Blue Rodeo is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

country rock band formed in 1984 in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, and collaborations.

History

High school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

friends Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor began playing music professionally together after completing university. They put together several bands without commercial success in the late 1970s, releasing a single as Hi-Fi's in 1980. Cuddy and Keelor moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in the early 1980s to further their music careers. There they met keyboardist and fellow Canadian

Bob Wiseman Robert Neil "Bob" Wiseman (born 1962) is a film composer, songwriter, author and music teacher. Wiseman discovered or produced many artists including Ron Sexsmith, The Lowest of the Low, Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall, Anhai, and former ...

, who was at that time working as a producer. Upon returning to

in the summer of 1984, the trio decided to form a band. The name "Blue Rodeo" had already been chosen for the new group when they met former David Wilcox drummer

Cleave Anderson Cleave Anderson is a Canadian punk rock, alt. country, rock, pop, etc drummer. Anderson has played and recorded with several well-known groups, including Blue Rodeo, Battered Wives,Tyranna, Viletones, Sherry Kean, Forgotten Rebels, and the Beat Cl ...

and asked him to join. Anderson in turn recommended his former bandmate in The Sharks, bassist Bazil Donovan, and the new band's lineup was essentially set. On February 7, 1985, Blue Rodeo played their first show together at

The Rivoli The Rivoli is a bar, restaurant and performance space, established in 1982, on Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club originally earned a reputation as one of Canada's hippest music clubs, and many major Canadian comedy and mu ...

in Toronto; one week later, they performed at

Handsome Ned Handsome Ned was the stage name of Robin David Masyk (June 4, 1957 – January 10, 1987), a Canadian country singer and songwriter."Singer dies of heroin overdose". ''Toronto Star'', January 12, 1987. Although he only released a small number of si ...

's "Honky Tonk Heart". The band quickly earned a following in Toronto and was subsequently signed to Canadian independent record label Risque Disque. They entered the studio in 1986 with Rush producer Terry Brown and recorded several songs that would comprise Blue Rodeo's debut album, '' Outskirts''. Released in March, 1987, ''Outskirts'' met with moderate success in Canada, until "

Try Try or TRY may refer to: Music Albums * ''Try!'', an album by the John Mayer Trio * ''Try'' (Bebo Norman album) (2014) Songs * "Try" (Blue Rodeo song) (1987) * "Try" (Colbie Caillat song) (2014) * "Try" (Nelly Furtado song) (2004) * " Try (Ju ...

" was released as a single in October of that year. The single was an immediate hit, going to number one on the ''RPM Country Tracks'' chart and number six on the ''RPM Top Singles'' chart, establishing Blue Rodeo as one of Canada's top new bands and carrying ''Outskirts'' to 4× Platinum status in sales. The music video for the single featured Keelor's then-girlfriend Michelle McAdorey, who soon had success with her own band,

Crash Vegas Crash Vegas was a Canadian folk rock band which formed in 1988, and achieved moderate success in the early 1990s. Biography The band was formed by Michelle McAdorey and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo in 1988, who were also in a romantic relationship. ...

. In 1992, the band's song "After the Rain", written by Cuddy and Keelor, was the most-performed song in Canada. By 1999 the band had sold more than two million albums in Canada. Cuddy, Keelor, Donovan and Cripps have all released solo albums. Glenn Milchem performs his own solo music under the pseudonym "the swallows" and had co-founded, with his twin brother John, the rock duo

Starvin Hungry Starvin Hungry was a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto and later based in Montreal, Quebec. History Starvin Hungry was initially begun as a solo guitar and vocal act by John Milchem in 1995, performing original songs that drew inspiration ...

. 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 Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is '' Surfacing'', for which she won two Grammy Awards (ou ...

The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassis ...

, Burton Cummings, Great Big Sea,

Jann Arden Jann Arden (born Jann Arden Anne Richards; March 27, 1962) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress. She is famous for her signature ballads, "Could I Be Your Girl" and " Insensitive", which is her biggest hit to date. Early life and educat ...

The Sadies The Sadies are a Canadian rock and roll / country and western band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Dallas Good, Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky. Dallas and Travis are the sons of Margaret and Bruce Good, and nephews of Bria ...

Skydiggers Skydiggers are a Canadian roots rock band from Toronto formed by Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson. Since 1990, they have released 19 albums/EPs and have had a number of singles that have appeared on the Canadian charts. Their most successful album i ...

, Cuff the Duke,

Cowboy Junkies Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timminse ...

Sarah Harmer Sarah Harmer (born November 12, 1970) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and environmental activist. Early life Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sis ...

