Canadian rock

Canada has been a source of rock and roll music for decades, beginning with Paul Anka who in 1957 went to New York City where he recorded his own composition, "Diana". The song brought him instant stardom and went to No. 1 on the U.S. and Canadian charts. Since then, Canada has produced many internationally-popular rock and roll artists.

History of rock in Canada

Rock and roll itself arose in the United States in the late 1940s after World War II, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scene. Though elements of rock and roll can be heard in country records of the 1930s, and in blues records from the 1920s, rock and roll did not acquire its name until the 1950s. An early form of rock and roll was rockabilly, which combined country and jazz, with influences from traditional Appalachian folk, and Gospel music. Going back even further, rock and roll can trace one lineage to the Five Points, Manhattan district of mid-19th century in New York City, the scene of the first fusion of heavily rhythmic African shuffles and sand dances with melody-driven European genres, particularly the Irish jig. Rock and Roll spread to Canada in the early 1950s and across the world beginning in about 1956.

1950s-1960s

Rock was heard first in Canada on US radio stations with broadcasts reaching into Canada from US stations close to the Canadian border, and U.S. recordings. Canada has remained a major market for US and later, British and European acts. Many US musicians toured Canada in the late 1950s, usually appearing in nightclubs. Those Canadians with successful recording careers in the 1950s usually had moved to the USA like Paul Anka, the Crew-Cuts and The Diamonds This bands would leave an indelible mark during the Doo-wop days. The Four Lads, originally known as The 4 Dukes, first hit the charts in 1952 with "Mocking Bird". The first Canadian-made rock recording to achieve international popularity was 'Clap Your Hands' in 1960 by a Montreal quartet, The Beaumarks. Bobby Curtola first single was released in 1960, "Hand In Hand With You". He would go on to crack Billboard's Top 100 several more times in the 1960s with gold hits such as "Hitch Hiker", "Aladdin", "3 Rows Over" and his biggest chart-topper "Fortune Teller" . With the rise of The Beatles in the mid-1960s and the subsequent popularity of many other British bands, Canadians began to form rock groups in numbers. Often, however, Canadian records were simply covers of American or British pop hits. One important example was a Winnipeg band called Chad Allan & the Expressions, who had a 1965 hit with a version of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over". Ronnie Hawkins, an Arkansas born rockabilly singer, became the most prominent figure in Canadian rock beginning in 1958. He did more than any other to popularize Canadian Rock. The popularity of US rock in Canada encouraged young Canadians to form bands and led to existing groups, especially those devoted to country music, to change styles or to incorporate some rock hits in their repertoires. Country rock and folk rock singers like Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Denny Doherty (of The Mamas & the Papas), David Clayton-Thomas, Neil Young, Andy Kim, Zal Yanovsky (of The Lovin' Spoonful), John Kay (of Steppenwolf), and Ian & Sylvia also found international audiences. Their success paved the way for a new wave of Canadian singer-songwriters, including Stan Rogers, Murray McLauchlan, Bruce Cockburn and Willie P. Bennett.

The Diamonds

Formed in 1953 the first recording for Mercury was "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" , a cover of The Teenagers' version. They also covered songs by such artists as The Clovers, The Willows, and The Heartbeats. Their biggest hits were 1957's "Little Darlin'" (originally by The Gladiolas) and 1958's "The Stroll", which was an original song written for the group by Clyde Otis, and came from an idea by Dick Clark. In 1984 they were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame; [cite web | title= Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees | work=junoawards.ca|url=http://www.junoawards.ca/vhof/index.php|accessdate=2007-08-18] in October 2004, into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame [cite web | title= VocalGroup Hall of Fame inductees | work=vocalgroup.org|url=http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees.htm|accessdate=2006-11-26] in Sharon, Pennsylvania, and in 2006 into The Doo-Wop Hall of Fame. [cite web | title= The Doo-Wop Hall of Fame Inductees| work=doowophof.com|url=http://www.doowophof.com/done/groups1.htm|accessdate=2007-08-18]

The Four Lads

In 1950 they began to sing in local clubs in Toronto and soon were noticed by scouts. Recruited to go to New York, they were noticed by Mitch Miller, who asked them to do backup for some of the artists he recorded. In 1953 they made their first of five gold records, "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)", which launched them to stardom and kept them busy throughout the 1950s and 1960s in the USA and Canada. Their most famous hit was "Moments to Remember" in 1955, and their next best known was "Standin' on the Corner" in 1956. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.

Paul Anka

A singer, songwriter and actor from Ottawa, Ontario, at age 14 in 1955 he recorded his first single, "I Confess." In 1957 he went to New York City where he auditioned for ABC the song, "Diana". The song brought Anka instant stardom as it rocketed to number one on the U.S. Billboard charts. "Diana" is one of the best selling 45s in music history. He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958, making him one of the biggest teen idol of the time. He elected to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1980. In 1991, the Government of France honoured him with the title '"Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters". He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6840 Hollywood Blvd. [cite web | title= Hollywood Walk of Fame inductees| work=hollywoodchamber.net|url=http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/icons/walk_directory.asp| accessdate=2006-11-26] In 2005, he received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame, [cite web | title= Canada's Walk of Fame inductees | work=canadaswalkoffame.com|accessdate=2006-11-26 |url=http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductees/inductees.xml.htm] and was also appointed an officer of the Order of Canada. [cite web | title=The Order of Canada member list| work=nndb.com|url=http://www.nndb.com/honors/490/000032394/|accessdate=2006-11-26]

Bobby Curtola

A rock and roll singer and teen idol, from Port Arthur, Ontario. Bobby Curtola had several songs on the Canadian music charts beginning with "Hand In Hand With You" in 1960. His biggest chart-topper came in 1962 with the song, "Fortune Teller" which was also successful internationally. In 1966 he won an RPM Gold Leaf Award ("The Gold Leaf Awards, which were in effect the first Juno Awards") for becoming the first Canadian to have a gold album. In 1998, in recognition of his long service to the Canadian music industry as well as his humanitarian work around the world, he was made a member of the Order of Canada. His pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. [cite web | title= Rockabilly Hall of Fame inductees| work=rockabillyhall.com|url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/home.html|accessdate=2006-11-26]

Ronnie Hawkins / The Band

Born January 10, 1935 in Huntsville, Arkansas, was a pioneering rock and roll musician and cousin to fellow rockabilly pioneer Dale Hawkins. Known as "Rompin' Ronnie" Hawkins or "The Hawk", he was a key player in the 1960s rock scene in Toronto and for the next 40 years, performed all over North America, recording more than twenty-five albums. His 1984 LP, 'Making It Again', garnered him a Juno Award as Canada's best Country Male Vocalist. In 1958 he formed a backing band called The Hawks, which produced some of the earliest Canadian rock stars. Among them were the members of The Band, who began touring with Bob Dylan in 1966 and then struck out on their own in 1968, releasing well-remembered albums like "Music from Big Pink" and "The Band". The Band also have been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [cite web | title= Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees | work=rockhall.com|url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/inductee-list/|accessdate=2007-08-18] Ronnie Hawkins with The Band, helped tear down the Berlin Wall in 1989 and performed at President Bill Clinton's 1992 inaugural party.

