Music of Manitoba
Encyclopedia
Manitoba
has been well known for producing some of Canada
's most famous music ever since the early 1960s.
fiddling
of the Métis people
, and the popular tune "Whiskey Before Breakfast" was popularized by the Métis fiddler Andy DeJarlis (1914–1975), who was from the Red River
region.
In the early 1990s Susan Aglukark
, born in Churchill
, emerged as a nationally successful adult contemporary singer.
"Chad Allen and the Expressions" (later known as The Guess Who
) became the first rock musicians to be recognized outside Canada. Their 1965 hit "Shakin' All Over
" gave them instant success in Canada and Great Britain. The band was renamed the Guess Who in 1966, and with Chad Allen gone and new keyboardist Burton Cummings
on vocals, they began to realize their full potential as rock superstars. Their hits "American Woman
", "No Time", "Clap for the Wolfman", "These Eyes", and "No Sugar Tonight" made them one of the most successful rock bands to ever come from Canada. A version of the band featuring original members Jim Kale and Garry Peterson continue to perform as the Guess Who, but the band as most fans know it broke up in the early 1970s.
Neil Young
was also a product of the 1960s Winnipeg music scene, and has deep family roots in Western Manitoba. Neil played in community clubs in Winnipeg with his band, the Squires, during the mid 1960s. These days are recounted in the song "Prairie Town" recording in 1992 with Randy Bachman
. Early in Neil’s career he played with Stephen Stills
in the band Buffalo Springfield
, and again with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Neil Young is best known as a solo artist, producing landmark albums like Harvest and a considerable string of hits over more than four decades of writing, recording and performing. He is referred to by some as the Godfather of Grunge, having inspired grunge pioneers like Nirvana
’s Kurt Cobain
and Pearl Jam
’s Eddie Vedder
; and he remains one of the most influential Canadian musicians of all time.
Former Guess Who guitarist Randy Bachman started up a band called Brave Belt not long after he left the Guess Who. Brave Belt was later renamed to Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO for short). Bachman–Turner Overdrive became hugely popular worldwide with such hits as "Takin' Care of Business", "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", and "Let it Ride". Burton Cummings
, who had been lead singer of the Guess Who, had a successful solo career with softer hits including "Stand Tall", "Scared", and "Break it to Them Gently". In spite of the breakup of the Guess Who, several of Cummings’ solo songs featured Bachman on guitar. Bachman and Cummings continue to perform together on occasion under banner Bachman-Cummings.
, a rocker originally from the town of Lynn Lake
in Northern Manitoba, rose to fame with his band Red Rider
, producing such hits as "Lunatic Fringe", "Boy Inside the Man" and "Big League". As a solo artist Cochrane recorded five albums, producing the hit "Life Is a Highway
", a song later covered by country
band Rascal Flatts
, among others.
The late 70s and early-to-mid 80s brought a new arena rock
vibe to the local music scene, featuring made-in-Manitoba rockers Harlequin
, and the Chris Burke-Gaffney
-lead bands The Pumps, Orphan and later the Deadbeat Honeymooners. Harlequin was arguably the most popular band to come out of Manitoba in the early 80s, producing several radio-friendly hits including "Sweet Things in Life", "Innocence", and "Superstitious Feeling". Winnipeg was also a second home and regular stop for Regina-based Streetheart
-- a band with several linkages to Winnipeg including original member Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve
.
In the late 1980s, a soft rock band from Winnipeg/Selkirk was formed featuring a man named Brad Roberts
and a woman named Ellen Reid
. The band was called Crash Test Dummies
. In 1991 Crash Test Dummies had success in Canada with their first album The Ghosts that Haunt Me
which included the single “Superman's Song
”. They found mainstream success in the US, UK and Australia with their second album, featuring the hit single "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
", as well as their third album and the single "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead
" which was featured on the movie Dumb & Dumber
.
