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CANADIAN MUSIC HISTORY RADIO

READING ROOM

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TUNE IN AND
LISTEN NOW!
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TUNE IN AND
LISTEN NOW!

ROLLING STONE

Neil Peart, Rush Drummer, Dead at 67

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Neil Peart, Rush Drummer who set a new standard for Rock Virtuosity, Dead at 67

 

Hall of Fame drummer and lyricist succumbs to brain cancer

CANUCK ROCK

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Canuck Rock: A History of Canadian Popular Music

An invaluable resource and an absorbing read, Canuck Rock spans from the emergence of rock and roll in the 1950s through to today's international recording industry. Combining archival material, published accounts, and new interviews, Ryan Edwardson explores how music in Canada became Canadian music.

What does it mean to be a Canadian musician? And why does nationality even matter? Canuck Rock addresses these questions by delving into the myriad relationships between the people who make music, the industries that produce and sell it, the radio stations and government legislation that determine availability, and the fans who consume it and make it their own.

GEDDY LEE's BBB of Bass

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Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass

From Rush frontman Geddy Lee's personal collection of vintage electric bass guitars, dating from the 1950s to the 1980s, comes the definitive volume on the subject.

Geddy's love of the bass has been nurtured over a lifetime spent in the limelight as one of the world's premier rock bassists. For the past seven years, he's dedicated himself to studying the history of the instrument that's been so essential to his career, collecting hundreds of basses from around the globe.

TESTIMONY

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Testimony

by Robbie Robertson

Providing the first comprehensive history of Canada’s songwriting legacy, this guide traces a distinctly Canadian musical identity from the 1930s to the end of the 1970s.

WHISPERING PINES

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Whispering Pines

The Northern Roots of American Music...
from Hank Snow to The Band

by Jason Schneider

Providing the first comprehensive history of Canada’s songwriting legacy, this guide traces a distinctly Canadian musical identity from the 1930s to the end of the 1970s. Canadian innovators featured include The Band, Ian & Sylvia, Hank Snow, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, and superstars Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. 

NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS

Joni Mitchell reflects on 50th anniversary of ‘Blue’ in rare video message.

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Released in 1971, Mitchell’s fourth studio album "Blue" is widely regarded as one of the greatest records of all time. It explores various facets of relationships following the iconic musician’s
breakup with Graham Nash.

JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME

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"Just Between You and Me"

A Memoir: Founding Member of April Wine
by Myles Goodwyn

Singer, guitarist, writer, producer and bandleader Myles Goodwyn is the only remaining original member of April Wine, and has been with the group since its inception in 1969. April Wine ruled the charts both in Canada and internationally in the ’70s and ’80s, and the band has influenced generations of musicians in all genres.

WAGING HEAVY PEACE

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Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream

by Neil Young

Legendary singer and songwriter Neil Young’s storied career has spanned over forty years and yielded some of the modern era’s most enduring music. Now for the first time ever, Young reflects upon his life—from his Canadian childhood, to his part in the sixties rock explosion with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, through his later career with Crazy Horse and numerous private challenges. An instant classic, Waging Heavy Peace is as uncompromising and unforgettable as the man himself.

THE NEVER ENDING PRESENT

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The Never-Ending Present: The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip

by Micheal Barclay

In the first print biography of the Tragically Hip, Michael Barclay talks to dozens of the band’s peers and friends about not just the Hip’s music but about the opening bands, the American albatross, the band’s role in Canadian culture, and Gord Downie’s role in reconciliation with Indigenous people. When Downie announced he had terminal cancer and decided to take the Hip on the road one more time, the tour became another Terry Fox moment; this time, Canadians got to witness an embattled hero reach the finish line.

THE HISTORY of CDN ROCK 'n' ROLL

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The History of Canadian
Rock 'n' Roll

by Bob Mersereau

Rock 'n' roll was born in the Southern U.S. during the 1950s. Its popularity rapidly grew, spreading across the Atlantic to England. The Brits transformed rock, bringing it back to the States in a new form with the British Invasion. What's often forgotten in these histories is the evolution of Canadian rock and roll during the same period. Over the years, a huge contingent of Canadian artists has made invaluable contributions to rock 'n' roll. 

