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  6. So it’s a list with no aspirations to objectivity, fair enough; it’s a list of the 50 ‘we like the most’, OK.

    Then don’t title it the ’50 Greatest Canadian Artists Of All Time’ and stick it up at a url that reads, ’50 Best Canadian Musicians Of All Time’.

    Typical RS bullshit.

    Where’s Bruce Cockburn? Ignored except to excuse his absence by implying they don’t like him enough. 34 albums over half a century. Displaced by some recent no-mark, included merely to demonstrate the writer’s down-wiv-the-kids creds?

    Shameful clickbait tripe.

    • I agree, Bruce Cockburn’s absence is inexplicable.
      As I scrolled down and found he wasn’t anywhere between 11 and 50, I wondered where in the top 10 he’d be
      Others I cannot believe are absent include Kathleen Edwards, Ron Sexsmith, Cowboy Junkies (already noted above) and Blue Rodeo.
      Additionally Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo both have parallel solo careers which would make them individually worthy of inclusion.

  8. I have to be honest that by the time I got to the Top 5, I was thinking “They genuinely are going to ignore Rush”, for fair play to them for placing them so high.

  9. Amazing how people get so worked up about a list. It’s just opinions, of course no more valid than anyone else could come up with. There will always be omissions partly because there are more than 50 great Canadian artists. Some on the list wouldn’t make mine but it doesn’t really matter

  11. Celebrating Canada Day what a great idea.

    Do we have an England Day or UK Day?

    If we do what a load of BOLLOCKS that would be. Oh the Party of Eternal Liars & Backstabbing Idiots AKA tories (auto correct just changed that to goriest! How prescient) would love it anything to divert attention from their total wreckage of the economy, Health Service, Education you name it those twats have wrecked it.

    Happy 💥🤣🦄🍳🍻❤️‍🩹💥 Sunday everyone!

  14. Well, I enjoyed the list for its educational qualities – plenty of bands and artists I’d never heard of before, and plenty that I knew of but didn’t know they were Canadian!

    So, what do Canadians do on Canada Day? Parades? Feasting at Tim Horton’s? Or just minding their own business as usual?
    Since Sweden created an official National Day some years back (it happened in stages, first it was known as “Flag Day” but not a holiday, then in -83 it became a National Day but still not a holiday until 2005) they’ve tried very hard to make people give a shit, but it’s been a very slow process.
    Once it became what I guess you guys would call a “Bank Holiday” people at least enjoy the day (weather willing) outdoors, having picknicks in the parks and listening to free concerts etc. But definitely not the hysterical vibe of the Norwegians on their National Day!
    Then again; they’re celebrating getting rid of their Swedish overlords, and we’re celebrating an old king in the 16th century AND changing our form of government in the 19th century – a form of government since changed again into what we now have…no wonder that we’re less than enthusiastic! 😀

  15. Happy Canada Day!

    Once one starts to think about it, there are so many excellent Canadian artists.

    A few of my favourites.

    Basia Bulat – singer songwriter with a exquisite voice.

    Matthieu Pelletier – Gagnon – instrumental chamber pop

    Klo Pelgag – his eccentric pop princess sister

    Men I trust – atmospheric dream pop.

    Fred Eaglesmith – country singer and hilarious raconteur

    Le Vent du Nord – Quebec quartet who are mainstays of the Francophone folk scene

    Also true of

    La Bottine Souriante

    Mary Margaret O’Hara – her one album endeared her to me for life.

    The Hidden Cameras – queer politics, sparkly pop, indie flooorfillers.

    Daniel Lanois – Eno- acolyte and ace producer, and also a very gifted songwriter in his own right..

    Stars – Your ex-lover is dead Hitmakers

    Ron Sexsmith – one of Canada’s finest songwriters

    Elisapie – First Nation singer who sings in Inuktitut. Recent birthday Girl Debbie Harry became a fan when she heard the Inuktitut version of Heart of Glass.

    William Prince – another fine First Nation singer songwriter.

    Junior Boys – Electronic pop from Ontario

    The Be- Good Tanyas. Splendid folk rock combo.

    Moxy Fruvous – Witty pop funsters: “My baby loves a bunch of authors”

    July Talk – shameless boogie. A band who are ready to rock.