The Watchmen
formed in Winnipeg in 1988, releasing their first album in 1992: McLaren Furnace Room
, named after a room in Winnipeg’s McLaren hotel where they used to rehearse. They released seven albums and are known for Daniel Greaves’ unique vocals and hits like "Boneyard Tree", "Incarnate" and "Stereo" among others.
, and currently stationed in Vancouver
, Bif Naked
spent her years as a teen and young adult in Winnipeg where she developed into the unique artist that she is today. The heavily tattoo
ed Naked has earned a loyal following with her unique and personal brand of rock music and poetry. Several of her songs received significant air play over the years including “Spaceman”, “I Love Myself Today”, and “Tango Shoes”. Bif Naked has continued recording through her recent battle with breast cancer
, releasing her latest album The Promise
in 2009.
Juno Award
-winning artist Chantal Kreviazuk
released her first album in 1997 and recorded several hits, but is perhaps most successful as a songwriter
. Kreviazuk has co-written songs for and with many other artists including Avril Lavigne
, Gwen Stefani
, Kelly Clarkson
, and her husband Raine Maida
of Our Lady Peace
fame.
Brent Fitz
a multi-instrumentalist born in Winnipeg, and currently resides in Las Vegas, has recorded and toured with a vast array of Canadian and International artists including Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash
, Alice Cooper
, Motley Crue vocalist Vince Neil
, Theory Of A Deadman
, Streetheart
, Harlequin
and The Guess Who
.
Hard Rock band Jet Set Satellite
secured a record deal and burst on to the Canadian music scene in 2000 with two hits: "Best Way to Die" and "Baby, Cool Your Jets". They left their label after only one album but continue to record as an indy
band. Also in 2000, dance-pop duo McMaster & James
made the leap from playing gigs at the Bank Cabaret in downtown Winnipeg to fleeting stardom with their one and only album (self-titled).
Remy Shand
also had a brief career, but a successful one. His 2002 debut album, The Way I Feel
, earned him a Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording, and four Grammy
nominations.
Propagandhi
is a punk rock band from Winnipeg (originally from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) with a tendency to incorporate political and ethical statements in their music and their performances. Though not heavily played on the radio, they parlayed the renewed interest in punk
music in the late 90s into a successful touring career, and won the 2006 ECHO songwriting award for their song "A Speculative Fiction".
Juno-nominated indy-rockers The Weakerthans
formed in 1997. Critical recognition soon followed, as did a solid local fan base, although they are best known to many for their tongue-in-cheek salute to their home town “One Great City!” which features the line “I hate Winnipeg”.
Other recent and up-and-coming artists and bands in the rock and pop genres include The Waking Eyes
, Tin Foil Phoenix
, Steeple Chaser, SitDownTracy, Effect and Cause, and Inward Eye.
Jazz legend Lenny Breau
, also a Winnipegger, had a profound impact on the music of Randy Bachman. He is generally regarded as one of the best jazz guitarists ever and certainly the best to come from Canada. His amazing rapid finger picking and ability to sound like three guitars at once gained him respect in the jazz community.
Manitoba
Manitoba 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...
has been well known for producing some of Canada
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...
's most famous music ever since the early 1960s.
Traditional music
Manitoba is a center for the old-timeOld-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
fiddling
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
of the Métis people
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
, and the popular tune "Whiskey Before Breakfast" was popularized by the Métis fiddler Andy DeJarlis (1914–1975), who was from the Red River
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
region.
In the early 1990s Susan Aglukark
Susan Aglukark
Susan Aglukark, OC , is an Inuk musician whose blend of Inuit folk music traditions with country and pop songwriting has made her a major recording star in Canada. Her most successful single is "O Siem", which reached #1 on the Canadian country and adult contemporary charts in 1995...
, born in Churchill
Churchill, Manitoba
Churchill is a town on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. It is most famous for the many polar bears that move toward the shore from inland in the autumn, leading to the nickname "Polar Bear Capital of the World" that has helped its growing tourism industry.-History:A variety of nomadic...
