Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. Singer Gord Downie Of The Tragically Hip Dies At 53 : NPR Gord Downie, troubadour of Canada, charmed and challenged a nation After a long battle with cancer, the Tragically Hip frontman died among his family on Tuesday night. The final concert, in Kingston on Aug. 20,2016 was broadcast byCBC. Downie was born Feb. 6, 1964, to parents Edgar Charles and Lorna Downie and grew up in Amherstview, Ont., just outside Kingston. The 100 Best Albums of 2022, Speaking with The New York Times around the bands final show, Broken Social Scenes Kevin Drew summed up the Tragically Hips influence: Were a country that hasnt really embraced its history just yet. Why a dying Gord Downie struggled to reveal 'The Secret Path' to - CBC 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. No one. The song "Goodnight Attawapiskat" from the album Now for Plan A was a result of this trip.[24]. His most famous Canadian collaborations are with Richard Terfry (better known as Buck 65), Dallas Green of City and Colour and Alexisonfire, the Sadies and Fucked Up. 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. He usually started with a "Hello," and often ended with a variation on "Good night, music lovers," but what would happen in between was anyone's guess. Gord Downie is the late lead singer and songwriter of rock giants The Tragically Hip. Roy Tee/Hollandse Hoogte/Redux Gord Downie, the lead singer for the beloved Canadian alt-rock. "I think something like 'legacy' would be a word that Gord wouldn't be too comfortable with," Mike says. He stoked the fire until sparks came out. "It takes ahold of you. A childrens choir sang The Stranger, the opening track from Secret Path. [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. Gord Downie wasn't just a rock starhe was a real poet, too 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." He released his second solo album, Battle of the Nudes, in 2003 before returning to the studio with the Tragically Hip. 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). In June 2020, the Tragically Hip and manager Jake Gold announced that they were undertaking an "archaeological dig" to select music and memorabilia from the band's archives for future release. [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]. [37], The tour was profiled in the 2017 documentary film Long Time Running, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier. ", After his final appearances with the Tragically Hip, Downie released Secret Path, a multimedia project that tells the tragic tale of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack, who died of exposure and hunger in 1966 after running away from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Kenora, Ont. Word of mouth about the band spread throughout Kingston and eventually to Toronto. Some Canadians, being a cautious bunch, flew from Ontario to B.C. Clockwise from left: Gord Downie, guitarist Gord Sinclair, guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Paul Langlois and drummer Johnny Fay. To get in there in the way Gord would, just to kind of work your way through it and stay active," Patrick explains when asked how difficult it's been to see all those moments with Gord again in the documentary. [4][5] In Kingston, Downie attended the downtown high school Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where other members of the Tragically Hip also attended. 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. [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. Gordon Edgar Downie CM (February 6, 1964 October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist. When are you falling off the map? He was the singer who once sang, Do I make you scared? "It certainly took ahold of Gord, I think, because it's just so simple a boy trying to get home. Youre a rocknroll band. 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. 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. It was a moment that helped Gord finally get at something that had been nagging at him for years. [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]. [53], Downie was the godson of Harry Sinden, a former hockey coach, general manager and president of the Boston Bruins. I think if I put myself out there like that, on the line, and make people emotionally connect with me, I feel like I couldnt ever do it again, because Id get bored or I just couldnt summon the same amount of emotion. [32], In December 2017, Percy Hatfield, the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) representing WindsorTecumseh introduced the bill Poet Laureate of Ontario Act In Memory of Gord Downie to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Then came May 24, 2016, when the band announced Downie's diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. Downies political awareness had been tweaked in 1993, when the Hip invited Midnight Oil on a summer Canadian tour; that bands singer, Peter Garrett, was an outspoken activist who would later serve as Australias environment minister. "His big heart served him well," Patrick Downie said of his brother Gord. Downie died Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. Tragically Hip front-man Gord Downie's brother Patrick on why he and his brother Mike are working so hard to preserve the singer's legacy. Tragically Hip's Gord Downie dead at 53 | CBC News Loaded. Why a dying Gord Downie struggled to reveal 'The Secret Path' to Canadians | CBC News Loaded. 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. He says that watching it stirs a mixture of sadness and pride. That song also features a line that sums up the way Gord Downie and his teenage friends built their career from the outset of its ascendancy: Sometimes the faster it gets, the less you need to know / but you gotta remember, the smarter it gets, the further its going to go.. No one. There were a few others there, though, most of whom knew enough to respect the privacy of the cancer-stricken man who had travelled hundreds of kilometres to disappear. He published his first poetry and prose collection alongside the album and under the same title. Where some go to get lost. He also performed a few live shows to support the album, with supporting musicians Kevin Drew, Charles Spearin, Dave Hamelin, Kevin Hearn and Josh Finlayson. [18] This marked his last public appearance before his death. Post navigation 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. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in attendance and the Toronto Police Department summed up the events magnitude with a simple tweet: Dear world, Please be advised that Canada will be closed tonight at 8:30 p.m. Have a #TragicallyHip day.. Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell deserve to be read on the page just as often as you play their recordsbut they dont play rock music. [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. [6] After graduating high school, Downie attended Queen's University where he majored in film studies, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in 1986. [6] In 1986, Manning left the band as guitarist-vocalist Paul Langlois joined. "[59] The House of Commons observed a moment of silence. He cherished the anomaly; hed arrive on stage and say, for no discernible reason, things like Hello and welcome. We would like to thank all the kind folks at KGH and Sunnybrook, Gord's bandmates, management team, friends and fans. Edgar died in November 2015. 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. [33], In December 2015, shortly after attending his father's funeral, Downie was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour. "For me, it's not as easy. 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. The Tragically Hip released their first EP in December 1987; a year after that, they headed down to Memphis to record 1989s Up to Herewhich would become one of two Hip albums to eventually sell more than a million copies in Canada. When he first said they were going on tour, I said, Are you okay? And I think at that time our feeling was, if we knew so little about something like this, like wow, there must be millions of Canadians who have no idea.". he asked an interviewer from the Toronto Sun. Mike says it was partly out of a sense of guilt, partly out of shame, but mainly because, like him, there were so many people in Canada that didn't know the dark history of residential schools. He was the son of Lorna (Neal) and Edgar Charles Downie, a travelling salesman, later a real estate broker and developer. Do the work. It would be the last time. The statement was released via the band's official Twitter. I dream about it, but I dont want to get too far ahead of myself, he said. Fans would often tear up at newly poignant lyrics written decades ago: "No dress rehearsal / This is our life" in Ahead by a Century and "I've got to go / It's been a pleasure doing business with you" in Scared. Another 11.7 million watched a CBC broadcast of the concert, with hundreds of viewing parties held in public parks, squares, movie theatres, bars and restaurants across Canada. His third solo effort, The Grand Bounce, was released in 2010. to catch the first shows of the tour, just in case he didnt make it home. [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. At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. Gord Downie's brother Mike describes what the Tragically Hip's front-man went through to keep pushing his projects ahead during his final struggle with a terminal brain tumour. He was 53. [57] Later in the day, he held a press conference at Parliament Hill at which he tearfully remembered Downie as "Our buddy Gord, who loved this country with everything he hadand not just loved it in a nebulous, 'Oh, I love Canada' way. ET. when she met a 23-year-old Downie, who was just getting started with the Hip, playing mostly university gigs.. 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,. 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. When you hear the songs, clearly it was affecting him. He delivered frenetic dance moves or stream-of-consciousness rants in ways that suggested he was channelling the music. It's there all the time, tuned in to Fox News. As a musician, he lived "the life" for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. He was the poet who once asked, When are you thinking of disappearing? By 2004, he'd clearly grown tired of the question. [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. Gord Downie Wiki, Biography, Age, Career, Relationship, Net Worth Bellegarde also bestowed on Downie an honorary aboriginal name, Wicapi Omani, which is Lakota for "man who walks among the stars". In front of an intimate crowd of 6,700 inside Kingston's K-Rock Centre, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Downie thanked the audience "for keeping me pushing" and used the opportunity to call for action on Indigenous issues. Outside his work with the band, Downie released five solo albums his first, Coke Machine Glow, arrived in 2001 and collaborated with an array of artists including Buck 65, Fucked Up, Dallas Green, Alexisonfire and the Sadies. Its kinda what I do. He was the man who once wrote a song for his late grandmothera song he sang several nights on stage in the summer of 2016that said, You were far more unifying than you know.. "Ahead by a Century" was the single most-played song on Canadian radio on the day Downie's death was announced. Gordon Edgar Downie was born in Amherstview, Ontario, and raised in Kingston, Ontario, along with his brothers Mike and Patrick, and sisters Charlyn and Paula. In 1995, a particularly successful year for the Hip, the band opened for both Page and Plant and the Rolling Stones, and performed on Saturday Night Live. In addition to the Tragically Hip's performance, Downie sang a song with a local band, Northern Revolution. Earlier this fall, Downie announced he had been working on another solo album, Introduce Yerself. [52] Under the stage name Kaya Usher, she released her own debut album as a singer, All This Is, in 2021 with the participation of two of their four children, and some of the tracks feature Usher performing with a guitar that had once belonged to Downie. Editors picks And I'd hate for that to go away, especially with something that's so important, was so important to him. We want to hear it. In 2005, the band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. His family released the following statement: Last night Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family. His death was announced on the Tragically Hip website, stating quote: Last night Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by. Now