David Clayton Thomas

Born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, UK moved to Willowdale, Ontario when he was not yet school-aged. He idolized the music of John Lee Hooker and began playing guitar and singing, and by the time he was twenty one had his own band in 1964, "The Shays". In 1967, he joined forces with former members of the Toronto R&B outfit, Jon and Lee & The Checkmates and renamed them his new backing band, The Phoenix. David Clayton Thomas is best known as a vocalist with the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, whose first album with him as lead singer in 1969 produced three gold singles and three Grammy Awards including the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The album included his own composition "Spinning Wheel" which became a big single hit on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2002, the album was honoured with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award [cite web | title= GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Award Recipients| work=grammy.com|url=http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Awards/Hall_Of_Fame/|accessdate=2007-08-18] and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1996.

Andy Kim

A pop singer and songwriter from Montreal, Quebec was named Andrew Youakim, in 1968 he went under the stage name Andy Kim and released the single "How'd We Ever Get This Way?" on the Steed label. That record made the U.S. Top Twenty. In 1969, Kim had two hit singles, "Rainbow Ride", which again made it into the U.S. Top Twenty, and "Baby, I Love You", which got to #5 and was popular enough in Canada to earn him a Juno Award as "Top Male Vocalist." The same year, with Jeff Barry, Kim co-wrote "Sugar, Sugar" which was a hit single for The Archies, reaching No. 1 on the U.S. pop music charts and ultimately becoming the RIAA Record of the Year. Kim along with Barry would find great success as bubblegum pop songwriters writing songs for many late sixty's and early seventy's pop groups like The Archies (The Archie Show). and The Monkees.

Gordon Lightfoot

A folk singer, composer, lyricist and poet from Orillia, Ontario. Lightfoot was gaining recognition by his early twenties as a songwriter for two of his songs ("For Lovin' Me" and "Early Mornin' Rain") which were covered by Ian and Sylvia in 1964. During this time, many of Lightfoot's songs were racking up hits for artists like Peter, Paul and Mary, Chad and Jeremy, Marty Robbins, Leroy Van Dyke, Judy Collins, Richie Havens, The Kingston Trio and Harry Belafonte. In 1966, his debut album "Lightfoot"! was released and it brought him recognition as a singer as well as a songwriter. "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is a song written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot in commemoration of the sinking of the bulk carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. The single reached #2 on the Billboard pop charts in November 1976, making it Lightfoot's second most successful (in terms of chart position) single, with "Sundown" reaching number one in 1974. Lightfoot has received 15 Juno Awards [cite web | title= Juno Award Winners and nominations | work=junoawards.ca|url=http://www.junoawards.ca/archive_past.php|accessdate=2007-08-18] and been nominated for 5 Grammy Awards. [cite web | title= GRAMMY Award WINNERS | work=grammy.com|url=http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/|accessdate=2007-08-18] He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2001. Lightfoot was inducted into [http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductees/98_gordon_lightfoot.xml.htm Canada's Walk of Fame] in 1998. In May 2003 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour. Lightfoot is also a member of the Order of Ontario, the highest honour in the Province of Ontario.

teppenwolf

Although only 2 of the original 5 members were born in Canada (Jerry Edmonton and Goldy McJohn), Steppenwolf and German born frontman John Kay were among the biggest names in Canadian music in the 1960s and 1970s. Kay would later become a Canadian citizen and has been recognized (by himself) with induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Canada's Walk of Fame. Steppenwolf is most famous for the songs Born to Be Wild, Magic Carpet Ride and The Pusher. Born to be Wild is the group's biggest hit, making it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968 and receiving recognition by being named one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, [cite web | title=500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll|work= Rockhall.com|url=http://www.rockhall.com/exhibithighlights/500-songs /|accessdate=2007-08-18] by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and as one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [cite web | title=The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|work= rollingstone.com|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs /|accessdate=2007-08-18]

The Guess Who

The Guess Who formed in 1962 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was the first Canadian rock band to establish a major successful following outside their own country while still residing there. Produced by the legendary Jack Richardson, they were the first Canadian rock group to have a No.1 hit reached the top on the Canadian Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time "American Woman" in 1970, an achievement not matched again by a Canadian band until Nickelback did it in 2002. The Guess Who have won two Juno Awards from four nominations.

Originally named "The Expressions", the band wanted radio stations and record buyers to believe they were a British Merseybeat band in disguise. So when they released their debut album, it didn't bear their own name—instead, it was labelled "Guess Who?". The ruse worked, and within a few years The Guess Who were one of Canada's biggest musical names. To this day, their best-known songs ("American Woman", "Share the Land", "These Eyes", etc.) remain among Canada's most enduring classic rock anthems.

1970s

By the end of the 1960s, the American and British counterculture and hippie movement had moved rock towards psychedelic rock, heavy metal, progressive rock and other styles, incorporating, for the first time in popular music, socially and politically incisive lyrics. With the introduction in 1970 of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's (CRTC) broadcast regulations the Canadian recording industry made rock a major focus of its activity. Increased production and the ground-breaking international popularity of The Guess Who at the end of the 1960s opened markets outside Canada to the country's musicians. Moreover, success abroad usually ensured success in Canada. An example of the effect of the Canadian content regulations was the sudden rise to fame of Anne Murray, whose 1970 "Snowbird" was a multi-million selling record. Led by The Guess Who, Anne Murray and The Poppy Family the early 1970s were a golden age for Canadian music. Many performers from the late 1960s came to the fore front in the following years, among them The Bells from Montreal, Chilliwack from Vancouver, Five Man Electrical Band from Ottawa, Lighthouse from Toronto, The Stampeders from Calgary.