, emerged as a nationally successful adult contemporary singer.
1960s – mid 1970s
The Canadian 1960s supergroupSupergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
"Chad Allen and the Expressions" (later known as The Guess Who
The Guess Who
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Initially gaining recognition in Canada, they also found international success from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s with numerous hit singles, including "American Woman", "These Eyes" and "Share the Land"...
) became the first rock musicians to be recognized outside Canada. Their 1965 hit "Shakin' All Over
Shakin' All Over
"Shakin' All Over" is a rock and roll song originally performed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. It was written by frontman Johnny Kidd and reached #1 in the United Kingdom in August 1960...
" gave them instant success in Canada and Great Britain. The band was renamed the Guess Who in 1966, and with Chad Allen gone and new keyboardist Burton Cummings
Burton Cummings
Burton L. Cummings, OC, OM is a Canadian musician and songwriter.He was the lead singer and frequent keyboardist for the Canadian rock band The Guess Who...
on vocals, they began to realize their full potential as rock superstars. Their hits "American Woman
American Woman
American Woman is the seventh album by Canadian rock band The Guess Who, released in 1970. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts...
", "No Time", "Clap for the Wolfman", "These Eyes", and "No Sugar Tonight" made them one of the most successful rock bands to ever come from Canada. A version of the band featuring original members Jim Kale and Garry Peterson continue to perform as the Guess Who, but the band as most fans know it broke up in the early 1970s.
Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
was also a product of the 1960s Winnipeg music scene, and has deep family roots in Western Manitoba. Neil played in community clubs in Winnipeg with his band, the Squires, during the mid 1960s. These days are recounted in the song "Prairie Town" recording in 1992 with Randy Bachman
Randy Bachman
Randolph Charles "Randy" Bachman, OC, OM is a Canadian musician best known as lead guitarist, songwriter and a founding member for both the 1960s–70s rock band The Guess Who, and the 1970s rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive...
. Early in Neil’s career he played with Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
in the band Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
, and again with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Neil Young is best known as a solo artist, producing landmark albums like Harvest and a considerable string of hits over more than four decades of writing, recording and performing. He is referred to by some as the Godfather of Grunge, having inspired grunge pioneers like Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
’s Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
and Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
’s Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
; and he remains one of the most influential Canadian musicians of all time.
Former Guess Who guitarist Randy Bachman started up a band called Brave Belt not long after he left the Guess Who. Brave Belt was later renamed to Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO for short). Bachman–Turner Overdrive became hugely popular worldwide with such hits as "Takin' Care of Business", "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", and "Let it Ride". Burton Cummings
Burton Cummings
Burton L. Cummings, OC, OM is a Canadian musician and songwriter.He was the lead singer and frequent keyboardist for the Canadian rock band The Guess Who...
, who had been lead singer of the Guess Who, had a successful solo career with softer hits including "Stand Tall", "Scared", and "Break it to Them Gently". In spite of the breakup of the Guess Who, several of Cummings’ solo songs featured Bachman on guitar. Bachman and Cummings continue to perform together on occasion under banner Bachman-Cummings.
Mid 1970s – mid 1990s
Tom CochraneTom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane, OC Canadian musician and humanitarian, best known for his hit songs "Life Is a Highway", "Lunatic Fringe", "Human Race" and "I Wish You Well". Cochrane fronted the Canadian rock band Red Rider and has won seven Juno Awards...
, a rocker originally from the town of Lynn Lake
Lynn Lake, Manitoba
Lynn Lake is a small town in the northwest region of Manitoba, Canada, 1,071 km from Winnipeg. The town was named after Lynn Smith, chief engineer of Sherritt Gordon Mines Ltd. There are numerous outfitters in the Lynn Lake area...
in Northern Manitoba, rose to fame with his band Red Rider
Red Rider
Red Rider are a Canadian rock band popular in the 1980s. While the band achieved great success in Canada, in the US, the band never had a song in the Top 40....
