Great Canadian Song Quest
Encyclopedia
Great Canadian Song Quest is an annual Canadian
songwriting contest, sponsored by CBC Radio 2. Each year's contest features 13 Canadian musical artists, one from each province and territory, who are asked to write a song about a location in their home province which is selected by a listener vote.
The resulting songs subsequently air in a special presentation on the network, and are released to iTunes
as a compilation album
.
's Radio 2 Morning
and Rich Terfry
's Radio 2 Drive
, the first phase of the contest asked listeners to nominate a location in their province on the network's website. Listeners could then use various online tools, including Twitter
, Facebook
, online photo and video galleries and Blogger or WordPress
blogs, to create a promotional campaign for their nominee.
In the second phase, listeners were provided with a shortlist of songwriter
s from each province, and were asked to vote on which artist would be chosen to write a song about their province's winning location.
The winning artists and locations were announced on October 26. The songs premiered on a network broadcast, and were released in album form on CBC Records
and iTunes
, on November 23.
All of the artists except Wainwright also performed their songs in a live concert at Toronto
's Glenn Gould Studio theatre on December 15; Wainwright was unable to attend because she had recently given birth to her first child. The concert was aired on Radio 2's Canada Live
in January 2010.
Chantal Kreviazuk
's song, "In Waskada Somewhere", faced some controversy when she revealed in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press
that as she was unfamiliar with the town, she simply substituted the town's name into the lyrics of a song she had already written before the contest began. Martha Wainwright
's contribution, "Four Black Sheep in the Night", also faced some early criticism for seemingly lacking an obvious connection to the location she had been given to write about, the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield
.
-based album which seemingly overlooked other genres of music, artists for 2010 were preselected in advance to ensure a more diverse roster, although the song topics are still to be chosen by listener vote.
The theme of the 2010 compilation is road
s. Nominations were open until September 21; following that, a voting period from September 22 to October 1 selected the winning road from each province, with the resulting songs scheduled for release as an album on October 22.
Notably, two of Canada's three territories ended up with unconventional choices. In Nunavut
, which has comparatively few conventional roads to choose from, the winning road was the very same topic, Iqaluit's "Road to Nowhere", that had been the subject of Lucie Idlout
's song in the 2009 competition, while in the Northwest Territories
, the winning "road" was a river
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
songwriting contest, sponsored by CBC Radio 2. Each year's contest features 13 Canadian musical artists, one from each province and territory, who are asked to write a song about a location in their home province which is selected by a listener vote.
The resulting songs subsequently air in a special presentation on the network, and are released to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
as a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
.
2009 edition
The competition was announced on September 7, 2009, and officially launched on September 28. Promoted primarily by Tom AllenTom Allen (broadcaster)
Tom Allen is a Canadian radio broadcaster, concert host, trombonist, and writer. He broadcasts on CBC Radio 2, where, for ten years, he hosted the acclaimed classical music program Music and Company until the station changed formats in September, 2008. He now hosts Shift, a national cross-genre...
's Radio 2 Morning
Radio 2 Morning
Radio 2 Morning is the morning program on CBC Radio 2 in Canada, launched September 2, 2008. The program features a cross-genre selection of Canadian and international music....
and Rich Terfry
Buck 65
Richard Terfry , who uses the stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian experimental artist, MC and turntablist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country, rock, folk and avant garde influences.Terfry is also a radio host,...
's Radio 2 Drive
Radio 2 Drive
Radio 2 Drive is the afternoon program on CBC Radio 2 in Canada, launched September 2, 2008.On air from 3:30-7 pm, it is hosted by Rich Terfry, also known as Buck 65. The program airs a "mix of current singer-songwriters, roots and urban music."...
, the first phase of the contest asked listeners to nominate a location in their province on the network's website. Listeners could then use various online tools, including Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, online photo and video galleries and Blogger or WordPress
WordPress
WordPress is a free and open source blogging tool and publishing platform powered by PHP and MySQL. It is often customized into a content management system . It has many features including a plug-in architecture and a template system. WordPress is used by over 14.7% of Alexa Internet's "top 1...
blogs, to create a promotional campaign for their nominee.
