We would like to thank all the kind folks at KGH and Sunnybrook, Gord's bandmates, management team, friends and fans. 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. At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. Downie was also featured in the sitcom Corner Gas in the episode "Rock On!" Downie, who won two Junos for the 10-song solo album, thought of the Secret Path music, concerts and film created with artist Jeff Lemire as his legacy project. 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. 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. 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. (THE CANADIAN PRESS) Gord Downie, the Tragically Hip frontman who united a diverse array of music lovers with his commanding stage. The cause was terminal brain cancer. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Over the course of his career, Downie released three other musically adventurous solo albums, a collaboration with Toronto roots-rock band the Sadies, and a book of poetry. Gord Downie, singer of The Tragically Hip, died of complications from brain cancer Tuesday night at the age of 53. They picked up their first Juno award Most Promising Group of the Year in 1990. It was a Terry Fox story with a twist: a story where the protagonist completes his goal before the disease gets the better of him. The emotional strength that Patrick and Mike have shown is inspiring, but they add that they're driven to keep their brother's legacy alive with projects like Finding the Secret Path because of what it means to others. Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip (Photo by Aven Hoffarth) One of the best things about Gord Downie was his thoughtfulness. As we move towards resolution and understanding and greater serenity in all aspects of our life, love's pretty elemental and that's nice to know. Edgar died in November 2015. 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. Do the work. 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. See where those sparks land. Gord Downie Memorial site? Tragically Hip: Canada Waves Goodbye to a National Treasure. 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. He delivered frenetic dance moves or stream-of-consciousness rants in ways that suggested he was channelling the music. Trending 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. However, the band never quite took. Tragically Hip's Gord Downie dead at 53 | CBC News Loaded. Thank you for all the help and support over the past two years. I don't pretend to understand it; it feels confusing and frightening and wonderful.". "It certainly took ahold of Gord, I think, because it's just so simple a boy trying to get home. It was viewed by an estimated 11.7 million people. 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. Are you sure? Then I understood his reasoning, not the least of which was doing it for the guys, which was really lovely, and I thought, Of course. 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. But the bands greatest accomplishment may be transcending their status as a key Canadian cultural touchstone to an integral part of the countrys identity. [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. Downie had an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer called glioblastoma, which he discovered after a seizure in December 2015. 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. [8] Originally, the band covered popular British rock songs from the 1960s. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "His main focus was the release of Secret Path," says Gord's brother, Patrick Downie. [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] Canadian rock legend diagnosed with brain cancer in 2015. [11][12] Gord Downie, the lead singer for the beloved Canadian alt-rock bandthe Tragically Hip, died Tuesday at the age of 53. The Hip's final tour launched in Victoria in late July 2016, stopping in eight other Canadian cities, before wrapping up in front of an emotionally charged crowd in the band's hometown of Kingston about a month later. He said he told Canadian stories because they were there to be told, and said he performed music because it was the ultimate medium for expressions of love. CBC Television broadcast his solo Roy Thomson Hall concert of Secret Path on October 22. "I think something like 'legacy' would be a word that Gord wouldn't be too comfortable with," Mike says. He was also a dedicated activist, focusing on environmental issues and the disenfranchisement of Canadas indigenous community. It's there all the time, tuned in to Fox News. When he spoke, he gave us goosebumps and made us proud to be Canadian. Gord Downie: In my mind, there's always a TV flickering away in the corner of every song. He released his second solo album, Battle of the Nudes, in 2003 before returning to the studio with the Tragically Hip. St. Joseph Communications uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. [7], In 1984, at age 20, Downie formed the Tragically Hip with Rodents's members Rob Baker and Gord Sinclair, another younger Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute alumnus, Johnny Fay, and saxophonist Davis Manning. [30] In December 2017, Downie was again named Canadian Newsmaker of the Year for the second year in a row, in recognition of the public reaction to his death. It would turn out to be the last show of his bands 30-year, multi-million-selling, award-winning career, a fate many suspected at the time. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. I think thats all part of what appeals to Canadian fans. The band even has its own postage stamp and a street named after it, Tragically Hip Way, in Kingston, Ont. In 2008, Downie appeared as a guest vocalist on City and Colour's single "Sleeping Sickness". Bellegarde also bestowed on Downie an honorary . Everyone whose family has ever been cursed with cancer projected stories onto the tale of a man who chose to stare down a terminal diagnosis and take the show on the road. Gord was the fourth of five children: older siblings Mike, Charlyn and Paula, and younger brother Patrick. [18] This marked his last public appearance before his death. "That's kind of our job, to make sure that it's in place going forward, because I do think that he had an oversized impact on this country. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. "[59] The House of Commons observed a moment of silence. Downie also appears in the Trailer Park Boys movie The Big Dirty, in which he and Alex Lifeson play a pair of police officers. "Rock 'n' roll is not unlike love," he told music writer Michael Barclay in 2000. 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.. Paused. When you hear the songs, clearly it was affecting him. Downie "was a great communicator," Gold said. [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. [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. Tragically Hip frontman wants the story of Chanie Wenjack, an Indigenous boy who died running away from a residential school in northern Ontario, to be his legacy project, Gord Downie talks about cancer, his recent cross-country tour and why he's focusing on Indigenous issues, Tragically Hip singer addresses the crowd at Saturday's show in Kingston. His third solo effort, The Grand Bounce, was released in 2010. With seven solo albums to his name, Downie's own music refutes definition, renowned for its adventurous poetry . At the end of their set that night, the whole place stood up and clapped and it was undeniable if you were in the room that night that this was something special.". Then sit back and see what happens, because its not like you can control it. Gords command of language was profound. This was a man inviting us to his own wake. It's not very pleasant, but don't look away,' you know? 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.". The 23-song double album is due out Oct. 27, 2017, and is expected to be released posthumously by the Canadian label Arts & Crafts. Anyone who managed to catch him fronting the Tragically Hip in 1985, playing covers at a roadhouse in Renfrew, Ont., could tell you that. "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 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 his last year, while living with his own tragic story of terminal cancer, singer Gord Downie was consumed by another. [15] And all you hear are the rusty breezes pushing around weathervane Jesus. [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. And their support hasn't gone. Downiejoined a punk band called the Slinks; their friendly competitors at the school were a Grade 13 group called the Rodents, featuring bassist Gord Sinclair and guitarist Robbie Baker. That includes Downies specifically Canadian references, which were all but alien on radio playlists then (or now). 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. Downie spent his final months speaking out in support of Indigenous people, declaring: "Canada is not Canada. Bodie is currently a State Historic Park. Related He was a board member of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. Tom Sizemore, Heat and Saving Private Ryan Actor, Dead at 61 Downie had cameo appearances in Men with Brooms, in which the Tragically Hip play a curling team. In 2005, the band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Downie was born in Kingston and grew up in nearby Amherstview playing hockey and music. [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. 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. Our identity and culture are richer because of his music, which was always raw and honest like Gord himself. Visitors walk the deserted streets of a town that once had a population between 7,000 and 8,000 people. Memorial has been sponsored successfully. It's a story that gripped Downie, even as he struggled with the brain tumour that was killing him. He was on a fishing trip. 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. The last 150 years arent as much worth celebrating as we think, Downie said. [6] The Tragically Hip quickly became famous once MCA Records president Bruce Dickinson saw them performing at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto and offered them a record deal. Gord played goalie for Amherstviews hockey team, which won a provincial B-level championship. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Gordon Edgar Downie was born in Kingston on Feb. 6, 1964, and spent his formative years in nearby Amherstview. When he first said they were going on tour, I said, Are you okay? Last night Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by. [3] His first to hit number one was Introduce Yerself, shortly after his death. Roy Tee/Hollandse Hoogte/Redux Gord Downie, the lead singer for the beloved Canadian alt-rock. He is known for Jumper (2008), One Week (2008) and Ararat (2002). Do the work. Making the documentary has been a welcome distraction for Mike, and a painful reminder for Patrick. Downie released seven solo albums, two posthumously: Coke Machine Glow (2001), Battle of the Nudes (2003), The Grand Bounce (2010), And the Conquering Sun (2014), Secret Path (2016), Introduce Yerself (2017), and Away Is Mine (2020). Those were the private reasons. SHAPIRO: In. 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. [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. [37], The tour was profiled in the 2017 documentary film Long Time Running, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier. Gord said he had lived many lives, they added. It's so important to the country that we get this right. 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. Gordie doesnt like to be the centre of attention, added Lorna. "For me, it's not as easy. 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. Following the release of Man Machine Poem and the Tragically Hips final concert, Downie continued to work. On February 2, 2017, Downie joined Blue Rodeo onstage at Massey Hall for a performance of Blue Rodeo's song "Lost Together". 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. The press and the music industry were largely baffled; among his peers, and especially among non-Hip fans, it remains a beloved and influential record. The statement was released via the band's official Twitter. The people Ive met, theyre so beautiful.. Before his passing, Gord Downie took this country on a profound journey. 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. Even the most cursory walk through his discography showed a man wrestling with notions of mortality in his work for years. I think rock 'n' roll is the same. Published Oct 20, 2017 Following Gord Downie 's passing on Tuesday (October 17), Canadians are still grieving the loss of their beloved Tragically Hip frontman. Downies on-stage improvisations were a principal part of the bands appeal from day one, though he was not yet a lyricist. [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". When you have five children, its hard to remember all the details, said Edgar. The Tragically Hip was formed in 1984 and went on to become a decidedly Canadian success story. Gord Downie passed away a year ago on October 17, 2017. . It had more in common with Neil Youngs 1975 ramshackle fan favourite album Tonights the Night than, say, anything that would have a life on classic-rock-radio playlists. With seven solo albums to his name, Downie's own music refutes definition, renowned for its adventurous poetry . The entire band valued their privacy, but Downie even more so: perhaps because of the adulation directed his way, but also because of the way he was raised. Near the end of the CBC special, Chanie Wenjack's sister, Pearl, talks to the camera as she looks out over the woods. 'Just seeing all those unguarded, real moments with Gord, that always just, that always gets me.'. 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. 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. " [Gord] is the right person to tell the story," she says, "because the Creator chose him. In the space of a month, he transformed the half-century-old tale of Chanie Wenjacka 12-year-old boy who froze to death running away from residential school in 1966into a current concern. Last night, Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by, his familywrote in a statement. Vandoliers Play Tennessee Concert in Dresses to Protest State's New Drag Bill [62] Additionally, several National Hockey League teams and players, as well as the league itself, paid tribute to Downie through social media, owing to the high popularity of the Tragically Hip's music among Canadian professional hockey players. "[58] Canadian MP Tony Clement called upon the government to consider holding a state funeral for Downie, stating "I think he matters that much to Canadians. Downie was born Feb. 6, 1964, to parents Edgar Charles and Lorna Downie and grew up in Amherstview, Ont., just outside Kingston. Earlier this fall, Downie announced he had been working on another solo album, Introduce Yerself. Also, a series of music videos for all the songs on the album were created by Canadian artists and released on YouTube. Gord Downie was born on February 6, 1964 in Amherstview, Ontario, Canada. The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund is a registered charity. [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. Canadian rock legend Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip died at the age of 53 from brain cancer. [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. Downie could at least boast that he had a family connection to hockey royalty, in Sinden. Thats whats missing as we celebrate doughnuts and hockey. Not a word. [23] The venue was small and not typical of the band. The group said they were "humbled" with the award. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. [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. Youre a rocknroll band. 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. Then he got up, silently, walked over to a pile of wood, picked up two logs, and returned to put them on the fire. No one. His family and managers said future releases are planned, including solo material and unreleased work with the Hip. A childrens choir sang The Stranger, the opening track from Secret Path. As a musician, he lived "the life" for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. Poetry and pop music are not strangers, of course: just ask the committee who granted Bob Dylan the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. In December, the Assembly of First Nations honoured his work on reconciliation by endowing him with a Lakota spirit name: Wicapi Omani, or man who walks among the stars. In June, he and the band were named to the Order of Canada; Downie received his early, alongside activist Sylvia Maracle. Clockwise from left: Gord Downie, guitarist Gord Sinclair, guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Paul Langlois and drummer Johnny Fay. It wasnt until the 1991 release of the bands second album, Road Apples, that Downie seized the lyrical reins entirely. But the new 150 years can be years of building an actual nation. Canadian rock legend Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip died at the age of 53 from brain cancer. Your father is now buried. A Kingston hospital diagnosed the 52-year-old singer with primary glioblastoma, an aggressive and terminal brain cancer. He was the son of Lorna (Neal) and Edgar Charles Downie, a travelling salesman, later a real estate broker and developer. 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. The album consists of ten songs. If anything, the Hip's lack of success in the U.S. has only made Canadians more protective of them. "Ahead by a Century" was the single most-played song on Canadian radio on the day Downie's death was announced. GORD DOWNIE: (Singing) Sundown in the Paris of the prairie, wheat kings have all their treasures buried. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund is a registered charity. I think I take my nanas approach," he once admitted. His family announced the news in a statement published on the Canadian band's . He stoked the fire until sparks came out. Downie also made a cameo appearance in the 2008 indie drama Nothing Really Matters, directed by Jean-Marc Pich. We would like to thank all the kind folks at KGH and Sunnybrook, Gord's bandmates, management team, friends and fans. Downie was not able to attend the ceremony due to his illness which had not yet been made public. Our music is entirely different. Though they were lumped together because of their work on Indigenous issuesMaracles work on which, of course, far outstretched Downies more recent foraymany wondered if the timing had more to do with health concerns. "Who are you comparing us to?" Copyright 2023 St. Joseph Communications. As with the blanket ceremony, the emotion and pride on his face was palpable. 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. A guerrilla act of love to show the rest of the country what strength and artistry, grace and humour the Cree possess." Then came Downie's diagnosis, which created a wave of nostalgia and celebration even as people prepared for his passing. Lets celebrate our next 150 years.. 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 Secret Path began as 10 poems that Gord Downie wrote as he grappled with Chanie's story. It was, in a way, a very Canadian approach to celebrity. [63] The Toronto Maple Leafs honoured Downie with a moment of silence before their game on October 18, during which the retired-jersey banner for Bill Barilko whom Downie had written about in the Tragically Hip song "Fifty Mission Cap" was lowered from the rafters of the Air Canada Centre. Meanwhile, the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund was started to "start a new relationship with Indigenous Peoples.". He met his future Tragically Hip bandmates while attending. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time He painted landscapes with his words, elevating Canadian geography, historical figures, and myths, Trudeau said on Wednesday. A man that was so proud of his children and his family. As could anyone who watched him command 40,000 people at any given outdoor appearance during the 1990s, singing songs that were summer soundtracks for an entire generation. [citation needed]. Some Canadians, being a cautious bunch, flew from Ontario to B.C. Gord Downie is the late lead singer and songwriter of rock giants The Tragically Hip. Hey all! In his last year, while living with his own tragic story, Gord Downie was consumed by another. Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy, ran away from a residential school in northern Ontario 52 years ago. No other act of the day was embraced with the fervour and frenzy that Hip fans displayed toward Downie as a performer, but it was his lyrics that inflamed his fans.