, producing such hits as "Lunatic Fringe", "Boy Inside the Man" and "Big League". As a solo artist Cochrane recorded five albums, producing the hit "Life Is a Highway
Life Is a Highway
"Life Is a Highway" is a song written by Tom Cochrane, from his 1991 album Mad Mad World. The song was Cochrane's most famous song, as it was a number one hit in his native Canada. The song also peaked at number six on the Billboard charts in the United States in 1992...
", a song later covered by country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
band Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band that originated in Columbus, Ohio, United States of America. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox , Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney...
, among others.
The late 70s and early-to-mid 80s brought a new arena rock
Arena rock
Arena rock is a term used to describe rock music that utilised large arena venues, particularly sports venues, for concerts or series of concerts linked in tours...
vibe to the local music scene, featuring made-in-Manitoba rockers Harlequin
Harlequin (band)
Harlequin is a Canadian rock band that formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1975 and lasted until the mid-1980s. The band is best known for their hit singles "I Did It For Love," "Thinking of You," "Superstitious Feeling," and "Innocence."...
, and the Chris Burke-Gaffney
Chris Burke-Gaffney
Chris Burke-Gaffney is an Canadian songwriter, producer, and artist manager. Burke-Gaffney also oversees the day-to-day operation of CBG Artist Development and Vatikan Records.-History:...
-lead bands The Pumps, Orphan and later the Deadbeat Honeymooners. Harlequin was arguably the most popular band to come out of Manitoba in the early 80s, producing several radio-friendly hits including "Sweet Things in Life", "Innocence", and "Superstitious Feeling". Winnipeg was also a second home and regular stop for Regina-based Streetheart
Streetheart (band)
Streetheart is a Canadian rock band, from Winnipeg, Manitoba that got its start in Regina, Saskatchewan. Their best known songs include "Action", "Hollywood", "Teenage Rage", "One More Time", "Tin Soldier", "What Kind of Love is This", and their disco remake of "Under My Thumb".-Biography:Keyboard...
-- a band with several linkages to Winnipeg including original member Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve
Ken Sinnaeve
Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve is a Canadian musician, best known for playing bass with Tom Cochrane and Cochrane's earlier band Red Rider.He was a founding member of the band Streetheart prior to playing with Cochrane, making amongst others a live cover of "Under my Thumb"...
.
In the late 1980s, a soft rock band from Winnipeg/Selkirk was formed featuring a man named Brad Roberts
Brad Roberts
Bradley Kenneth "Brad" Roberts is the lead singer and guitarist for the Canadian folk-rock band Crash Test Dummies. He sings in the bass-baritone range.-Career:...
and a woman named Ellen Reid
Ellen Reid
Ellen Reid provides backing vocals, piano, keyboards and accordion for the Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies....
. The band was called Crash Test Dummies
Crash Test Dummies
The Crash Test Dummies is a Canadian folk rock/alternative rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, widely known for their 1993 single "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm".The band is most identifiable through Brad Roberts and his distinctive bass-baritone voice...
. In 1991 Crash Test Dummies had success in Canada with their first album The Ghosts that Haunt Me
The Ghosts That Haunt Me
The Ghosts That Haunt Me is the 1991 debut album by Crash Test Dummies. It featured their hit "Superman's Song".The artwork featured on the cover, and throughout the liner notes, is by 19th-century illustrator Gustav Doré and is from 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge...
which included the single “Superman's Song
Superman's Song
"Superman's Song" was the first single of the Canadian folk-rock group Crash Test Dummies and came from their 1991 debut album The Ghosts That Haunt Me. The single was the group's first hit, charting in both Canada and the United States...
”. They found mainstream success in the US, UK and Australia with their second album, featuring the hit single "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
"Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" is a single by the Canadian folk-rock group Crash Test Dummies, featured on their 1993 album God Shuffled His Feet.-CD maxi:# "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" — 3:53# "Here I Stand Before Me" — 3:07...