In the second phase, listeners were provided with a shortlist of songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s from each province, and were asked to vote on which artist would be chosen to write a song about their province's winning location.
The winning artists and locations were announced on October 26. The songs premiered on a network broadcast, and were released in album form on CBC Records
CBC Records
CBC Records is a Canadian record label, owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which distributes CBC programming, including live concert performances in album and digital format....
and iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, on November 23.
All of the artists except Wainwright also performed their songs in a live concert at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's Glenn Gould Studio theatre on December 15; Wainwright was unable to attend because she had recently given birth to her first child. The concert was aired on Radio 2's Canada Live
Canada Live
Canada Live is a Canadian radio program, which debuted on March 19, 2007 on CBC Radio 2, which airs concert performances in a variety of musical genres from locations across Canada. The program airs weekdays on Radio 2; one episode per week is repeated on CBC Radio One on Friday afternoons.The...
in January 2010.
Chantal Kreviazuk
Chantal Kreviazuk
Chantal Jennifer Kreviazuk is a Canadian singer-songwriter of the adult contemporary music genre. She is also a classically trained pianist, and can play the guitar.-Albums:...
's song, "In Waskada Somewhere", faced some controversy when she revealed in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
that as she was unfamiliar with the town, she simply substituted the town's name into the lyrics of a song she had already written before the contest began. Martha Wainwright
Martha Wainwright
Martha Wainwright is a Canadian-American folk-rock singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of American folk singer and actor Loudon Wainwright III and Canadian folk singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle...
's contribution, "Four Black Sheep in the Night", also faced some early criticism for seemingly lacking an obvious connection to the location she had been given to write about, the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield
Wakefield, Quebec
Wakefield is a village on the western shore of the Gatineau River, at the confluence of the La Pêche River in the Outaouais region of Quebec. The village, named after the town of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, is now the southern edge of the municipality of La Pêche, and was founded in 1830...
.
Track listing
- Hey Rosetta!Hey Rosetta!Hey Rosetta! is a six-piece Canadian indie rock band from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Known for its energized live shows, the band creates a massive, layered sound by incorporating piano, violin and cello into the traditional four-piece garage rock sound.-History:Their influences include...
, "Old Crow Black Night Stand Still" (Gros Morne National ParkGros Morne National ParkGros Morne National Park is a world heritage site located on the west coast of Newfoundland. At , it is the second largest national park in Atlantic Canada ....
, Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
) - Joel PlaskettJoel PlaskettJoel Plaskett is a Canadian rock musician originally from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. He grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia and now resides across the harbour in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia...
, "On the Rail" (Cabot TrailCabot TrailThe Cabot Trail is a highway and scenic roadway in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.It is located in northern Victoria County and Inverness County on Cape Breton Island....
, Nova ScotiaNova ScotiaNova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
) - Catherine MacLellanCatherine MacLellanCatherine MacLellan is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter, currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The daughter of Canadian songwriter Gene MacLellan, she was born and raised in Summerside, Prince Edward Island....
, "Singing Sands" (Singing Sands Beach, Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
) - David MylesDavid Myles (singer-songwriter)David Myles is a Canadian songwriter / performer/ recording artist originally from Fredericton, New Brunswick. Myles lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 2008, he and Nina Corfu were married. His parents are Carmel and Jim Myles.-Education:...
, "Don't Drive Through" (Hopewell RocksHopewell RocksThe Hopewell Rocks, also called the Flowerpot Rocks or simply The Rocks, are rock formations caused by tidal erosion in The Hopewell Rocks Ocean Tidal Exploration Site in New Brunswick....
, New BrunswickNew BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
) - Martha WainwrightMartha WainwrightMartha Wainwright is a Canadian-American folk-rock singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of American folk singer and actor Loudon Wainwright III and Canadian folk singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle...
, "Four Black Sheep in the Night" (Black Sheep Inn in WakefieldWakefield, QuebecWakefield is a village on the western shore of the Gatineau River, at the confluence of the La Pêche River in the Outaouais region of Quebec. The village, named after the town of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, is now the southern edge of the municipality of La Pêche, and was founded in 1830...
, QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
) - Hawksley WorkmanHawksley WorkmanRyan Corrigan , better known by the stage name Hawksley Workman, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has garnered critical acclaim for his blend of cabaret pop and glam rock. Workman has released eleven full length albums throughout his career...
, "Where They Left it Wild" (Algonquin Park, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
) - Chantal KreviazukChantal KreviazukChantal Jennifer Kreviazuk is a Canadian singer-songwriter of the adult contemporary music genre. She is also a classically trained pianist, and can play the guitar.-Albums:...
, "In Waskada Somewhere" (WaskadaWaskada, ManitobaWaskada is a village in the southwestern corner of the Canadian province of Manitoba, close to the border with the United States. It was formed in 1900. It is enclaved by the Rural Municipality of Brenda, and lies near the municipality's western edge....
, ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
) - The Deep Dark WoodsThe Deep Dark WoodsThe Deep Dark Woods are a Canadian alternative country band from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, currently signed to Sugar Hill Records in the United States and Six Shooter Records in Canada...
, "Charlie's (Is Coming Down)" (Good Time Charlie's in ReginaRegina, SaskatchewanRegina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, SaskatchewanSaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
) - Jay SparrowJay SparrowJay Sparrow is a Canadian singer-songwriter.Born in Thunder Bay, Ontario and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Sparrow was lead singer for the Edmonton punk rock band Murder City Sparrows; however, he eventually decided to dissolve the band and pursue a different musical direction after realizing that...
, "The Ballad of Mary White" (Badlands, AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
) - Oh SusannaSuzie UngerleiderSuzie Ungerleider, who writes and performs under the name Oh Susanna, is an American-Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. Born in the United States, she was raised in Vancouver, British Columbia and is currently based in Toronto.-Bio:...
, "Tough City" (TofinoTofino, British ColumbiaTofino is a district of about 1,650 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada, located at the western terminus of Highway 4, on the tip of the Esowista Peninsula, at the southern edge of Clayoquot Sound....
, British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
) - Lucie IdloutLucie IdloutLucie Idlout is a Canadian rock singer.An Inuk from Iqaluit, Nunavut, she is the daughter of Leah Idlout d'Argencourt and granddaughter of Joseph Idlout, an Inuk hunter who was the subject of a National Film Board documentary, Between Two Worlds, in 1990 and was one of the Inuit hunters depicted...
, "Road to Nowhere" (Road to Nowhere in Iqaluit, NunavutNunavutNunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
) - Dana Sipos, "Time Before Bones" (pingoPingoA pingo, also called a hydrolaccolith, is a mound of earth-covered ice found in the Arctic and subarctic that can reach up to in height and up to in diameter. The term originated as the Inuvialuktun word for a small hill. A pingo is a periglacial landform, which is defined as a nonglacial...
s of Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest TerritoriesNorthwest TerritoriesThe Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
) - Kim BarlowKim BarlowKim Barlow is a Canadian folk music singer-songwriter, based in Whitehorse, Yukon.- Biography :Born in Montreal on March 10, 1969, and raised in rural Nova Scotia, she studied classical guitar at Florida State University before moving to the Yukon....
, "Dawson City Loves You Back" (Dawson CityDawson City, YukonThe Town of the City of Dawson or Dawson City is a town in the Yukon, Canada.The population was 1,327 at the 2006 census. The area draws some 60,000 visitors each year...
, YukonYukonYukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
)
2010 edition
A second edition of the competition was announced in September 2010. In response to some criticism that the 2009 contest resulted in an almost entirely folk rockFolk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
-based album which seemingly overlooked other genres of music, artists for 2010 were preselected in advance to ensure a more diverse roster, although the song topics are still to be chosen by listener vote.
The theme of the 2010 compilation is road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
s. Nominations were open until September 21; following that, a voting period from September 22 to October 1 selected the winning road from each province, with the resulting songs scheduled for release as an album on October 22.
Notably, two of Canada's three territories ended up with unconventional choices. In Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, which has comparatively few conventional roads to choose from, the winning road was the very same topic, Iqaluit's "Road to Nowhere", that had been the subject of Lucie Idlout
Lucie Idlout
Lucie Idlout is a Canadian rock singer.An Inuk from Iqaluit, Nunavut, she is the daughter of Leah Idlout d'Argencourt and granddaughter of Joseph Idlout, an Inuk hunter who was the subject of a National Film Board documentary, Between Two Worlds, in 1990 and was one of the Inuit hunters depicted...
