Blue Rodeo

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  • Formed: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Years Active: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s
  • Group Members: Greg Keelor

Biography Wikipedia

Group Members: Greg Keelor

from Wikipedia:

Blue Rodeo is a Canadian pop and country rock band, which was formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have been signed with Warner Music Group since their debut album Outskirts in March 1987. Including Outskirts, they have 12 full-length releases along with multiple solo albums, side projects, and collaborations.

History

Band

The band consists of original members Jim Cuddy (guitar/vocals), Greg Keelor (guitar/vocals) and Bazil Donovan (bass), plus newer additions of Glenn Milchem (drums) and multi-instrumentalist Bob Egan (formerly of Wilco). Currently, musician Michael Boguski plays and tours with the band as keyboardist and he filled this role on the band's latest album, The Things We Left Behind. Drummers Cleave Anderson and Mark French, keyboardists Bob Wiseman, James Gray and Bob Packwood, and multi-instrumentalist Kim Deschamps are former band members.

Cuddy and Keelor met in high school and became great friends. After university, when all their other friends were starting to get jobs, they decided to form a band and started to play music more often. They put together a few different bands without much luck. They released a single as Hi-Fi's in 1980. Cuddy and Keelor moved to New York City for some adventure and to help their music. There they met Bob Wiseman. When they came back to Toronto in the summer of 1984 they thought about putting another band together. They had already thought of the name for the band before they met Cleave and asked him to join the band. Cleave brought along his friend, Donovan, and with this the band Blue Rodeo was born. In 1985 Blue Rodeo played their first show together at The Rivoli in Toronto.

Blue Rodeo is one of the most successful and well known contemporary Canadian bands, having released 12 full-length studio albums, three live recordings, one greatest hits package and five video/DVDs. Their studio albums have sold over three million copies. Cuddy, Keelor, Donovan and Egan have all released solo albums, and Glenn Milchem performs his own solo music under the pseudonym "the swallows". Keelor has also gone on to produce for other artists, notably alt-country group Cuff the Duke, who have also toured as support for Blue Rodeo.

Blue Rodeo members have collaborated extensively with other notable Canadian artists, including Sarah McLachlan, The Tragically Hip, Burton Cummings, Great Big Sea, Jann Arden, The Sadies, Skydiggers, Crash Vegas, Cowboy Junkies, Sarah Harmer, Jill Barber, and Kathleen Edwards. They have won many Canadian music awards, including seven Juno Awards and seven SOCAN awards.

On June 16, 2009, it was announced that the band would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto. The induction ceremony was held on September 12, 2009. They are the fifth band to receive the honour.

Band members
Television and film
Blue Rodeo's song "Flying" appears on the soundtrack to the television show dueSouth as track 10, album released in 1996.The songs "Try" and "Heart Like Mine" are played in the episode "Cupid's Quiver" of the TV show Friday the 13th The Series.The song "Bad Timing" is played towards the end of a season finale of the hit Canadian show Corner Gas.Blue Rodeo is the band appearing at the end of the 1990 film Postcards from the Edge.The song "Try" is played in the background of the bar in the film Navy Seals.Greg Keelor, one of the band's founding members, composed the soundtrack for the 2010 film Gunless. The soundtrack for the Canadian Western comedy also featured an original ballad by Blue Rodeo titled "Don't Let the Darkness in Your Head".
Notable Performances

On Canada Day 2008, Blue Rodeo played on Parliament Hill. The band closed the show before the commencement of the fireworks and was joined on stage by several other artists to perform "Lost Together". On November 28, 2009 the band performed at half-time of the 97th Grey Cup. The band also performed live concerts for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Cuddy and Keelor performed at the annual Folk on the Rocks music festival in Yellowknife, NT from July 16 to July 18, 2010.

On October 19, 2010, Blue Rodeo played the music viral show BalconyTV for a rare acoustic performance on a small Balcony overlooking Dame Street, Dublin.

On July 1, 2011, Blue Rodeo performed at Trafalgar Square as part of the Canada Day in London celebrations.

On July 6, 2011, Blue Rodeo performed at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

Videography

Postcards from the Edge (1990)Blue Movies (1991)In Stereovision (2004) - Certified 3× Platinum by the CRIA.Watch This! (2004) - Features the video of Blue Rodeo's hit single, "Bulletproof."Toronto Rocks (SARSfest) (2004) - Canadian edition featuring Blue Rodeo.
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Video from YouTube

  • thumbnail from Blue Rodeo - Bad Timing Blue Rodeo - Bad Timing
  • thumbnail from Blue Rodeo - Lost Together Blue Rodeo - Lost Together
  • thumbnail from Blue Rodeo - Know Where You Go (live) Blue Rodeo - Know Where You Go (live)
  • thumbnail from Blue Rodeo - Blue House (live) Blue Rodeo - Blue House (live)