He delivered frenetic dance moves or stream-of-consciousness rants in ways that suggested he was channelling the music. The Downie residence was the only one where the Hips gold record was nowhere to be seen; the elder Downies couldnt remember the name of his high-school punk band. [77], In August, Downie's Twitter account was reactivated, and began posting a series of teaser photographs of handwritten song lyrics, accompanied by numbers that appeared to be a calendar countdown to the date of October 15. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Downie also appeared in Michael McGowan's 2008 film, One Week. Canadian Icon Gordon "Gord" Edgar Downie February 6th, 1964 - October 17th, 2017 We lost a true Canadian icon, talented poet and musician. The album was scheduled for release on October 27th. On October 13, 2016, Downie and his brother Mike, along with the Wenjack family, announced the founding of the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund to support reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. I came from a rural area, he once recalled. Shut up until its time to do it again. No matter how opaque or directly critical of Canadian history he may have been, Downie faced a sea of literal flag-waving at almost every single showespecially at shows not on Canadian soil. Usher was a 20-year-old student at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont. The backing musicians, credited as the Goddamned Band, consisted of indie rock band the Dinner Is Ruined, Josh Finlayson of Skydiggers and singer-songwriter Julie Doiron. Then came May 24, 2016, when the band announced Downie's diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. [73], In the wake of Downie's death, CTV rescheduled the planned broadcast premiere of Long Time Running, a documentary film by Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier about the Man Machine Poem Tour of 2016, from November 12 to October 20. The final concert, in Kingston on Aug. 20,2016 was broadcast byCBC. TV is the main source of information. Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie performs with band members Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair, Johnny Fay and Rob Baker at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre to kick off the bands latest Man Machine Poem tour in light of Downies brain cancer diagnosis, in Victoria, B.C., Canada July 22, 2016. Aided by teleprompters showing the lyrics, Downie pranced about the stage with his signature theatrical dance moves, though less kinetically than in the past. The band won its first Juno (Most Promising Group) on the strength of that album and solidified its hold on the Canadian music scene with the next three albums: 1991's Road Apples, 1992's Fully Completely and 1994's Day for Night, all of which went multi-platinum or diamond. Brad Wheeler tells his. [16], Also in 2014 Downie appeared as a guest vocalist on "The Art of Patrons", a song from Fucked Up's album Glass Boys.[17]. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. Thats what even newcomers discovered during the CBC broadcast of the Tragically Hips final show on Aug. 20, 2016, six months after Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Terfry composed the track and with the help of Charles Austen, his co-writer, decided Downie's vocals would be the best fit for their song. On top of that, his beloved father, Edgar, was ailing; Downie spent a lot of time with him that year in Kingston while recording the Hips Man Machine Poem at their nearby studio. Months of craniotomies, chemo and radiation therapy followed. During his final months, Downie chose to say goodbye in his own unique wayand he let fans bid the beloved band farewell, too. Written entirely in the first person, Downie tried to feel what Chanie Wenjack was feeling on his journey from moment he was taken away from his family, to his lonely death. or somewhat similarly minded mainstream artists like John Mellencamp. Bob Berg/Getty. "Then for him to say, 'Look at this, this is our country too. As with the blanket ceremony, the emotion and pride on his face was palpable. On the evening of October 17th, 2017, Downie passed away at the age of 53. Just a few close friends on a starry night in front of a campfire. He was a board member of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. Gord knew this day was coming his response was to spend this precious time as he always had making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss on the lips. Editors picks Gordon Edgar Downie CM (February 6, 1964 October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Thank you everyone for all the respect, admiration and love you have given Gord throughout the years those tender offerings touched his heart and he takes them with him now as he walks among the stars. He died Tuesday night surrounded by his children and family, according to a statement on the band's website. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and popular artists in Canadian music history.