Canadian cultural critics have noted that in general, the late 1970s were a lesser era for Canadian music. Many of the acts who had defined the earlier half of the decade were no longer recording, and the new artists emerging in this era simply didn't seem to be able to capture the Canadian pop "zeitgeist" in the same way. Many of them, in fact, were only "one-hit wonders".

However, a number of established Canadian acts, including Rush, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Bruce Cockburn, April Wine, Pat Travers and Neil Young, remained influential and recorded some of their most popular material of all during this period, and former Guess Who lead singer Burton Cummings emerged as a popular solo artist in soft rock. Another of this period's most influential and popular rock bands, Heart, resulted from the collaboration of two sisters from Seattle with a supporting band from Vancouver.

With the introduction in this period of rock music on FM radio stations, where it was common practice to program extended performances, musicians were no longer limited to songs of three minutes' duration as dictated by AM stations. The Canadian music industry was still nascent, however, with little independent music media and a limited distribution infrastructure. The two most internationally renowned bands to arise from this industry were Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Rush, both dominated by powerful managers. Bachman-Turner Overdrive's manager, Bruce Allen, went on to produce Loverboy and eventually manage such major pop stars as Bryan Adams, Martina McBride, and Anne Murray.

Neil Young

First came to prominence as a member of the folk-rock band Buffalo Springfield in the mid-1960s and then as a solo performer backed by the band Crazy Horse. He reached his commercial peak during the singer-songwriter boom of the early 1970s with the albums "After the Gold Rush" and "Harvest" as well as with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. [McDonough, Jimmy. "Shakey: Neil Young's Biography", p. 313] He has five Juno Awards from twenty-four nominations. In 2000, the cable music channel VH1 ranked Young thirtieth on a list of the Top 100 Artists of Rock and Roll. He was also thirty-ninth on VH1's list of Top 100 Hard rock Artists. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5940016/34_neil_young/ Neil Young] [cite web| title = Neil Young| work = Flea. Rolling Stone Issue 946| publisher = Rolling Stone| url = http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5940016/34_neil_young] #34 on their list of the [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty/ 100 Greatest Artists of All Time] . [cite web| title = The Immortals: The First Fifty| work = Rolling Stone Issue 946| publisher = Rolling Stone| url =http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty] Young was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1982. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: first in 1995 for his solo work, with an induction speech given by Eddie Vedder, and again in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield. Young has twice received honorary doctorates. First in 1992, an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario and secondly in 2006, an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from San Francisco State University.

BTO

A hard rock band formed in 1970 by Randy Bachman and Chad Allan (both of The Guess Who). The band released their first album under the name Bachman-Turner Overdrive in the spring of 1973 and it won two Juno Awards despite being largely ignored in the United States. Their second album was "Bachman-Turner Overdrive II" the album hit #4 in the U.S., and won Juno Awards for Best Group, Album, and Producer. BTO II was certified gold in eight countries. It also yielded their best-remembered # 1 single, "Takin' Care of Business" written by Randy Bachman. 1974's album "Not Fragile" went straight to the top of the charts, and the single "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" hit #1 in the U.S. and #2 in the UK. From today's point of view, BTO were one of the early hard rock bands which opted for songs backed by catchy melodies and powerful riffing. The band has a total of seven Juno Awards from twelve nominations.

Rush

A progressive rock band from Willowdale, Ontario formed in 1968, Rush are one of the longest-lived and most popular of Canadian musical exports. Rush boasts 25 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records, [cite web | title= RIAA gold and platinum certifications search| work=riaa.com|url=http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH|accessdate=2007-08-18] making them one of the best-selling rock bands in history. Rush currently place fifth behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, KISS and Aerosmith for the most consecutive gold and platinum albums by a rock band. They have been awarded several Juno Awards and were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994. Additionally, Lee, Lifeson, and Peart are all Officers of the Order of Canada, the first rock musicians so honoured. [cite web|title=The Order of Canada member list |url=http://www.nndb.com/honors/490/000032394|accessdate=2006-03-16]

Hard Rock & Heavy Metal

Following in Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Rush footsteps, a wave of hard rock and heavy metal acts emerged from all across Canada, including Triumph from Toronto, Trooper from Vancouver, and April Wine from Halifax. In 1971 the Canadian content law was passed ensuring Canadian culture and artists weren't overrun by the American media outlets. Artists like Moxy, The Kings, A Foot in Coldwater, Prism, Crowbar, Saga, Nick Gilder, Ian Thomas, Goddo, Harlequin, Mahogany Rush, Streetheart, Pat Travers, Max Webster and Ironhorse saw their greatest success during this time.

April Wine

A hard rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, April Wine would release over 20 albums, [cite web | title=April Wine's official web site| work=aprilwine.ca|url=http://www.aprilwine.ca/] with The Nature of the Beast going Platinum. They have forged a live performance reputation that sees them still drawing devoted crowds all across Canada and around the world 39 years after taking their first steps into the hard rock spotlight. Though April Wine's accomplishments have been many, they have yet to be "officially" recognised by the Canadian Music/Entertainment Industry's governing bodies. They have never been awarded a Juno, but have been nominated eleven times. They have yet to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame or the Canadian Walk of Fame. Myles Goodwyn, however, was awarded the ECMA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. [http://www.cbmusic.com/queries/news.php?_function=article&news_id=713 Myles Goodwyn to receive ECMA Lifetime Achievement Award] ]

Trooper

A hard rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, that saw great success in Canada during the late 1970s and early 1980s. After hearing Trooper perform, Randy Bachman of Bachman-Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who signed the band to his "Legend" label and produced the band's first album, "Trooper" , that containing the Canadian hit "Baby Woncha Please Come Home". In 1980 Trooper was honoured with a Juno Award for "Best Group", and two of their albums ("Hot Shots" and "Flying Colors") were also nominated that year for "Best Album". [cite web | title=Bio at CanadianBands | work=CanadianBands.com |url=http://www.canadianbands.com/Trooper.html] "Hot Shots", broke all Canadian sales records at the time for Canadian sales of a Canadian album, reaching Quadruple-Platinum. [cite web | title=Ra McGuire's Site | work=ramcguire.com |url=http://ramcguire.com] Although the band has had only one big American hit with "The Boys in the Bright White Sportscar" [cite web | title= Billboard chart rankings| work=billboard.com|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_index.jsp] and the small hit "Raise A Little Hell", the band has released ten albums with mainstream success all over Canada.