    Couer de pirate – she’s a gifted singer-songwriter.

    Les Cowboys Fringants – Poetic Francophone pop with exquisite arrangements and fine songs.

    Lots to enjoy!

  16. Due to my contribution on the The Afterword: What’s Your Role? thread, I feel duty bound to say I am very pleased to see Carly Rae Jepsen make this list. She is superb & on one hell of a good run of wonderful albums (6 & counting if you include b-side collections which you defintiely should)

  17. Some fine additions there to the AWV playlist I’ve just made.

    Hopefully it will enable us to forget about that RS monstrosity.

    Any more suggestions?

    Just been listening to Allvays for the first time. Thanks for the tip, Diddley!

          • Indeed, fitter! I’m going to write a short piece here about my festival experience in the next few days.

            Back to that RS list. Despite all the omissions, there are some very decent choices too.

            Destroyer, for example. This track, Kaputt, has a wonderfully languid groove.

            And then there’s the amorphous Broken Social Scene, the band where Feist, among others, experienced early success.

            Here she is joining them for their hypnotic Anthems for a seventeen year old girl.

    • Here are a few more Canadians possibly worthy of inclusion.
      Julian Taylor, Whitehorse (plus their constituent solo parts – Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet), Tara MacLean, Sarah Slean, Catherine MacLellan and Jim Bryson.

  18. I have enjoyed foraging around in lesser-known nooks and crannies of the Canadian musical landscape. Artists who will never get anywhere near the RS Top 50 but are well worth a listen anyway.

    Nova Scotia singer, Jenn Grant for example. Here she is doing a cover.

    If you enjoyed that, I just stumbled across a short concert.

    I discovered Jenn because she sung with chamber pop combo. The Heavy Blinkers.

    Well worth exploring.

  20. Far away from the million-sellers at the top of the RS list, there are musicians like the splendid rootsy duo, Mama’s Broke: Lisa Maria Bates and Amy Lou Keeler. They are constantly out on the road playing the small venues throughout Canada.

    They met for the first time when they shared a (10 hour or so) ride.

    It’s a big country with long journey times! And like Scandinavia sparsely populated.

    There are many national parks. In 2011 they were celebrated in a film and music project.

    Breath-taking scenery!

    If you want to read more.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Parks_Project

  21. Just discovered that Canada was the first country in the world to establish national parks.

    And they are magnificent.

    Canadian songwriters and composer must get enormous inspiration from the beauty of the country.

    DuCool favourite, Flore Laurentienne aka Matthieu Pelletier-Gagnon, for example.

    Here he is live.

  25. How did we get this far without posting a song by Stars?

    I really don’t know their songs (tips gratefully received!), so I went for the obvious choice.

    But what a song it is!

    Not completely sure it works for a choir. But hats off to the Coastal Sound Youth Choir for choosing such an unexpected song! Their version is growing on me.

    One more from Stars… Dead Hearts

    • Actually there is a Canadian sound, it difers from American acts. Hard to describe, guess a bit more folky/countryish than mainstream US acts. And many 80s acts were much more influenced by UK/Europe than our neighbours who are (mostly) to the south

      • Can’t agree with you there, @chinstroker.

        Of course there is a considerable overlap. But for me, as someone who also lives in a sparsely populated country in the far north with many large lakes and forests, and long, cold, dark winters, there is something that makes Canadian music different.

        It’s the melancholy, the sparseness, a shyness and lack of bombast….

        Here are a few artists that I think are in some way inherently Canadian.

        The McGarrigle Sisters (not to mention Rufus and Martha), Le Vent du Nord, Basia Bulat, Elisapie, Men I trust, Stars, Feist, Ron Sexsmith, The Cowboy Junkies, Les Cowboys Fringants, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Leonard Cohen…

        That should set the cat among the pigeons!

        While you chew that over, here’s the wonderful Basia Bulat. As Canadian as maple syrup!

        Here’s her Tiny Desk session.

        https://www.npr.org/2011/01/24/133113463/basia-bulat-tiny-desk-concert

  27. I just hit gold!

    When browsing through Basia Bulat clips, I discovered one of a concert that she did at Massey Hall in Toronto.