[2]. It was viewed by an estimated 11.7 million people. Downie also made a cameo appearance in the 2008 indie drama Nothing Really Matters, directed by Jean-Marc Pich. Downie recorded the latter album, produced by Drew, across two four-day sessions in January 2016 and February 2017, with much of the final product assembled from first takes. [28], Downie took to Parliament Hill on July2, 2017, to speak out for Canada's young Indigenous people, likening it to the same kind of pain young people suffered in the now defunct residential schools. Downieattended Kingston Collegiate Vocational Institute, a school that has also graduated the likes of John A. Macdonald, Robertson Davies, and Don Cherry. [53], Downie was the godson of Harry Sinden, a former hockey coach, general manager and president of the Boston Bruins. to catch the first shows of the tour, just in case he didnt make it home. [6] In high school, Downie was the frontman for a band called the Slinks performing at the KCVI Variety show and rivaling older members Rob Baker and Gord Sinclair's band the Rodents. He published his first poetry and prose collection alongside the album and under the same title. [36], Downie toured with the band in summer 2016 to support Man Machine Poem, the band's 13th studio album. Lemire created a graphic novel inspired by Downie's songs, and its images were used to create the film. The band even has its own postage stamp and a street named after it, Tragically Hip Way, in Kingston, Ont. Downies on-stage improvisations were a principal part of the bands appeal from day one, though he was not yet a lyricist. Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip (Photo by Aven Hoffarth) One of the best things about Gord Downie was his thoughtfulness. Downie formed the Tragically Hip in 1984 alongside childhood friends Bobby Baker, Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay. (He wasnt nominated at that years inaugural Griffin Prize for Poetry, but he did perform at the gala.) Gord said he had lived many lives. Gord Downie was a haunting presence around Toronto in 2017: singing Lost Together with Blue Rodeo at Massey Hall, taking in a PJ Harvey show, embracing Drake at a Raptors game, posing with Bobby Orr. Clockwise from left: Gord Downie, guitarist Gord Sinclair, guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Paul Langlois and drummer Johnny Fay. Thank you for all the help and support over the past two years. Gord was the fourth of five children . Yeah, no more ads! He sang about Canada, but disavowed nationalism, his songs exploring heavy topics like David Milgaard's wrongful conviction (Wheat Kings) or Canada's treatment of First Nations (Now the Struggle Has a Name). Gord Downie is the late lead singer and songwriter of rock giants The Tragically Hip. Gord Downie is the late lead singer and songwriter of rock giants The Tragically Hip. However, the band never quite took. Gordon Downie was born in Amherstview, Ontario, and raised in Kingston, Ontario, along with his brothers Mike and Patrick, and sisters Charlyn and Paula. Updated at 11:10 a.m. Over more than thirty years and across fourteen studio albums, Downie and his band of brothers built a legacy as the essential Canadian rock band. This was all a red (and white) herring: There are likely as many American references as Canadian ones in Tragically Hip songs, and Downie never threw darts at a map of Canada for song ideas, nor did he seek to set Heritage Minutes to music. I don't pretend to understand it; it feels confusing and frightening and wonderful.". [64], Residents of the Ontario village of Bobcaygeon, which Downie had written about in the song of the same name, held a candlelight vigil for him the night after his death;[65] a large public gathering also took place at Springer Market Square in the band's hometown of Kingston. Now, nearly a year after Gord Downie's death, his brothers Patrick and Mike are premiering a new CBC documentary they've produced Finding The Secret Path. [34] The tour's final concert was held at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario, on August 20 and was broadcast and streamed live by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on television, radio and internet. Gord was my friend, but Gord was everyone's friend, it's who we were, our buddy Gord, who loved this country with everything he had." "He loved every hidden corner, every story, every aspect of this country that he celebrated his whole life." "We are less as a country without Gord Downie in it." Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy, ran away from a residential school in northern Ontario 52 years ago. The more you dig, the more you get into it, the more awful it becomes and you start to realize what was going on for so many kids.". "This is not to take away from anything he did on that farewell tour with the [Tragically] Hip, but this is what he really wanted to see to the end. Now, one year later, Gord's brothers take us through his final year full of passion and emotion, and share what it was like to be right by his side the entire way. [15] Canadian radio stations responded heavily to Downie's death, with early figures indicating the band's radio airplay on October 18 increased 1,500 percent compared to a normal day. The man slumped a bit. He stoked the fire until sparks came out. If the Tragically Hip frontman had to check out early as he did on Tuesday at 53 years of . Create the spark. What few knew in 2015, however, was that Downie and Usher had separated, promptingthe sale of the house. [79] The album is co-written with Josh Finlayson, a frequent collaborator, and is accompanied with an acoustic version of all the produced tracks. He was married to Laura Leigh Usher. Tragically Hip: Canada Waves Goodbye to a National Treasure. Working with Gold and Gregg, the Hip signed a record deal with MCA that led to an eponymous 1987 EP, but the band didn't start to become a household name until 1989's Up to Here, which included the hits Blow at High Dough and New Orleans is Sinking, both of which still get heavy play on Canadian radio. The statement was released via the band's official Twitter. Word of mouth about the band spread throughout Kingston and eventually to Toronto. Tragically Hip's Gord Downie dead at 53 | CBC News Loaded. [11][12] He was 53. He listened to everything he could in his older sister's 45 collection, and used his allowance to buy records. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. [39] The album was accompanied by a graphic novel on which he collaborated with Jeff Lemire,[39] and an animated television film which aired on CBC Television. Downie could at least boast that he had a family connection to hockey royalty, in Sinden. Gord Downie's not-so-Secret Path to truth and reconciliation Everything about itthe music, the film, the band, his performancemakes you want to pay attention By Michael Barclay October 22,. [66] Most rock radio stations dropped regular programming to shift to an all-Tragically Hip format for the day,[67][68] and some further announced that they would continue the all-Hip format through the weekend until the morning of 23 October. Gord did not rest from working for the issues he cared about, and his commitment and passion will continue to motivate Canadians for years to come He will be sorely missed.. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. He died on October 17, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario. He was 53. Today Bodie is an authentic, intact ghost town. [13], In addition to his solo works, Downie collaborated with several fellow Canadian and international artists. A month later, Downie launched his Secret Path project. Video clips dont do justice to the energy in the room generated by a performer who communicated more with a flick of the finger than anyone elses high kicks. I wouldnt say its given me a stigma, but its something thats always stayed with me, not actually being from Kingston. His outsider status became part of his public identity: the poet in the bar band; the rock star slumming it with indie kids whilecozying up to intelligentsia; the artist with a commercially successful cushion who thrived on continuing to challenge himself with new collaborators and varied disciplines like dance, painting, and acting. Throughout the Nineties and into the Aughts, the Tragically Hip and Downie developed and expanded their sound. The Hips biggest U.S. moment came in 1995 when after notching their third straight Canadian Number One album withDay for Night they playedSaturday Night Live. You are sitting on a project that might change the cultural landscape of First Nations for decades to come . In 2013, the band was featured on a set of postage stampsand in July, they received the Order of Canada, one of the countrys highest honors. Each night, Downie took to the stage dressed in metallic leather suits and feather-adorned hats, performing hits from the Tragically Hip's entire discography. Gord Downie's legacy. The gig notably came together thanks to the efforts of fellow Kingston, Ontario native Dan Aykroyd, who introduced the group despite John Goodman hosting that nights show. Downie was born in Kingston and grew up in nearby Amherstview playing hockey and music. You do it for the company but I'm genuinely shocked by the themes and things you touch based on the music you're singing to. My name is Maurice Duplessis, as he did on the stage of Vancouvers Thunderbird Stadium on Canada Day, 1992. Even the most cursory walk through his discography showed a man wrestling with notions of mortality in his work for years. "You find it oddly strangely comforting that no matter how old you get, when it comes to matters of the heart, you're always 15 inside. The rest of the Tragically Hip were scions of the Kingston elitesons of doctors, deans, judges and popular teachers. Gord said he had lived many lives, they added. "Gord and I, we knew so little about residential schools," Mike says. Cate Blanchett Suits Up and Gets Down in Sparks New Music Video, Taylor Swift Plots a Seventies Powder Party (Not That Kind) in Lavender Haze Behind-the-Scenes Video, Miley Cyrus Reviving the Backyard Sessions for Endless Summer Vacation Special, SST Records Producer Glen Spot Lockett Dead at 72, Glastonbury Co-Organizer Promises Female Headliners in 2024 After All-Male Top Billing This Year, There Were Sidemen. "I think my body's giving subtext and with my voice I'll give you the confines of my heart, which is illegible," he told CBC in 1999. he asked an interviewer from the Toronto Sun. The Bodie Group is composed of five patented claims and 224.45 acres under mineral prospecting lease from the State of Washington. I see stuff and I ," Patrick says, taking a moment to collect himself before continuing his thought. Youre family. And [doing it for] his own family as well, to put something in the coffers for his kids.. The band's propulsive, muscular rock, coupled with intense live performances and Downie's cryptic, literary lyrics, allowed the band to attract a diverse fan base that included party animals and armchair philosophers alike. Near the end of the CBC special, Chanie Wenjack's sister, Pearl, talks to the camera as she looks out over the woods. As their popularity