's song in the 2009 competition, while in the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, the winning "road" was a river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
.
Track listing
- Corb Lund, "The West Just Fades Away" (Alberta's Highway 22)
- Hannah GeorgasHannah GeorgasHannah Georgas is a Canadian pop/rock singer-songwriter, currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia.Originally from Newmarket, Ontario, she played in a band with Tim Oxford of Arkells in high school before moving to Victoria, British Columbia to attend university.While in university, she...
, "Drive" (British Columbia's Freedom Highway) - Keri Latimer, "Mountain Road" (Manitoba's Mountain Road off the Yellowhead HighwayYellowhead HighwayThe Yellowhead Highway is a major east-west highway connecting the four western Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Although part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, the highway should not be confused with the more southerly, originally-designated...
) - Thom Swift, "Take a Drive" (New Brunswick's Saint John River Scenic Route)
- Chris Kirby, "Free Man" (Newfoundland and Labrador's Viking TrailNewfoundland and Labrador Route 430Newfoundland and Labrador Route 430 leads up the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, from Deer Lake to St. Anthony....
) - Leela GildayLeela GildayLeela Gilday is a Dene/Canadian singer and songwriter born and raised in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. From a very young age, Leela was immersed in music, and by the age of 8 had already begun her singing career. Today she is one of the North's better known performing artists.-Career:Ms....
, "Safe Passage" (Northwest Territories' Mackenzie RiverMackenzie RiverThe Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...
) - Hopeful Monster, "End of the Road (Can't Believe It's Over Now)" (Nova Scotia's Trunk Road 1)
- Madeleine AllakariallakMadeleine AllakariallakMadeleine Allakariallak is a Canadian musician and television journalist. Formerly a member of the Inuit throat singing duo Tudjaat, from 2005 to 2007 she was also the host of the weekly newsmagazine series APTN National News Contact on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.Phoebe Atagotaaluk,...
, "Highway Free" (Nunavut's Road to Nowhere in Iqaluit) - Jully BlackJully BlackJully Black |Julie]]"; born Jullyann Inderia Gordon; November 8, 1977) is a Canadian R&B singer–songwriter. She has collaborated and written for many artists, including Nas, Missy Elliott, Saukrates, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Destiny's Child, and Sean Paul.-Life & career:Black was born Jullyann...
, "At the Roncies" (Ontario's Roncesvalles AvenueRoncesvalles AvenueRoncesvalles Avenue is a north-south arterial street in Toronto, Canada. It connects Queen Street West, King Street West and runs north to Dundas Street West. Roncesvalles Avenue takes its name from the Battle of Roncesvalles, which took place in the Roncesvalles gorge in Spain in 1813...
in TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
) - Two Hours TrafficTwo Hours TrafficTwo Hours Traffic is a Canadian indie rock band, based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They are named after a line in the prologue to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Although often described as the band that Halifax guitarist Joel Plaskett took "under his wing", they have increasingly...
, "Great Migration" (Prince Edward Island's Dixon Road in BreadalbaneBreadalbane, Prince Edward IslandBreadalbane is a community located in Queens County, Prince Edward Island. Its current population is 170.-History:Breadalbane was incorporated as a village in 1991. The village was named after Breadalbane, Scotland...
) - Cœur de pirate, "La Reine" (Quebec's Queen Street in Sherbrooke)
- Jason PlumbJason PlumbJason Plumb is a Canadian singer-songwriter who was the lead singer and front man of The Waltons. He currently performs as a solo singer-songwriter with a backing band called The Willing....
, "Red Coat Trail" (Saskatchewan's Highway 13Saskatchewan Highway 13Highway 13 is a highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It runs from the Alberta border until it transitions into Highway 2 at the Manitoba border near Antler. Highway 13 is about 676 km long.Highway 13 passes through Shaunavon, Assiniboia, Weyburn, Redvers and Carlyle...
) - Brandon Isaak, "My Home Town" (Yukon's Alaska HighwayAlaska HighwayThe Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon...
)