Triumph

Being a Canadian power trio, Triumph were often compared to Rush, but at the start, their own brand of heavy rock remained structured and traditional, eschewing concept albums and instrumental improvisation. The band is considered heavy metal by most standards, though the band themselves were reluctant to embrace this label. Gil Moore once described Triumph as a cross between Emerson, Lake & Palmer and The Who. [cite web |title=Bio at Pop Encyclopedia|work=jam.canoe.ca|url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/T/Triumph.html] However, Rik Emmett's eclectic songwriting styles soon revealed his personal tastes ran closer to the heart of progressive rock. The band has eight separate albums that have gone gold and one certified Platinum album called "Allied Forces". Triumph has been nominated for five Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in '79, '85, '86, and '87. Gil Moore has since founded his own Recording School and Studio known as Metalworks Institute situated in the suburb of Etobicoke just west of Toronto.

Burton Cummings

A soft rock, pianist and showman, Cummings was the lead singer for The Guess Who from 1965 to 1975. Starting in 1976 his solo hits in Canada ruled the charts for the next five years. The album "Dream of A Child", released in 1978, was one of the best-selling Canadian albums in history at that time. Cummings charted outside Canada with "Stand Tall" and "You Saved My Soul" and inside Canada with "Stand Tall", "I'm Scared", "Break it to Them Gently", and "Fine State of Affairs." He has been awarded with four Juno Awards from his nineteen nominations.

Punk

Many acts have had equally vital, if less remunerative careers outside the mainstream in punk rock and its derivations, generally distinguished by a tendency to extremes of one sort or another. Whether in instrumental intensity, lyric content, or performance style Canadian pop music evolved with the times, reflecting worldwide trends. In the late 1970s, as punk rock and disco ruled the landscape, Canadian punk groups such as D.O.A., The Viletones, The Forgotten Rebels, Rough Trade, Diodes, Teenage Head, The Demics, The Young Canadians and Subhumans emerged and continued in the 1980s with popular bands like SNFU, Dayglo Abortions, and Nomeansno.

D.O.A.

A band from Vancouver, British Columbia whose music was often described as hardcore punk and they are often referred to as the "founders" of Hardcore by their following along with Bad Brains and D.C's Minor Threat. Their second album "Hardcore 81" was thought by many to have been the first actual reference to the second wave of American punk bands sound as "Hardcore".

1980s

Things changed course in the 1980s, the changing of the political culture was accompanied by an explosion in youth culture. Until the mid-1960s little attention was paid to rock by daily newspapers except as news or novelty. With the introduction during the 1970s of the "rock critic" coverage began to rival that of any other music and Canadian acts were getting international press coverage by the late 1970s. The 1980s saw Canada support and promote many of its own talent in pursuit of true originality. Canadian rock generally had been discouraged by market forces before the 1980s, in particular the need to conform to the taste of a Canadian audience that has had its standards and expectations formed by constant exposure to US and British acts for the past three decades. The popularity of Chilliwack, for example, rose dramatically after the band turned from the experimental nature of its first few LPs to a mainstream pop style consistent with the US style.

Music videos assumed a major role in the promotion of pop rock recordings in 1980s for US exposure. Videos produced many mainstream pop-rockers that saw huge success in and outside of Canada. Success in the larger US market remained the major goal of most, if not all, post-1970 Canadian rock acts; a goal in fact reached with some greater or lesser degree of consistency by several, among them Bryan Adams, Corey Hart, Alannah Myles, Brighton Rock, Lee Aaron, Tom Cochrane, Loverboy, Honeymoon Suite and Glass Tiger. As well, the era produced the country cowpunk of k.d. lang, who did eventually become one of pop music's biggest names.

Bryan Adams

A rock singer, guitarist, songwriter and photographer, has been awarded the Order of Canada [ [http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4093 Bryan Adams receives the Order of Canada ] ] and the Order of British Columbia [ [http://www.protocol.gov.bc.ca/protocol/prgs/obc/1990/1990_BAdams.htm O.B.C. Biography – Bryan Adams ] ] for his contribution to popular music and his philanthropic work. He was also inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998, [ [http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/newSite/inductees/98_bryan_adams.xml.htm Canada's Walk of Fame: Bryan Adams, singer, songwriter, photographer ] ] and more recently inducted into the Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno Awards in April 2006. [ [http://www.junoawards.ca/vhof/index.php 2008 Juno Awards ] ] He has been nominated for three Academy Awards for songwriting, [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001898/0 Bryan Adams (I) ] ] and was recently nominated for his fifth Golden Globe (2007) for his songwriting in the film "Bobby". [ [http://www.thegoldenglobes.com TheGoldenGlobes.com ] ] . His 16 consecutive weeks spent on top of the UK Singles Charts (for (Everything I Do) I Do It for You) remains a record. Adams's music has been used on the soundtrack of 42 movies [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001898/ IMDb] ] He has won eighteen Juno Awards from fifty-five nominations. The album Reckless went to #1 on the Billboard charts and sold over 5 million copies in the US on the strength of six massive hits.

Chilliwack

The band initially formed in 1964 as the "Classics" in Vancouver, British Columbia, but later changed the name to the "Collectors" in 1966 and then to Chilliwack in 1970.cite web |year=2007 |url = http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000695|title = Chilliwack|format = HTML |publisher = [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/ The Canadian Encyclopedia] | accessdate = 2007-08-16 | last= [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/ The Canadian Encyclopedia] ] First hit the charts in Canada in 1974 with "Crazy Talk" , but are perhaps best remembered for their three biggest songs from the 1980s "My Girl (Gone Gone Gone)", "I Believe" and "Whatcha Gonna Do".cite web |year=2007 |url = http://www.1050chum.com/index_chumcharts.aspx?artist=8273|title = Chart Records|format = HTML |publisher = [http://www.1050chum.com Chum] | accessdate = 2007-08-16 | ] Even though those three hits were their only popular singles in America. In Canada the band has achieved legendary status, releasing over a dozen albums. Bill Henderson, the founder of the band, won the Best Producer Juno Award in 1982 for the album Opus X. Henderson has also won a Genie Award for best original song in a movie ("When I Sing", from "Bye Bye Blues"), and was musical director for the Canadian edition of "Sesame Street" from 1989 to 1995.

