerties, NY to begin recording as a group unto themselves. The Band recorded two of the most important albums of the late 1960s: their 1968 debut ‘Music from Big Pink’ and 1969’s ‘The Band’. Throughout their career they would re-popularize traditional American musical forms during the psychedelic era. The Band dissolved in 1976, with Martin Scorcese’s landmark concert film “The Last Waltz” documented their final performance. They reformed in 1983 without founding guitarist and main songwriter Robbie Robertson.
The Band have since been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Group included Rick Danko (born December 9,1943, in Simcoe, Ontario, Canada), bass and vocals; Levon Helm (born May 26,1942, in Marvell, Arkansas), drums, mandolin, and vocals; Garth Hudson (born August 2, c. 1943, in London, Ontario), organ and saxophone; Richard Manuel (born April 3,1945, in Stratford, Ontario; died of apparent suicide by hanging, March 6, 1986, in Winter Park, FL), piano and vocals; and Jaime (some sources say James) Robbie Robertson (born July 5,1944, in Toronto, Ontario) guitar and vocals.
Group formed as backing ensemble for singer Ronnie Hawkins; by 1963, had left Hawkins and become known as Levon and the Hawks, performing variously as the Crackers and the Canadian Squires; recorded with folk/blues singer John Hammond, Jr., New York City, 1964; supported Bob Dylan on tour, 1965-66, 1974; signed with Capitol Records, and released first album, Music From Big Pink, 1968; ended career with five-hour performance at the Winterland, San Francisco, Thanksgiving Day, 1976, excerpts of which, titled The Last Waltz, were later released as an album and film; regrouped to perform with Dylan at Absolutely Unofficial Bluejeans Bash honoring the inauguration of President Bill Clinton, 1993.
The Band's first album was appropriately titled Music From Big Pink. It included cover versions of three previously unreleased Dylan compositions, "I Shall Be Released," "This Wheel's on Fire," co-written with Danko, and "Tears of Rage" co-written with Manuel. Most of the other songs on the album were penned by Robertson or Manuel. According to the Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, "[Music From Big Pink] was a revolutionary album in many ways: The emphasis was on ensemble work rather than on the soloing that had previously dominated rock; the melodies, few of them blues based, were delivered by an ensemble that was almost orchestral in scope, yet comprised of only five musicians; the lyrics were elusive, like Dylan's, but with a distinctive and compelling cast. Enigmatic? You bet." In addition to recording songs for their first album, the Band had also backed Dylan in the studio on some of his compositions, which were released in 1975 on the two-album set The Basement Tapes.
Albums:
Music From Big Pink, 1968.
The Band (includes "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"), 1969.
Stage Fright, 1970. Cahoots, 1971.
Rock of Ages, 1972.
Moondog Matinee, 1973.
(With Bob Dylan) Before the Flood, Asylum, 1974.
(With Dylan) The Basement Tapes, Columbia, 1975.
Northern Lights-Southern Cross, 1975.
The Best of the Band, 1976.
Islands, 1977.
The Last Waltz, Warner Bros., 1978.
Anthology, 1978.
Jericho, Rhino, 1993.
Live at Watkins Glen, Capitol, 1995.
High on the Hog, Rhino, 1996.
Jubilation, River North Records, 1998.
Source: David Bianco
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
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Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield, although only short-lived, had a huge influence on the folk, and country rock scene in America. The band were somewhat thrown together, on the LA Boulevard in 1966 when Stephen Stills (guitar, vocals) and Richie Furay (vocals), two folk refugees from New York City, were stuck in traffic and spotted a hearse with Canadian plates that obviously wasn't headed to a funeral. This hearse belonged to Neil Young (guitar, vocals), and with him was Bruce Palmer, who became the band’s bassist. Dewey Martin was picked up later to be the band’s drummer.
The five rockers named themselves, unusually, after a steamroller, and began to generate a large fan base after just days, playing gigs at Whiskey a Go Go. They were soon picked up by Atlantic Records, and began recording with managers Charles Green and Brian Stone. They release their first, self titled album, which featured there biggest hit ‘For What It’s Worth’, and established them as one of the best folk-rock bands in the country. This song still remains as one of the finest protest anthems of the 60’s.
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The bands second album, ‘Buffalo Springfield Again’ was released in 1967, and only one more album followed, ‘Last Time Around’ in 1968. Despite great success and great reviews, tensions between band members became too much, and despite continual line-up changes, they split in 1968.
Young was the first of the departed band members to launch a successful solo career. Stills was the next to follow, the pair often having worked together.
Although only lasting 2 years, the bands influence was recognised in 1997 when they were given their long overdue induction into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
Carly Page
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com.