in Canada grew, the Tragically Hip seemed primed to cross over in America, especially during alternative rocks Nineties heyday. Most artists will hear crowds singing the first verse and choruses of their most popular songs; Downie routinely had audiences singing every single line in his discography back to him, no matter how arcane or untethered the lyric was to rhyme or meter, songs full of what songwriter John K. Samson calls beautifully meaningful non-sequiturs., The Tragically Hip, photographed in New York in February 1992. [25] Chanie Wenjack was a young indigenous boy who died trying to escape a residential school,[27] who became the centre of Downie's Secret Path project. I am planning a trip to Kingston, Ontario in the next few days and was hoping to find a site to pay my respects to Gord. The working men were going to work. The band was big enough in the mid-'90s to organize Another Roadside Attraction, a travelling music and arts festival that included a mix of Canadian acts (Rheostatics, Eric's Trip) and international stars (Midnight Oil, Wilco) all hand-picked by the band. Copyright 2023 St. Joseph Communications. Downie was born on Feb. 6, 1964, in Amherstview, Ont., just slightly west of Kingston, to Lorna and Edgar, a travelling salesman turned real estate developer. We are not the country we think we are. Downie spent his final months speaking out in support of Indigenous people, declaring: "Canada is not Canada. His family announced the news in a statement published on the Canadian band's . Canadians learned of Downie's illness on May 24 last year the same day the rest of the rock group,Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay,announced that the Kingston, Ont.-based band would head out on a final summer tour "for Gord, and for all of us.". Youre a rocknroll band. It's the . Gord said he had lived many lives. 'Just seeing all those unguarded, real moments with Gord, that always just, that always gets me.'. [citation needed], In Kingston, Mayor Bryan Paterson issued a statement, laid a wreath in Springer Market Square near City Hall, and signed a condolence banner. "She said, I wouldnt go to the lobby of my building to see Frank Sinatra. In a 1991 profile of the Hip, a reporter from the Kingston Whig-Standard visited all the band members families. Poetry and pop music are not strangers, of course: just ask the committee who granted Bob Dylan the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. Downie passed away on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 17, with his children and family by his side, according to a statement released by the band. The 15-show Man Machine Poem tour, especially its final concert, became a cultural event, as Downie's dire prognosis prompted an outpouring of support from people across the country who had the rare opportunity to celebrate a much-loved Canadian before he was gone. The Hip, as they're often called, won 16 Juno awards (the most of any band) and received a raft of other honours, including the Order of Canada. READ MORE: Gord Downie calls out to Justin Trudeau during Tragically Hip's final show of tour. Gordon R Downie (1899-1943) - Find a Grave Memorial Born in 1899 and died in 13 Oct 1943 Winnipeg, Manitoba Gordon R Downie Skip to main content Home Memorials Cemeteries Famous Contribute Register Sign In Register Sign In Memorial updated successfully. That included only three live shows, in Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax, and appearances at the Ottawa WE Day event and Haydens Dream Serenade concert in Toronto. [79], In October 2022, the song "Lustre Parfait" was released to streaming services as a preview of an album collecting various previously unreleased songs that Downie had recorded with Bob Rock. "That there wasn't a whole country, you know, we hadn't figured out what that missing piece was. Colin James is also featured in the episode. That's a strange and comforting thing to me. In the latter part of the decade, he pushed the band to record two albums with Bob Rockwho produced albums by the likes of Metallica and Michael Bubleand he helped broaden the bands sonic palette. Lets celebrate our next 150 years.. Downie "was a great communicator," Gold said. The people Ive met, theyre so beautiful.. Days earlier, this quiet man had held much of the entire nation rapt, millions watching as he summoned all his strength to tackle his terminal condition, to fend backhowever brieflythe inevitability of death. Not surprisingly, Downie has cited all those as key influences, as well as David Byrne, Van Morrison and, yes, Jim Morrison; Downie sang a few Doors tunes . His words and lyrics spoke to everyone, coast to coast and across the miles. He loved every hidden corner, every story, every aspect of this country that he celebrated his whole life. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time [76] A different recording of "The East Wind" appeared on The Grand Bounce, and "At the Quinte Hotel" was previously released in video form, but never in an audio recording. They picked up their first Juno award Most Promising Group of the Year in 1990. The Tragically Hip formed in 1983 at Queen's University, named after a sketch in former Monkees member Michael Nesmith's long-form music video "Elephant Parts," and were soon playing the Kingston bar scene. He is known for Jumper (2008), One Week (2008) and Ararat (2002). It's there all the time, tuned in to Fox News. Downies lyrics were often packed with references to Canadian totems and history, though he approached both with an appreciation for lore and a cautionary eye towards reality. He says that watching it stirs a mixture of sadness and pride. By 2004, he'd clearly grown tired of the question. Then sit back and see what happens, because its not like you can control it. [51] They were not divorced at the time of Downie's death and had remained close friends. But neither video nor radio was responsible for the bands rapid ascent: it was their live performances, where Downies unusual charisma electrified everyone who piled into either biker bars or student pubs to see them. Bobcaygeon, meanwhile, is a summer sing-along named for a sleepy town in East-Central Ontario, though the lyrics also grapple with the 1933 Christie Pits riot, during which Torontos Jewish community clashed with so-called Swastika clubs. At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. [69] Several stations, including CHEZ-FM in Ottawa, CFRQ-FM in Halifax,[67] CJRQ-FM in Sudbury,[69] CJQQ-FM in Timmins, CKEZ-FM in New Glasgow and CIKR-FM in the Tragically Hip's hometown of Kingston[70] dropped their regular names to temporarily rebrand themselves as "Gord FM". Bellegarde also bestowed on Downie an honorary aboriginal name, Wicapi Omani, which is Lakota for "man who walks among the stars". During their live shows, Downie would notably ad-lib lengthy stories in the middle of songs. The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund is a registered charity. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Imagine if they were part of us and we them, how incredibly cool it would make us? Gord Downie, the Tragically Hip frontman who united a diverse array of music lovers with his commanding stage presence and Canadiana-laced lyrics, has died, Gord Downie remembered by fans, Canadians far and wide, Remembering Gord Downie: Watch our Olympic montages set to Tragically Hip songs, 'Words cannot express our sorrow': Northern Ontario First Nations mourn passing of Gord Downie, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. In his last public appearance, Downie appeared at a WE Day event as part of Canada150 in Ottawa on July 2, once again calling on Canadian youth to reckon with the legacy of residential schools. The album was raw, experimental and far removed from the rock radio world the Hip inhabited: droning organs, atonal guitar screeches and accordions competed for sonic space with Downies vocals atop opiated folk-country songs. When he spoke, he gave us goosebumps and made us proud to be Canadian. Gordon Edgar Downie was one of the most riveting and mystifying performers in rocknroll history. At the Assembly of First Nations in Gatineau, Quebec, on December6, 2016, National Chief Perry Bellegarde honoured Downie with an eagle feather, a symbol of the creator above, for his support of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. [71], CBC Radio preempted some of its regular programming in favour of a Downie tribute special hosted by Rich Terfry;[72] although news of Downie's death broke just 20 minutes before airtime, CBC Radio One's entertainment magazine show Q dropped its planned lineup in favour of a live Downie tribute special. [1] [54] [55] The surviving members of the Tragically Hip made the news of his death public the next morning, by sharing an official statement from his family on their website: [54] Four of those five young men played their first gig as the Tragically Hip in November 1984, in a small white room at the Kingston Artists Association. I think that everyman quality matters.. Vandoliers Play Tennessee Concert in Dresses to Protest State's New Drag Bill Those tender offerings touched his heart and he takes them with him now as he walks among the stars.. In a genre prone to clich, outright nonsense and occasional misogyny, Gord Downie wrote lyrics that dipped in the same well as Al Purdy, Raymond Carver, Northrop Frye, Timothy Findley, Hugh MacLennan and others; he would even quote those writers directly in his lyrics. In 2018, two recordings by Downie, "The East Wind" and "At the Quinte Hotel", were released on the compilation album The Al Purdy Songbook. Nonetheless, someone piped up. When are you falling off the map? He was the singer who once sang, Do I make you scared? Stations in other formats, such as contemporary hit radio, adult contemporary or country music, typically did not suspend their normal playlists, but still added some Tragically Hip songs to the day's rotation. Last year, he releaseda solo project, Secret Path, and announced the 23-track double-LP, Introduce Yerself last month. [61] The CBC news broadcast, The National, spent 40 of its sixty-minute broadcast discussing Gord and The Hip. Downie was also featured in the sitcom Corner Gas in the episode "Rock On!" Downie died on October 17, 2017 at the age of 53. Its focus is on youth learning and combining Cree education with the contemporary world. Kevin Light/Reuters, I would get very jumbled emails when he was in treatment, or texts at odd hours of the night, says one former musical colleague. As soon as Mike told his brother about Chanie's story, he says Gord was transfixed and made it his purpose to bring it to Canadians. Downie contained similar complexities: He was an everyman poet, seeming both aloof and down to earth, writing lyrics that rhymed "catharsis" with "my arse is."