", as well as their third album and the single "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead
The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead
"The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" is a single by XTC from their 1992 album Nonsuch. It was the band's second #1 hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was covered and released as a single by Crash Test Dummies in 1995 for the soundtrack to the film Dumb and Dumber...
" which was featured on the movie Dumb & Dumber
Dumb & Dumber
Dumb and Dumber is a 1994 picaresque or buddy comedy film starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Written and directed by the Farrelly brothers, the film follows the cross-country trek of Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, two good-natured but incredibly moronic friends...
.
The Watchmen
The Watchmen
The Watchmen is a Canadian rock band. They were one of the most commercially successful Canadian alternative rock groups of the mid to late 1990s. During their peak years the band had three gold records and one platinum record...
formed in Winnipeg in 1988, releasing their first album in 1992: McLaren Furnace Room
McLaren Furnace Room
McLaren Furnace Room is the first major label album by Canadian band, The Watchmen. Originally released by SUMO Productions in Canada in 1992 , the release impressed MCA Records Canada who signed the band and released the album in 1993 on a much wider scale...
, named after a room in Winnipeg’s McLaren hotel where they used to rehearse. They released seven albums and are known for Daniel Greaves’ unique vocals and hits like "Boneyard Tree", "Incarnate" and "Stereo" among others.
Recent rock and pop music
Born in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and currently stationed in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Bif Naked
Bif Naked
Bif Naked is a Juno Award-winning, Indian-born American-Canadian multi-platinum record selling, rock singer, writer, poet, motivational speaker and actress.-Personal life:...
spent her years as a teen and young adult in Winnipeg where she developed into the unique artist that she is today. The heavily tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
ed Naked has earned a loyal following with her unique and personal brand of rock music and poetry. Several of her songs received significant air play over the years including “Spaceman”, “I Love Myself Today”, and “Tango Shoes”. Bif Naked has continued recording through her recent battle with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, releasing her latest album The Promise
The Promise (Bif Naked album)
The Promise is the sixth studio album by singer/songwriter Bif Naked, released in 2009.-Track listing:#"Crash and Burn" 3:33#"Sick" 3:40#"Bluejay" 3:54#"Fuck You 2" 3:14...
in 2009.
Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
-winning artist 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:...
released her first album in 1997 and recorded several hits, but is perhaps most successful as a 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...
. Kreviazuk has co-written songs for and with many other artists including Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
, Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
, Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, and her husband Raine Maida
Raine Maida
Raine Maida , is a Canadian musician best known as being the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the alternative rock band Our Lady Peace. He has come to be known for his unique countertenor nasal falsetto singing voice, as well as his cryptic and poetry-influenced song lyrics...
of Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace is a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Headed by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band additionally consists of Jeremy Taggart on percussion, Duncan Coutts on bass, and Steve Mazur as lead guitarist...
fame.
Brent Fitz
Brent Fitz
Brent Fitz is a Canadian-born musician and recording artist known best known as a drummer, but also a multi-instrumentalist having worked with Slash, Theory of a Deadman, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Union, The Guess Who, Lamya, Streetheart, Harlequin, Econoline Crush, Eagle & Hawk and Indigenous.-...
a multi-instrumentalist born in Winnipeg, and currently resides in Las Vegas, has recorded and toured with a vast array of Canadian and International artists including Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Motley Crue vocalist Vince Neil
Vince Neil
Vincent Neil Wharton is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.-Early life:Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton...
, Theory Of A Deadman
Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman is a Canadian rock band from Delta, British Columbia, formed in 2001. The band is currently signed to Roadrunner Records as well as Island Records. The band also includes traits of other music styles, such as country and acoustic, as well as their post-grunge and alternative...
, Streetheart
Streetheart
Streetheart is a 1998 film that was awarded the Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1998...