Tom Cochrane

In 1980 Tom became a part of a popular Toronto rock band called Red Rider. They released four albums before changing their name to "Tom Cochrane & Red Rider", and releasing three more albums. Tom then decided to go solo and he started his solo career in 1990. His story-telling songs have earned him the nickname "The thinking man's rocker". He has released more than six solo albums, has won six Juno Awards from twenty-two nominations, six SOCAN awards and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2003.

54-40

Formed in 1981, Vancouver based 5440 is one of Canada's most enduring bands. At the outset, the band was part of Mo-Da-Mu records, a co-op record company. They became disenchanted with the co-op concept, when they realized that they were the only net contributors to the label.

The name 54-40 is derived from a campaign slogan. Andrew Polk chose "5440 or Fight" as his campaign slogan when he ran for president in the 1800s. The band took the name as an homage to their home as well as a commitment to each other. Infamously, the band garnered the attention of record execs when they were refused entry to an LA club due to capacity problems, despite being on the guest list. "The Globe and Mail" called their self titled debut album "the best Canadian release in years".Over their career the band has released 16 albums. Ironically, much of their catalogue is in regular rotation on classic rock radio, despite getting no airplay the first time around.

The band continues to contribute to the Canadian cultural landscape and a preview of their upcoming single and video has been made at their website.

Loverboy

A hard rock band from Calgary, Alberta, Loverboy accumulated numerous hit songs in Canada and the United States, making four multi-platinum albums. The band's hit singles, particularly "Lovin' Every Minute of It" and "Working for the Weekend" have become hard rock staples, and are still heard on classic rock radio stations across the United States and Canada. The bands second album released in late 1980 Get Lucky became their best selling album in the U.S., reaching #7 on the Billboard album charts and selling over four million copies [http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS RIAA statistics for Loverboy] . In the same year, Loverboy received five Juno Awards, Canada's highest award for music, in one year, a record that still stands today. The band would later receive an additional three Juno Awards, bringing their total to eight, which is the most received by a single group or individual except Bryan Adams. 1983 saw the single "Hot Girls in Love" from their third album, "Keep It Up" becoming their most successful U.S. chart hit to date, reaching #11. "Lovin' Every Minute of It", the band's fourth album released in 1985 with the title single and follow-up "This Could Be The Night" becoming their first U.S. Billboard top 10 hits, In 1986, the band recorded "Heaven in Your Eyes", a song that would be featured in the movie "Top Gun", and reached #12 on the Billboard charts.

New Wave & Glam Rock

As in the United States on MTV, music videos became more and more important as a marketing tool for bands by the mid 1980s. With the debut of MuchMusic in 1984 and MusiquePlus in 1986, both English and French Canadian musicians had outlets to promote their music through video in Canada. The networks, however, were not just an opportunity for artists to get their videos played—the networks created VideoFACT, a fund to help emerging artists "produce" their videos.
New Wave, Glam Rock and heavy metal had become the most popular style of rock in the mid 1980s; acts such as Platinum Blonde, Helix, Toronto, The Parachute Club, Rough Trade, Spoons, Trans-X, Rational Youth, Men Without Hats, Norman Iceberg, Images in Vogue, Headpins, Sheriff, Teenage Head and Martha and the Muffins were along for the ride. Rough Trade were particularly notable for "High School Confidential", one of the first explicitly lesbian-themed pop songs to crack the Top 40 anywhere in the world.

Platinum Blonde

A Canadian New Wave group. With the release of the album "Standing in the Dark", the band invaded the airwaves in Canada with four hit singles, a double platinum album, and two Juno Award nominated songs: "Standing in the Dark" and "It Doesn't Really Matter". Their music videos were placed into high rotation on the newly created Much Music. In 1985, the band released a second album called "Alien Shores", which went quintuple platinum in Canada. They have been nominated for six Juno Awards from 1984-1986.

Kim Mitchell

A singer and guitarist from Sarnia, Ontario, Mitchell formed the band Max Webster in the 1970s with fellow Sarnia native, Pye Dubois. Max Webster toured extensively and built a string of hits in Canada. Mitchell's solo career began in 1983, with session work and a succession of solo albums. In 1985 the song "Go For Soda" from the "Akimbo Alogo" album became an international hit and remains his best known song outside of his native Canada. Mitchell has been awarded several Juno Awards for his work including "Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year" in 1983, "Album of the Year" for the triple Platinum "Shakin' Like A Human Being", and "Male Vocalist of the Year" in 1990.

Helix

A heavy metal band that formed in 1974, released two independent albums, entitled Breaking Loose and White Lace & Black Leather in 1979 and 1981 respectively. They then signed to Capitol Records and released several Canadian hit albums in the '80s – "No Rest for the Wicked", "Walkin' the Razor's Edge", "Long Way to Heaven", and "Wild in the Streets". "Walkin' the Razor's Edge" sold more than 100,000 copies in Canada and 400,000 internationally. Helix has been nominated for two Juno Awards.

Alternative Rock

In the late 1980s, the Canadian recording industry continued to produce popular acts such as Blue Rodeo. However, alternative rock also emerged as an influential genre, with independent artists such as 54-40, The Tragically Hip, Sarah McLachlan, Spirit of the West, The Waltons, Cowboy Junkies, The Pursuit of Happiness, and The Grapes of Wrath all gaining their first widespread attention during this time. Also notable are Canadian progressive thrash metal band Voivod and industrial bands Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly.

Blue Rodeo

A country rock band formed in 1984, Blue Rodeo is one of the most successful and well known contemporary Canadian bands, having released 10 studio albums. They have won many Canadian music awards, including 7 Juno Awards and 7 SOCAN awards. They have also collaborated extensively with other notable Canadian artists, including Sarah McLachlan, The Tragically Hip, Burton Cummings, Great Big Sea, Jann Arden, The Sadies, Skydiggers, and the Cowboy Junkies.

Cowboy Junkies

A country rock and alternative rock band formed by three siblings ( Margo Timmins, Michael Timmins, Peter Timmins ) from the Timmins entertainment family. Another sibling, Cali Timmins, rose to fame as an actress on Ryan's Hope. (The Timmins siblings are descendants of Noah Timmins, a mining prospector who founded the city of Timmins, Ontario.) The Trinity Session is perhaps their best known record, recorded live in a single day on a single microphone in a church in Toronto. The album also included cover version of The Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" based on the "" album version rather than the studio version from "Loaded". None of the band's subsequent albums have been hits outside of Canada, although the band has maintained a dedicated following and have continued to have chart hits in their native country having been nominated for three Juno Awards.