    It’s one of 49 Massey Hall videos, (each 30 minutes long), many of which are highlighting Canadian artists.

    https://www.youtube.com/@liveatmasseyhall/about

    The venue has a long history. Neil Young performed there in 1971 and that gig became a live album.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massey_Hall

    I’ve picked a few clips you may enjoy…

    Andy Shauf

    Kathleen Edwards

    The Hidden Cameras (with special guests Feist and Ron Sexsmith)

    Have a browse and then please tell us which clips you enjoyed.

  30. I take part in Zoom music session every Monday night and have done for years. Depending on the number taking part, we get 3 or 4 songs each. I like to try and do something relevant with my choice of songs, a theme if you like.
    It’s both Fred Eaglesmith’s and Robbie Robertson’s birthday this week so I had to include them. Coincidentally, the newest song I have learned is by Gordon Lightfoot, so my theme was Canada Day.
    Songs –
    Spookin’ The Horses by Fred Eaglesmith
    The Weight by The Band
    How’s Ernie by Fred Eaglesmith
    Early Morning Rain by Gordon Lightfoot

    • Wonderful! You are a real Canadophile, @bigstevie.

      Fred Eaglesmith visited Stockholm once, and, having been tipped off by a friend, I went to see him. What a wonderful combination of excellent songs and very amusing stories.

      Another artist whose charm and humour I would argue are inherently Canadian.

      • Just back home from the pub in Edinburgh where we had a session. I sang the four songs above, plus –
        Alcohol and Pills by Fred Eaglesmith
        Powderfinger by Neil Young

        Others got involved and we had Leonard Cohen and Joni.

  31. I did a quick Google to discover how many people lived in Quebec Province. Just over 8 million.

    (The population of Canada as a whole has just gone over 40 million.)

    I don’t know good a living one can make as a Francophone singer in Canada, but there are quite a few talented artists.

    Like the Boulay Sisters.

    La Bottine Souriante

    Le Vent du Nord – here they are in Glasgow.

    And here they are at Canada’s Celtic Colours Festival which takes place on Cape Breton Island.

    • There are Francophones all over the country, yes mainly Quebec. but New Brunswick is pretty much 50/50 and there are French speaking areas in Ontario too (English speaking people in Quebec too, but less than there used to be)

      • Thanks @Dai. I didn’t know that.

        I totally agree with you about there being a distinctly Canadian sound. There are several different aspects to this.

        Looking towards Europe, particularly the chansons of France, but also the modern music of the UK.

        Nurturing the Celtic connections and putting in regular appearances in Glasgow.

        Exploring the musical culture of the First Nations.

        Unashamedly embracing the world of poetry and literature. I don’t think Leonard Cohen could have been an American.

        If you want to hear some more music from Quebec, just search for “Quebecois” on Spotify and then scroll down to the Playlists. There are lots of wonderful, amateur compilations.

  32. There was a game / challenge thing running over on the smoking ruin of what’s left of Twitter, with people posting tracks from their favourite Canadian artists for the 30 days leading up to Canada Day.

    Here’s my playlist (which is actually twice as long as it needed to be, my actual choices were the first 30 songs) for your listening pleasure. Or otherwise.

    • Thanks a lot, @Deviant808. A whole pile of new songs and artists to explore there.

      There seem to be a very large number of Canadian artists who are fairly unknown in Europe.

      How can I not love a band called Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet?

      And their music is as good as their name!

  33. This morning I stumbled across a TV series, My neigbors dog, which is a series of “at home” concerts by sundry (mostly Canadian) artists.

    https://www.youtube.com/@verbverb/videos

    Here’s Jane Siberry.

    And here’s Ohbijou, a low-fi, Toronto indie combo who sound very promising.

    Lots of new artists to explore and some old favourites.

    (Non-Canadian) Vic Chestnutt, for example.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rPyQFmGmb4

    Great Lake Swimmers, The Low Anthem, Jenn Grant, Buck 65, The Besnard Lakes, Julie Doiron, Cowboy Junkies…..

  34. Before you brought it to our attention, Dai, I had no idea that there was a Canada Day.

    Now I know it is 1st July. I also know, thanks for this article, a little about how it is celebrated.

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-day-2023-1.6894148

    So who sung at the celebrations?

    “The evening celebrations will begin at 8 p.m. and will include performances from several Canadian artists from across the country, including Jann Arden, Roxane Bruneau, Preston Pablo, Tegan and Sara, Dear Rouge, Madison Violet, Josh Q and many more.”