SPIN

Arcade Fire, Destroyer, U.S. Girls, More Sign Open Letter in Solidarity With Indigenous Protestors

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Earlier this month, fourteen people were arrested for defending Indigenous land belonging to the Wet’suwet’en Nation in northwestern British Columbia, Canada.

CBC

Prince Charles: I find Leonard Cohen's music very moving

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The rarely performed opera, as well as the songs of Leonard Cohen and Russian Orthodox liturgical music, have been revealed as the private musical choices of Prince Charles on a special edition of Radio 3’s long-running show Private Passions.

UNCUT

Neil Young on his greatest hits

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Neil Young is just back from playing several dates on the “Vote For Change” tour and he’s still sporting the button badge and a custom-made “Canadians For Kerry” T-shirt to prove it. “Too bad you guys in Europe don’t get to vote. 

FYI Music News

Canadian Centric News

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FYI Music News is a site updated weekdays, written for and about Canada's music and music industry. Its newsletter is subscribed to by music industry professionals and neophytes, ....

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Gordon Lightfoot is 80, but nothing can stop Canada's folk poet laureate from performing

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When Canada’s folk-poet laureate Gordon Lightfoot was singled out for a lifetime achievement award at the 1986 Juno Awards, Canadian recording academy officials...

RECKLESS DAUGHTER

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Reckless Daughter

A Portrait of Joni Mitchell
by David Yaffe

With an inimitable sound and unmistakable voice, Joni Mitchell is one of the most iconic performers and storytellers of any generation. Reckless Daughter tells the remarkable, heart-wrenching story of how the blonde girl from Saskatchewan with the guitar became a superstar of folk music in the 1960s, a key figure in the Laurel Canyon music scene of the 1970s and the songwriter who spoke resonantly to, and for, audiences around the world.

VINYL TAP STORIES

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Vinyl Tap Stories

by Randy Bachman

Randy Bachman has been rolling out chart-topping songs his whole life and, since 2005, treating fans to a lifetime of rock ’n’ roll stories on his hit CBC Radio show, Vinyl Tap. 

His approach is always fresh—even the most hardcore music fans will be surprised by what they can learn from Bachman. Whether he is touring with Ringo Starr, jamming with Little Richard, or recording with Neil Young, music is his life, and his anecdotes put you at the centre of it all. Bachman’s stories are candid and always entertaining. These are his best stories. The most memorable Vinyl Tap moments are all here, from Randy’s Guitarology 101 to his favourite songs to be played at funerals. For fans of the radio show and perennial rock ’n’ roll lovers from the sixties through to today, Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap Stories invites readers to relive their favourite musical experiences.

THE FLYER VAULT

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The Flyer Vault: 150 Years of Toronto Concert History

by Daniel Tate & Rob Bowman

Duke Ellington. Johnny Cash. David Bowie. Nirvana. Bob Marley. Wu-Tang Clan. Daft Punk. These are just some of the legendary names that played Toronto over the last century. Drawing from Daniel Tate’s extensive flyer collection, first archived on his Flyer Vault Instagram account, Tate and Rob Bowman have assembled a time capsule that captures a mesmerizing history of Toronto concert and club life, ?running the gamut of genres from vaudeville to rock, jazz to hip-hop, blues to electronica, and punk to country.

ROCKIN' ON THE RIDEAU

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Rockin' On The Rideau: Ottawa's Golden Age of Rock and Roll

by Jim Hurcomb

From the day Elvis Presley came to town in 1957, to the release of The Five Man Electrical Band's mega-hit "Signs", we relive those memories with the bands, the clubs, the concerts and the colorful cast of characters who made it happen. Pull back the curtain on the magic of "Ottawa's Golden Age of Rock and Roll"

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