Blues-Rock

Canada's most successful rock artists by the late 1980s have worked in a relatively generic, mainstream pop rock, New Wave or alternative rock style. Some, however, may be ascribed to more specific substyles like Colin James, David Wilcox and Jeff Healey to blues-rock. With Stompin' Tom Connors and Great Big Sea to folk rock, that saw the start for both styles, a very large following all across Canada.

Colin James

A blues-rocker from Regina, Saskatchewan, James has released nine studio albums that blend the blues, rock, and swing genres starting in 1988. As well, he has won six Juno Awards in 1989 for Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year, 1991 for Single of the Year ("Just Came Back"). 1991 and 1996 for Male Vocalist of the Year, 1998 for "Best Blues Album" for National Steel, and 1999 for Best Producer.

Jeff Healey

A blues-rocker from Toronto, Ontario, his 1989 debut album achieved platinum sales in the US, in part due to the hit single Angel Eyes. His band The Jeff Healey Band won the Juno Award for Canadian Entertainer of the Year and two Grammy nominations 1990. The song "Hideaway" was nominated for the "best instrumental" Grammy Award. Healey and his band were also featured in the 1988 film "Road House". Other hits have included "How Long Can a Man Be Strong" and a cover of The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". On March 2, 2008 Healey died of cancer at St. Joseph's Health Centre in his home town of Toronto at the age of 41. His death came a month before the release of his new album, Mess of Blues, which would have been his first rock album in eight years.

1990s

Starting in the 1990s many new Canadian publications devoted to Canadian rock and pop music, either exclusively or in tandem with more general editorial content directed to young readers was expanding. Giving to the rise of alternative rock and grunge music revolutions of the 1990s that was kicked off in the United States by Nirvana and in the United Kingdom by The Stone Roses, in Canada it was ignited by an unassuming demo tape by the Barenaked Ladies. After "The Yellow Tape" became the hottest item in Canadian record stores in the fall of 1991, Barenaked-mania took the country by storm—in turn, paving the way for an explosion of Canadian bands to rule the airwaves unlike any era before. The 1990s also saw the 1971 CRTC rules (25% Canadian content on Canadian radio) finally come into full effect and by the end of the decade, radio stations would be playing almost 35% Canadian content. In 1996, VideoFACT launched PromoFACT, a funding program to help new artists produce electronic press kits and websites.

The roster of artists emerging in this decade includes The Headstones, The Tea Party, Matthew Good Band, Moist, Sloan, The Gandharvas, Change of Heart, Skydiggers, Eric's Trip, the Doughboys, Crash Test Dummies, The Lowest of the Low, 13 Engines, Odds, I Mother Earth, Age of Electric, Rymes With Orange, Strapping Young Lad, Bif Naked, Alanis Morissette, Rheostatics, The Watchmen, Moxy Früvous, Rusty, Our Lady Peace, The Philosopher Kings, Junkhouse, Wide Mouth Mason, Pure, Thrush Hermit, cub, The Killjoys, Sandbox, Treble Charger, Propagandhi, The Planet Smashers, Voivod, and Cryptopsy

Barenaked Ladies

Sales for the band began to steamroll based simply on word of mouth and their live shows. Their first release Yellow Tape in 1991, became the first indie release by any band to achieve platinum status (100,000 copies) in Canada. The album Stunt became their greatest success, buoyed by "One Week", which coincidentally spent "one week" at the number one spot on the storied Billboard Hot 100. Their trademark at live shows is humorous banter between songs, and improvised raps/songs. They have won seven Juno Awards from seventeen nominations.

Great Big Sea

A folk-rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador formed in 1992, are best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year-old Irish, English, and French heritage. The band also performs original material that won them Entertainer of the Year award at the East Coast Music Awards for every year between 1996 and 2000. [cite web | title= East Coast Music Awards inductees| work=ecma.ca|url=http://www.ecma.ca/s_51.asp Retrieved November 26 2006] They have also been nominated for nine Juno Awards, including Group of the Year in 1998 and 2005.

The Tea Party

A power trio formed in Windsor, Ontario in 1990. Initially playing indie rock and blues-based music, they developed a dedicated following while experimenting with musical style, incorporating diverse instruments. They have toured with a symphony orchestra, and it was estimated that they used more than 30 different instruments to record their album "The Edges of Twilight". The band experienced great success in their homeland, being nominated for an unprecedented 22 MuchMusic Video Awards, with six in 1998 alone. They were awarded three People's Choice Awards for Favourite Music Video and were nominated for thirteen Juno Awards.

The Tragically Hip

Often referred to simply as The Hip — formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1983. In 1987, the band signed a long-term record deal with MCA, later that year they released the EP "The Tragically Hip". They were largely unrecognized until 1989s "Up to Here", which established them as one of the most influential bands in Canada. They have never found mainstream success in the United States, but this didn't matter because their Canadian fan base alone was enough to sustain a long and healthy career, with them still playing large stadiums twenty five years after they started. The band is one of Canada's homegrown heroes—they have been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canada's Walk of Fame, Royal Conservatory of Music, have won over a dozen Juno Awards from more than thirty nominations, and appeared on Canadian TV shows like Corner Gas and the films Men with Brooms and Trailer Park Boys.

loan

A power pop quartet formed in 1991 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 1994 saw Spin Magazine named the bands second album "Twice Removed" one of the "Best Albums You Didn't Hear". A 1996 reader poll by Canadian music magazine Chart! ranked it as the best Canadian album of all time, only two years after its release. [http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2005/03/0105.cfm ChartAttack.com: Sloan's Twice Removed Named Top Canadian Album Of All Time (2005)] ] The same poll in 2000 ranked the album third, behind Joni Mitchell's Blue and Neil Young's Harvest. [http://www.chartattack.com/DAMN/2000/06/3001.cfm ChartAttack.com: However, in the 2005 poll once again ranked the album first, dispelling doubts that the 1996 vote was premature and overzealous.] ] However, in the 2005 poll once again ranked the album first. The band has been nominated for eight Juno Awards and has won "Best Alternative Album" for One Chord to Another in 1997. In 2008 They are scheduled to have a double performance with Aerosmith at the Air Canada Centre (ACC) in Toronto,Canada.

