18. The Crew Cuts: Sh-Boom
The Crew Cuts were a Toronto foursome who immediately became stars with "Sh-Boom", which went to #1 in 1954. "Sh-Boom" was originally a song by the black r&b group the Chords, and the success of the Crew Cuts' version set the stage for the rest of their career, which wasn't a noble one. They spent the rest of their career poaching other black r&b hits by the likes of the Penguins, Gene & Eunice, Otis Williams & the Charms, the Robins, and others, and gave them a real whitening, applying Four Freshmen-style glee club vocals to the tunes. This was an effort by the record companies to head-off the threatening rock 'n' roll clouds on the horizon, and water it down into something "safe"; it also deprived many of the black r&b singers of sales they might otherwise have gotten with their own, infinitely superior versions. By 1957, however, black r&b was making inroads with white audiences, obviating the need for the Crew Cuts.
19. Buffy St. Marie: Cod'ine
A Canadian born to Cree Indian parents, Buffy St. Marie has been recording since 1964, and remains active today. Her legacy is rich, in the mid-60's she contributed many songs to the folk and folk-rock scenes as a songwriter; her "Cod'ine" has been recorded by countless garage bands ever since its 1964 release on her debut, It's My Way. It's a particularly riviting and harrowing drug tale, from a time when drugs were seldom addressed in music, and is hair raising in its themes of degradation and humiliation. She would also wrote "Universal Soldier" (also on her debut), a big hit for Donovan, and her "Until It's Time for You to Go" became a big U.K. hit for Elvis Presley in the 70's.
20. Bruce Cockburn: If I Had A Rocket Launcher
Singer/Songwriter and sometimes folkie Bruce Cockburn has only had glimpses of minor success in America, but was quite popular in Canada for a long time, and still maintains a cult today. His self-titled debut came out in 1970; his 24th album came out in 2003. "If I Had A Rocket launcher" wasn't his biggest American hit; "Wondering Where The Lions Are" from 1980 reached #21. However, it is probably his best remembered now; written after a trip to Nicaragua and Guatemala, it was a literate, gutsy anti-war tune at a time when anti-war songs were decidedly unfashionable. It caused a stir on college radio, but he was unable to maintain an audience in America.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Mary K. Williams
Thanks for sharing the history (and geography!) behind some of the most popular songs and musicians of the last 50 years or so.
2 - Chas
These two came to mind:
Doug and the Slugs - Real Enough
Jane Siberry - Mimi on the Beach
3 - Chas
one more:
Martha and the Muffins - Echo Beach
4 - Paul Roy
Glad to see Rush at the top of this pretty comprehensive list of Cunucks, but you completely forgot Triumph.
5 - Cdn Cowboy
The Rheostatics are sorely missing from this list. They have produced the most "Canadian" music of every band you have listed.
6 - Aaman
What - no Celine Dion? May your iceberg melt!
7 - Victor Plenty
Yeah, no Celine Dion and no William Shatner either.
8 - El Bicho
How can you have no Neil Young on this list??
9 - uao
I left Neil Young off the list because he's been California based since the Buffalo Springfield days; I also left off Joni Mitchell for the same reason.
I also didn't include Alanis Morissette, although I probably should have.
Triumph would have been a good inclusion; I forgot Martha and the Muffins, and never heard any of Jane Siberry and Doug and the Slugs' stuff.
Sorry to the Celine Dion fans. Glad I'm not on an iceberg...
10 - EZ
And Sloan! Where's the Sloan??
11 - yyzyy
Rush is the best pick to be #1. But no Triumph? Or Saga?
But Rush...definetely a #1 in my books!
12 - Mark Saleski
Trooper - Raise A Little Hell
13 - Mark Saleski
Loverboy - Working For The Weekend
(sorry, it needed to be said)
14 - Mark Saleski
Saga - On The Loose
15 - uao
Thanks for the suggestions Mark, and everyone else.
Fact is, this list could be double its length, and I'm sure some deserving artists would be left out. I always cut my lists at twenty; otherwise, I'd never get any sleep at all...
;-)
However, for those who were hoping to find an exhaustively conclusive list of Canadian artists, here it is!
16 - Phil
Wow. Good picks...Rush is perfect at #1 even though i am biased b.c rush is my fav band....but ya arcade fire....i heard of em through my gf and they arent to shabby.. glad to see them up there!
17 - BADfan
how is it possible Bryan Adams is so low on the list? He's one of the (read THE) greatest Canadian musicians!
And where is Shania Twain?
this aint a good list!
18 - eEL
SKINNY PUPPY info is incorrrect ::
"Keyboardist Wilhelm Schroeder joined up in 1985"
it was Dwayne R. Goettel who joined up after the 1985 tour and "added dimension"... Bill Leeb didn't even know how to play a keyboard when he joined PUPPY, let alone "added dimension"...
19 - uao
Sorry, eEl, I morphed Schroeder and Goettel into the same guy--
Schroeder DID join in 85 and appeared on the Bites disc, but then Goettel replaced him.
Goettel is the one who had the impact.
Thanks for the correction.
20 - RockGeezer
Thanks for being one of the few to mention Max Webster.
They remain one of my all-time favorite groups (I'm also a big Rush fan) to this day. Don't think I'll ever get sick of listening to them!
21 - yvonne
Bryan Adams middle name is Guy..not Fawkes.
22 - uao
Thanks yvonne, that was just retarded typing on my part, I fixed it.
RockGeezer: I had never heard of Max Webster until a few years ago when a Canadian turned me on to them. They deserved a bigger audience
23 - Rob
Thanks for including Blue Rodeo on your list. They're one of Canada's gems. It was also nice to see Max Webster on there. I always thought they never got the respect they were due and were always forced to take a back seat to Rush by their record label. Kim Mitchell did go on to have a successful solo career in Canada and is now hosting the afternoon show on Q107 in Toronto.
24 - Gareth edwards
What an eclectic list. Some great sounds.
I also liked the Headpins, Toronto and Boys Brigade.
Gareth
25 - Tube
Uao, great post. No Sarah McLachlan?