that he's gone, "letting go" is something that Gord Downie's brothers are also struggling with. Today Bodie is an authentic, intact ghost town. At Queen's University, Downie's alma mater, flags were lowered to half-mast following news of his death. Those tender offerings touched his heart and he takes them with him now as he walks among the stars.. He listened to everything he could in his older sister's 45 collection, and used his allowance to buy records. ", Audience Relations, CBC P.O. He took it in stride: if part of his poetrys appeal was that he rarely telegraphed direct meaning, he had to accept the fact that fans were going to read whatever they wanted into what he said. [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 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," the statement said. [10] lang and Neil Young, rapper Drake, and the rock group Rush, remembered Downie on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. And Then There Was David Lindley, See the Beths Deliver Refreshing 'Expert in a Dying Field' Mini-Set on 'CBS Mornings', The YSL Case Is Stretching Fulton County's Justice System to Its Breaking Point, Trump Promises to Continue Presidential Campaign if Indicted, Then Delivers a Snoozy CPAC Speech, NBA 'Investigating,' Team Suspends Ja Morant After Allegedly Flashing Gun on Social Media. 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. It was brave . Clockwise from left: Gord Downie, guitarist Gord Sinclair, guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Paul Langlois and drummer Johnny Fay. Then came Downie's diagnosis, which created a wave of nostalgia and celebration even as people prepared for his passing. Last night, Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by, his familywrote in a statement. Though he wasn't afraid to go it alone as a solo artist, Downie's legacy will always be tied most closely with the Tragically Hip. He was the son of Lorna (Neal) and Edgar Charles Downie, a travelling salesman, later a real estate broker and developer. 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. Gord Downie is the late lead singer and songwriter of rock giants The Tragically Hip. To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). Gord Downie Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family [21] He was also a part of the Swim Drink Fish Music club, a project that unites artists and environmentalists in a music club to raise money for Waterkeeper organizations in Canada. The rest of the Tragically Hip were scions of the Kingston elitesons of doctors, deans, judges and popular teachers. When you have five children, its hard to remember all the details, said Edgar. [11][12] Record sales and radio play declined, though never precipitously enough to render the band irrelevant. That same summer, the Tragically Hip released a new album, Man Machine Poem, and embarked on a lengthy Canadian tour that culminated in an emotional final show:a hometown gig at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. What followed once the show hit the road, though, was a public outpouring that few could have predicted: a year of Downie transforming from an aging rock star to tragic hero. Interiors remain as they were left and in some cases stocked with goods. It's not very pleasant, but don't look away,' you know? In the middle of the set, Downie made a plea for reconciliation with Canadas Indigenous peoples, calling out the Prime Minister by name. SHAPIRO: In. Do the work. He clearly was so taken with it and couldn't let it go.". The poet whose metaphors had inspired generations of rocknroll fans had nothing more to saywith words, anyway. Youre family. And [doing it for] his own family as well, to put something in the coffers for his kids.. It's so important to the country that we get this right. [15] 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. Those were the private reasons. It was, in a way, a very Canadian approach to celebrity. 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. Gord said he had lived many lives. He is known for Jumper (2008), One Week (2008) and Ararat (2002). "You know, I feel enough pain without having to go back and see some of the images, or hear the music and things like that. In a rare interview with the CBC upon Secret Pathsrelease, Downie spoke about how he hoped Secret Path would bring more attention to the challenges indigenous communities face and potentially help shape Canadas future. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. The band also earned 16 Juno Awards the most ever for a band and the fourth-most ever for an artist picking up their last two in April for Group of the Year and Rock Album of the Year for Man Machine Poem. You are sitting on a project that might change the cultural landscape of First Nations for decades to come . Gord Downie Memorial site? "I think he really tried to put himself in those shoes and imagine what that was like," Mike says. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. The people Ive met, theyre so beautiful.. Michael Barclay is the co-author of Have Not Been the Same, and the author ofThe Never-Ending Present: The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip. Downie died of glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, on October 17, 2017, at the age of 53 in Toronto. However, the band never quite took. "I really didn't know anything about them, to my shame. Bellegarde also bestowed on Downie an honorary . I came from a rural area, he once recalled. The band even has its own postage stamp and a street named after it, Tragically Hip Way, in Kingston, Ont. [7], On December22, 2016, Downie was selected as The Canadian Press's Canadian Newsmaker of the Year and was the first entertainer selected for the title. It was a rare piece of celebrity news about Downie, who had steadfastly shielded his four children and Laura Usher, his wife of 23 years, from the public eye; the lone exception was in 2012, when Downie talked openly about Ushers bout with breast cancer. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. A documentary film, Long Time Running, about the Tragically Hip's summer 2016 cross-Canada farewell concert tour, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017. [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.
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