I Mother Earth

An alternative rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, represented by a professionally-recorded five-song demo, played a mere thirteen shows in a year, and suddenly they were in the middle of a bidding war between labels in 1992. They ended up being signed to EMI in Canada, and Capitol for the U.S. and internationally. They are one of Canada's best known acts of the 1990s. They won a Juno Award in 1994 for Best Hard Rock album, and were also nominated for the Best Rock Album and Group of the Year in 1997. The album Scenery and Fish is certified double Platinum in Canada.

Matthew Good Band

An alternative rock band from Burnaby, British Columbia, formed in 1995. One of Canada's most successful bands, their 1997 album "Underdogs" spawned the hit singles "Everything is Automatic" and "Apparitions", the latter of which remains the band's most successful single. The album "Beautiful Midnight" earned him and his band two Juno Awards in 2000, for Best Group and Best Rock Album. Good's political outspokenness and brash confidence were unusual in the Canadian rock scene of the 1990s, and after dissolving the band in 2002, he pursued a successful solo career.

Our Lady Peace

Often abbreviated OLP, is an alternative rock band from Toronto, Ontario. Have during their career sold over 5 million albums worldwide,

cite news
url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ourladypeace/articles/story/7596155/our_lady_peace_get_well
publisher=Rolling Stone
title=Our Lady Peace Get Well
date=August 1, 2005

] won four Juno Awards out of twenty nominations, and won ten MuchMusic Video Awards, including the in 1997, 1998 and 2000. They have the most awards won by any artist or group at the MMVA's. [

cite web
url=http://www.muchmusic.com/events/mmva06/inside/rewind/
publisher=MuchMusic
title=MuchMusic.com > MMVA06 > REWIND > 97, 98, 00
accessdate=2007-01-17] They also are the founders of the Summersault festival that toured across Canada in 1998 – 2000 with lineups that included Foo Fighters, A Perfect Circle and The Smashing Pumpkins.

Canadian Women

At the close of the 1990s, Canadian women in the popular music field enjoyed greater international commercial success than ever before. Four women led the way: Sarah McLachlan, Céline Dion, Alanis Morissette and Shania Twain. Many other Canadian women musicians have achieved international success in the highly competitive world of popular music, including Joni Mitchell, Ginette Reno, Diane Dufresne, Diana Krall, Avril Lavigne, Loreena McKennitt, Amanda Marshall, Holly Cole, Chantal Kreviazuk, Diane Tell, Jann Arden, Deborah Cox, Sarah Harmer, Susan Aglukark,Melissa Auf der Maur, Nelly Furtado, and Feist.

Alanis Morissette

A singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress from Ottawa, Ontario. Would kick off another revolution in Canadian music, just as Alannah Myles, Lisa Dalbello and Lee Aaron had a decade earlier. However, Morissette's transformation launched an era in which Canadian women like Avril Lavigne would rule the pop charts worldwide. According to the RIAA, Jagged Little Pill is the best-selling debut album of all time by a female artist, with over fourteen million copies sold in the U.S. As of 2005, it had sold thirty million worldwide. [cite web|author=Newman, Melinda|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000827178| title=10 Years On, Alanis Unplugs 'Little Pill'|accessdate=2006-11-16|date=2005-03-04| work=Billboard magazine] She has was won seven Grammy and twelve Juno Awards out of twenty-one nominations.

2000s

The start of the 2000s was dominated by Post-grunge and continued to see the expansion of alternative rock, hard rock, and indie rock both artistically and commercially. The main musical phenomenon was the emergence of a new generation of singer songwriters that were the direct consequence of the previous generation's intellectual ambitions. The wide and diverse sound in 2000s rock has resulted in such acts as Thornley, Sam Roberts, Nickelback, Finger Eleven, Simple Plan, Marianas Trench, Gob, Hot Hot Heat, Sum 41, Three Days Grace, The Trews, Billy Talent, Alexisonfire, Theory of a Deadman, Default, Bedouin Soundclash and Priestess emerging during this era. Although many of them have not been overly successful in the United States, they remain extremely popular in Canada. The biggest factor that has contributed to the resurgence of rock music in the 2000s is the rise of paid digital downloads, The vast majority of songs bought on paid download sites are singles bought from full albums; songs that are bought on a song-by-song basis off artist's albums are considered sales of singles, even though they have no official buyable single. For more info see Rock music.

Nickelback

A post-grunge/hard rock from Hanna, Alberta, formed in 1995 are arguably the most successful Canadian group in decades. Having sold almost 25 million records worldwide, [http://www.apra.com.au/awards/music/Nom07_ForeignWork.asp APRA Music Awards] ] being nominated for several Grammy Awards (Including Record of the Year for How You Remind Me and Best Rock Album for The Long Road). The album Silver Side Up has sold over six million copies (6x Platinum) in the United States and 800,000 copies (8x Platinum) in Canada. The band has won nine Juno Awards, an American Music Award, [cite web | title= AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS Recipients for 2006| work=www.adc.com|url=http://abc.go.com/specials/ama06.html|accessdate=2007-08-18] an MTV Video Music Award [cite web | title= MTV Video Music Award Recipients| work=www.mtv.com|url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/past-vmas/winners.jhtml|accessdate=2007-08-18] for Best Video from a Film (Hero), and a World Music Award [cite web | title= World Music Awards Recipients| work=www.worldmusicawards.com|url=http://www.worldmusicawards.com|accessdate=2007-08-18] for World's Best-Selling Rock Artist. On December 4, 2006, Nickelback won three Billboard Music Awards out of five nominations. The hit single "How You Remind Me" reached the top on the Canadian Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time, making them the second Canadian band to accomplish this, the first being The Guess Who with "American Woman in 1970 ". [cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:7cx1z8ba2yv6~T1|title=Nickelback Biography|work=All Music Guide|accessdate=2006-11-26] . In 2007, they were inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

Theory of a Deadman

A post-grunge/rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, signed by Nickelback's Chad Kroeger to his 604 Record Label. They have released three albums to date, Theory of a Deadman in 2002, Gasoline in 2005, and Scars & Souvenirs in 2008. Their first album has been certified platinum in Canada, and Gasoline has been certified 2x platinum in Canada. They have also had three top 20 singles on the U.S. Modern Rock charts. Nothing Could Come Between Us and No Surprise from Theory of a Deadman and Gasoline, respectively, both reached number eight. Make Up Your Mind from Theory of a Deadman reached number twelve. Currently they are touring.