, Harlequin
Harlequin
Harlequin or Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French, and Arlequín in Spanish is the most popularly known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte and its descendant, the Harlequinade.-Origins:...
and The Guess Who
The Guess Who
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Initially gaining recognition in Canada, they also found international success from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s with numerous hit singles, including "American Woman", "These Eyes" and "Share the Land"...
.
Hard Rock band Jet Set Satellite
Jet Set Satellite
Jet Set Satellite is a rock band founded in 1998 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by Trevor Tuminski and Dave Swiecicki. After a short audition process Mike Keller joined the band shortly before releasing their debut album "Blueprint" in 2000 on Nettwerk Records...
secured a record deal and burst on to the Canadian music scene in 2000 with two hits: "Best Way to Die" and "Baby, Cool Your Jets". They left their label after only one album but continue to record as an indy
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band. Also in 2000, dance-pop duo McMaster & James
McMaster & James
McMaster & James was a music duo from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.The band is named after its principal members, Luke McMaster and Rob James, who met in 1997. Their self-titled debut CD released in February 2000 on BMG, followed by numerous tour dates, including an opening spot on Christina...
made the leap from playing gigs at the Bank Cabaret in downtown Winnipeg to fleeting stardom with their one and only album (self-titled).
Remy Shand
Remy Shand
Remy David Shand is a Canadian R&B/soul singer, who released his debut album, The Way I Feel, on Motown Records in 2002.- Early years :...
also had a brief career, but a successful one. His 2002 debut album, The Way I Feel
The Way I Feel (Remy Shand album)
The Way I Feel is Remy Shand's debut album, released in 2002.The album managed to peak at #15 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album spawned the Urban AC hit Take A Message which was released on January 15, 2002 and on the week of March 25, 2002 hit became a Top 10 hit on Urban AC...
, earned him a Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording, and four Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations.
Propagandhi
Propagandhi
Propagandhi is a Canadian punk band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba....
is a punk rock band from Winnipeg (originally from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) with a tendency to incorporate political and ethical statements in their music and their performances. Though not heavily played on the radio, they parlayed the renewed interest in punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
music in the late 90s into a successful touring career, and won the 2006 ECHO songwriting award for their song "A Speculative Fiction".
Juno-nominated indy-rockers The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...
formed in 1997. Critical recognition soon followed, as did a solid local fan base, although they are best known to many for their tongue-in-cheek salute to their home town “One Great City!” which features the line “I hate Winnipeg”.
Other recent and up-and-coming artists and bands in the rock and pop genres include The Waking Eyes
The Waking Eyes
The Waking Eyes is a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg and Steinbach, Manitoba.-History:The band formed after the break-up of two other Manitoba bands, The Pets from Steinbach and Novillero from Winnipeg. In 2002 The Waking Eyes released a full-length album, Combing the Clouds. This was followed up...
, Tin Foil Phoenix
Tin Foil Phoenix
Stephan Kray Tin Foil Phoenix is a post-grunge band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The band formed from the ashes of a previous incarnation under the moniker of Sonic Bloom with core members Michael Allen Zirk and Steven Kray. Guitarist Fish joined soon thereafter...
, Steeple Chaser, SitDownTracy, Effect and Cause, and Inward Eye.
Other genres
Manitoba also has made significant contributions in other areas of music besides pop. There is a huge choral tradition that goes back to the beginnings of the 20th century. Manitoba has an opera tradition, a vaudville tradition and a classical music tradition. Manitoba's multi-cultural make up is influenced by the cultures of the world.Jazz legend Lenny Breau
Lenny Breau
Leonard Harold "Lenny" Breau was a musician, guitar player, and music educator. He was known for blending many styles of music including: jazz, country, classical and flamenco guitar...
, also a Winnipegger, had a profound impact on the music of Randy Bachman. He is generally regarded as one of the best jazz guitarists ever and certainly the best to come from Canada. His amazing rapid finger picking and ability to sound like three guitars at once gained him respect in the jazz community.