Blue Rodeo

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Blue Rodeo

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Img_capt = Blue Rodeo in concert, September 2005 at the Spencerville Fair
Img_size = 250
Landscape = yes
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre = Country rock
Years_active = 1984-present
Label = WEA/Warner Music Group, Rounder
Associated_acts = The Jim Cuddy Band Greg Keelor Bob Egan The Swallows The Unintended
URL = www.bluerodeo.com
Current_members = Jim Cuddy
Bazil Donovan
Bob Egan
Greg Keelor
Glenn Milchem
Bob Packwood
Past_members = Cleave Anderson
Kim Deschamps
Mark French
James Gray
Bob Wiseman

Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band, which was formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have been signed with Warner Music Group since their debut album "Outskirts" in March 1987. Including "Outskirts", they have 11 full-length releases along with multiple solo albums, side projects, and collaborations.

History

Band

The band consists of original members Jim Cuddy (guitar/vocals), Greg Keelor (guitar/vocals) and Bazil Donovan (bass), plus newer additions Glenn Milchem (drums), multi-instrumentalist Bob Egan, and Bob Packwood (keyboardist). [cite web| url=http://www.bluerodeo.com/people/biography/| title=People – About the Band| work=Official Community of Blue Rodeo| accessdate=2008-05-14] Packwood was the replacement for James Gray, who left the band in 2005 after their release of "Are You Ready". [cite web| url=http://www.uptownmag.com/archive/feature/05apr28.htm| title=Inevitable Institution| work=Uptown Magazine| accessdate=2008-05-14] Drummers Cleave Anderson and Mark French, keyboardist Bob Wiseman, and multi-instrumentalist Kim Deschamps are also former band members.

Cuddy and Keelor met in high school and became great friends. After University, when all their other friends were starting to get jobs, they decided to form a band and started to play music more often. They put together a few different bands without much luck. They released a single as Hi-Fi's in 1980. Cuddy and Keelor moved to New York for some adventure and to help their music. There they met Bob Wiseman. When they came back to Toronto in the summer of '84 they thought about putting another band together. They had already thought of the name for the band before they met Cleave and asked him to join the band. Cleave brought along his friend, Donovan, and with this Blue Rodeo was born. [cite web| url= http://www.bluerodeo.com/people/biography/JimCuddy.aspx| title=Jim Cuddy Biography| work=Official Community of Blue Rodeo| accessdate=2008-05-14]

Blue Rodeo is one of the most successful and well known contemporary Canadian bands, having released 11 full-length studio albums, three live recordings, one greatest hits package and five video/DVDs. [cite web| url=http://www.bluerodeo.com/music/discography/| title=Discography| work=Official Community of Blue Rodeo| accessdate=2008-05-14] Their studio albums have sold over three million copies. Cuddy, Keelor, Donovan and Egan have all released solo albums, and Glenn Milchem performs his own solo music under the pseudonym "the swallows".

Blue Rodeo members have collaborated extensively with other notable Canadian artists, including Sarah McLachlan, The Tragically Hip, Burton Cummings, Great Big Sea, Jann Arden, The Sadies, Skydiggers, Crash Vegas, Cowboy Junkies, Sarah Harmer and Kathleen Edwards. They have won many Canadian music awards, including seven Juno Awards and seven SOCAN awards.

Band members

ImageSize = width:600 height:auto barincrement:25PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50Alignbars = justifyDateFormat = dd/mm/yyyyPeriod = from:01/01/1985 till:31/12/2008TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors = id:guitar1 value:orange

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width:20 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)

bar:Jim Cuddy from:01/01/1985 till:end color:guitar1 bar:Greg Keelor from:01/01/1985 till:end color:guitar2 bar:Bazil Donovan from:01/01/1985 till:end color:bass bar:Bobby Wiseman from:10/10/1985 till:31/12/1992 color:keys bar:James Gray from:01/01/1993 till:31/12/2005 color:keys bar:Bob Packwood from:01/01/2006 till:end color:keys bar:Cleave Anderson from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1990 color:drums bar:Mark French from:01/01/1990 till:31/08/1991 color:drums bar:Glenn Milchem from:01/09/1991 till:end color:drums bar:Kim Deschamps from:01/01/1992 till:31/12/1999 color:guitar3 bar:Bob Egan from:01/01/2000 till:end color:guitar3

Television and film

Blue Rodeo is the band appearing at the end of the 1990 film "Postcards from the Edge". [cite web| url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100395/fullcredits#cast| title=Full Cast and Crew for Postcards from the Edge (1990)| work=IMDb| accessdate=2008-05-14]

The song "Bad Timing" is played towards the end of a season finale of the hit Canadian show "Corner Gas".

The song "Try" is played in the background of the bar in the film "Navy Seals".

Performances

On Canada Day 2008, Blue Rodeo played on Parliament Hill. The band closed the show before the commencement of the fireworks and was joined on stage by several other artists to perform "Lost Together."

Discography

tudio albums

*^A"Try" was certified Gold by the CRIA.
*^B"Til I Am Myself Again" peaked at #19 on the US Modern Rock chart and #37 on the US Mainstream Rock chart.

Videography

*"Postcards from the Edge" (1990)
*"Blue Movies" (1991)
*"In Stereovision" (2004) - Certified 3× Platinum by the CRIA.
*"Watch This!" (2004) - Features the video of Blue Rodeo's hit single, "Bulletproof."
*"Toronto Rocks (SARSfest)" (2004) - Canadian edition featuring Blue Rodeo.

ee also

*Canadian rock
*Music of Canada

References

External links

* [http://www.bluerodeo.com Official Website of Blue Rodeo]
* [http://www.judithfitzgerald.ca/bluerodeo.html A Profile: "True Blue Rodeo"]
* [http://www.jimcuddy.com Official Website of Jim Cuddy]
* [http://www.gregkeelor.com Official Website of Greg Keelor]