Three Days Grace

A Post-grunge band, their self-titled debut album reached the top ten of the Canadian Singles Chart, the top 100 of the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart and number-one on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart, gaining Platinum certification. "I Hate Everything About You" was #1 in Canada and "Just Like You" hit #1 on the US Modern Rock Charts. One-X, the bands second album, was released in 2006 and landed at #5 on the U.S. Billboard 200 in its debut week and is certified Gold in the United States. "Animal I Have Become" and "Pain" hit #1 on the US Modern Rock Charts.

um 41

A pop punk and alternative metal band from Ajax, Ontario. They are one of the more popular mainstream punk acts worldwide, and their song "Fat Lip" hit #1 on the US Modern Rock charts. Every single Sum 41 album has reached #1 in Canada and three of them reached top 10 in the USA. Sum 41 has also known success on UK and Europe, Asia, Mexico, Chile and Brazil. The band won the 2003 Juno Awards in category "Group Of The Year", they have been three times nominees of the "Best Rock Album" category, winning two times with All Killer No Filler and Chuck in 2001 and 2005 respectively, the 2000 they won the Canadian Radio Award for "Best New Group".

Billy Talent

A Punk Rock band from Streetsville Ontario, Billy Talent made their mainstream debut with their self titled album "Billy Talent". They spawned the very successful first single Try Honesty Other singles The Ex, River Below, and Nothing to lose followed. "Billy Talent" Reached number 1 in album sales for 4 weeks, and was certified 3 times platinum in January 2007. In June 2006, Billy talent released Billy Talent II The first single being Devil in a midnight mass followed by Red Flag, Fallen Leaves. Surrender, and This Suffering. Billy Talent II was certified 2x platinum in Canada, and 3x platinum in Germany. Billy Talent has a large European following, and won the 2004 Juno for Best new group of the year, the 2005 Juno for Best Group of the year, and Billy Talent II won best Rock Album of the year in 2006.

Indie rock

The boom of independent music at the turn of the millennium had changed the dynamics of the music industry. At about the same time, the CD (cheap to manufacture) replaced the vinyl album and tape (expensive to manufacture). Shortly thereafter, the Internet allowed musicians to directly distribute their music, thus bypassing the selection of the old-fashioned "record label". The decade has been notable for a surprising number of ambitious indie rock albums by bands. The Canadian indie rock scene has been the focus of national and international attention in many publications, such as "Spin", "The New York Times Magazine", "Rolling Stone", "Under the Radar", as well the Canadian edition of "Time Magazine".

It can be difficult for an indie group to break through in Canada because there is no nationwide rock station. In England, the BBC has its own nationwide rock network and any indie group that can get onto the play-list instantly gets nationwide play. It was because of this that groups like Oasis and Blur were able to become internationally famous. In Canada, on the other hand, although rock bands may get some exposure from outlets such as MuchMusic, CBC Radio 3 (picking up where CBC Radio 2's Brave New Waves left off), on terrestrial radio bands must largely rely on building an audience city by city, as each commercial radio station makes its play-list decisions independently. Similarly, it is more difficult to "travel" nationwide as well, creating regional communities that revolve around major music scenes in cities like Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal or Halifax, each with a handful of offshoot suburban town scenes that produce the next wave of fresh bands.

Arcade Fire

An indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, their first album, "Funeral", debuted in September 2004 in the USA and in February 2005 in the UK, and was highly acclaimed by critics. Without a major label backing, the success of the band and the album "Funeral" has been acclaimed as an Internet phenomenon. After a 9.7 rating from Pitchfork, Merge Records sold out their inventory of "Funeral" and it became the label's first album in the Billboard 200 chart. Arcade Fire were nominated for a Juno Award in 2005 for Alternative Album of the Year and subsequently nominated for a Grammy in 2006 for Best Alternative Music Album. Many experts picked them to win, but they lost to The White Stripes album Get Behind Me Satan. In 2007, they released Neon Bible, which became a top selling album in Canada and the United States

French-Canadian Rock

In Quebec, meanwhile, Robert Charlebois introduced elements of rock into the music of the chansonnier in the late 1960s. Consolidated by Ville Émard Blues Band, rock was thereafter a major influence on many French-language pop rock acts from 1970s until today, among them Beau Dommage, Aut'Chose (with Lucien Francoeur), Harmonium, Maneige, Morse Code, Octobre, Offenbach (with Gerry Boulet), Corbeau, Michel Pagliaro, Nanette Workman, Gilles Valiquette and Plume Latraverse. Rock was influencial in Quebec pop from the 80's and until now with artists like by Les B.B., Laurence Jalbert, Jean Leloup, Daniel Bélanger, Parfaits salauds, Vilain Pingouin, Banlieue Rouge, Chapeaumelon, Dany Bédar, Dan Bigras, Boom Desjardins, Marie-Mai Bouchard, Daniel Boucher, Bran Van 3000, Les Breastfeeders, La Chicane, Martin Deschamps, Sloche, Madame, the Taches, Dumas, France D'Amour, Les Frères à Ch'val, Gorguts, Éric Lapointe, Daniel Lavoie, Jean Leloup, Malajube, Marjo, Noir Silence, Okoumé, Kevin Parent, Paul Piché, Bruno Pelletier, Projet Orange, Richard Séguin, Stefie Shock, Marie-Chantal Toupin, Les Trois Accords, Andrée Watters, Cryptopsy, Neuraxis, Quo Vadis, Miranie Morissette, Jorane.

ee also

*Juno Award
*Polaris Music Prize
*Canadian Music Hall of Fame
*Music of Canada
*Canada's Walk of Fame
*
*
*List of Canadian musicians
*List of bands from Canada
*

External links

* [http://www.canuckistanmusic.com canuckistanmusic]
* [http://www.canadianbands.com CanadianBands.com]
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com The Canadian Encyclopedia.com] —The Canadian Encyclopedia
* [http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/ Canoe.ca /Jam!] —Jam!
* [http://www.newmusiccanada.com/ New Music Canada] —By CBC Radio 3
* [http://www.filmwest.com/Catalogue/itemdetail/3313/ "Shakin' All Over: A History of Canadian Rock and Roll"]
* [http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com Canada's Walk of Fame]
* [http://www.juno-awards.ca The Junos/Canadian Music Hall of Fame official website]
* [http://www.torontomusicscene.ca Torontomusicscene.ca] Toronto Area Rock

References