    Most of those are new names to me.

    Josh Q is Josh Qaumariaq . Something of a local hero in Nunavat.

    https://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/thursday-may-16-2019-dan-aykroyd-ahmed-best-jar-jar-binks-and-more-from-nunavut-1.5136928/josh-q-and-the-trade-offs-bring-the-sound-of-arctic-soul-to-q-1.5138204

    Here he is with his band the Trade Offs, making his first appearance on the AW.

    July 1st is not all beer and skittles. First Nation Canadians so not celebrate so much.

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/canada-day-truth-reconciliation-1.6891788

    On the day of the Summer Solstice, 21st June, they celebrate National Indigenous People’s Day.

    https://livelearn.ca/article/about-canada/why-do-we-celebrate-national-aboriginal-day-on-june-21/

    • That’s kind, @kaisfatdad. ATB get a fair few Canadian rekkids to review and I would go as far to say as the Canucks do better old style country and country rock than the Yanks, and that the North Eastern seaboard has as vibrant a Celtic and Gaelic folk scene as the west coasts of Ireland and Scotland put together.

      • High praise indeed, Retro! Cleary a little more foraging around will be well worth the effort.

        So when are going to get yourself a press pass for Celtic Colours out on Cape Breton Island?

        https://celtic-colours.com/

        It looks like a very enjoyable do.

        This lot, The Stoney Bear Singers, are performing.

          • I can’t really think of her as a blues artist, but I’m sure Shania Twain puts on a great show and will boost ticket sales. I’d watch her.

            Personally I’d go for Plant and Krauss and the Blackie and the Rodeo KIngs feat Daniel Lanois. Dan’s a very charismatic talented bloke.

            Tanka and the Bongas did a wonderful Tiny desk session which was great fun. They’d be on my list too.

              • Iggy is playing folk fest?? What a wonderful thought!

                I trust there will be a hurdy gurdy player in the band.

                I just stumbled across this list of the 100 Best Canadian albums ever.

                “The Top 100 Canadian Albums is a book by journalist Bob Mersereau, published in 2007 by Goose Lane Editions.

                Mersereau surveyed 600 music journalists, retailers, musicians and disc jockeys of all ages, from all parts of Canada, who each submitted a list of 10 favourite Canadian albums released between 1957 and 2007.”

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Top_100_Canadian_Albums

                Many familiar favourites. Lots of Neil Young, Joni, Leonard Cohen, The Band, Rush, The Tragically Hip, Gordon Lightfoot etc

                Francophone Quebec is very under-represented. But at Number 71, there is Jaune by Jean-Pierre Ferland. Very agreeable!

  36. That 100 Best Canadian albums list got a lot of stick, not least because artists from BC were under-represented.

    I hang my head in shame. Where is British Columbia? I haven’t a scooby about that or any of the other. Canadian provinces. If you asked me to point to the location of Vancouver on a map, I would not do very well.

    So who are all these BC artists? Only Carly Rae Jepsen, Diana Krall, Michael Bublé, the New Pornographers and many more.

    It suddenly struck me that perhaps Vancouver and Victoria have the same kind of relationship to Toronto and Ottawa as Perth has to Sydney and Canberra.

    The distance is very similar.

    Toronto to Vancouver

    40 hr (4 172,8 km) via I-90 E

    The quickest route is to drive through the USA.

    Perth to Sydney

    41 hr (3 931,7 km) via National Highway A1.

    I was very amused to hear what Aussie author, Tim Winton, (who is from Perth) had to say about the condescending attitude the people in Eastern Australia had towards those from the West.
    So how does that work in Canada? What are the stereotypes of the people from different parts of the country.

    Here’s Mrs Costello. Born in Nanaimo, BC.

  38. You’ve got a Blues Fest to go to @dai. And just to make sure you don’t get peckish, here’s comment No 100, ensuring that you will have a delicious Chicken Corsair snack to tuck into.

    What better way to put this thread to bed than the sumptuous dream pop of Men I Trust?

    For me, Emanuelle Proulx’s exquisite voice is up there with Margo Timmins, Basia Bulat, Joni Mitchell, Amy Millan, Emily Haines and Feist.

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