Jill Barber Jill Barber (born February 6, 1980) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Originally associated with the folk-pop genre, she has performed vocal jazz and pop music on her more recent albums.Kathleen Edwards Kathleen Edwards (born July 11, 1978
) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. Her 2002 debut album, ''

Juno Awards and seven

SOCAN The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...

awards. On June 16, 2009, it was announced that the band would receive a star on

Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame (french: link=no, Allée des célébrités canadiennes) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a ...

in Toronto. The induction ceremony was held on September 12, 2009. They are the fifth band to receive the honour. Blue Rodeo was inducted into the

Canadian Music Hall of Fame The Canadian Music Hall of Fame was established in 1978 by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to honour Canadian musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The award presentation is held each year as part of the ...

at the 41st Juno Awards on April 1, 2012, joining other Canadian music icons including Rush,

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

, The Band,

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards ...

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, p ...

Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willie ...

, Joni Mitchell,

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

and

Tom Cochrane Thomas William Cochrane ( ; born May 14, 1953) is a Canadian musician best known as the frontman for the rock band Red Rider and for his work as a solo singer-songwriter. Cochrane has won eight Juno Awards. He is a member of the Canadian Music H ...

. According to CARAS, on selecting Blue Rodeo as the 2012 inductees, "Spanning nearly three decades, Blue Rodeo has sold in excess of four million records and won an unprecedented 11 JUNO Awards, establishing themselves as one of the premier groups in Canadian music history." In May 2014, the band received a

Governor General's Performing Arts Award A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

(GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts. At the Gala honouring GGPAA recipients on May 10, the band delivered the evening's surprise finale. On August 5, 2013, former keyboard player James Gray died as the result of a heart attack. He was 52 years old. Canadian guitarist

Colin Cripps Colin Cripps (born January 26, 1961 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian musician and record producer. Career Colin Cripps is a Canadian guitarist and member of Blue Rodeo and the Jim Cuddy Band. He has been a member and producer of the bands ...

joined Blue Rodeo as a full member in 2013, due to Greg Keelor's inability to play electric guitar live any more, caused by hearing issues. In September 2015, Blue Rodeo released the protest song and video "Stealin All My Dreams" which "chronicle the failings of the current government", referring to the government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The band is a member of Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.

Television and film

* Blue Rodeo's song "Flying" appears on the soundtrack to the television show ''Due South'' as track 10, album released in 1996. * The song "Hasn't Hit Me Yet" is played in the 2015 British documentary

The Fear of 13 ''The Fear of 13'' is a 2015 British documentary film by David Sington. It tells the story of Nick Yarris, who was convicted and sentenced to capital punishment for a 1981 kidnapping, rape and murder, and spent 22 years on death row in Pennsy ...

about exonerated death row inmate

Nick Yarris Nicholas James Yarris (born 1961) is an American writer who spent 22 years on death row in Pennsylvania after being wrongfully convicted of murder. Prosecution, conviction, and exoneration Although disputed by some family members, Yarris has st ...

. * The songs "Try" and "Heart Like Mine" are played in the episode "Cupid's Quiver" of the TV show ''

Friday the 13th The Series ''Friday the 13th: The Series'' is a Fantasy television, fantasy Horror fiction, horror television series that ran for three seasons, from October 3, 1987, to May 26, 1990, in Broadcast syndication, first-run syndication. The series follows Mic ...

''. * The song "Bad Timing" is played towards the end of the season 4 finale of the hit Canadian show ''

Corner Gas ''Corner Gas'' is a Canadian television sitcom created by Brent Butt. The series ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. Re-runs still air on CTV, CTV2, CTV Comedy Channel, Much, MTV, E! and are streaming on Crave and Amazon Prime. The seri ...

''. * 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 The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sm ...

''. * 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".

Concerts

On August 11, 1988, the band played the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York (a suburb of Buffalo). They were the headliners after a high school battle of the bands competition. The disastrous gig was the inspiration for their 1990 hit, "What Am I Doing Here." As part of their 20th Anniversary celebrations in 2004, the "original five" line up of Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor, Bazil Donovan, Bob Wiseman and Cleave Anderson reunited for a live performance of five songs: Heart Like Mine, Try, Diamond Mine, Love and Understanding, and Til I Am Myself Again. The set is included on the DVD ''In Stereovision: Blue Rodeo''. On Canada Day 2008, Blue Rodeo played on

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their archit ...

. 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 97th Grey Cup was played on November 29, 2009, at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta, and decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) champion for the 2009 season. The Montreal Alouettes came from behind to defeat the Saskatchewan Roughrider ...

. The band also performed live concerts for the

2010 Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

in Vancouver. Cuddy and Keelor performed at the annual Folk on the Rocks music festival in

Yellowknife Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...

, NT from July 16 to 18, 2010. On October 19, 2010, Blue Rodeo played the music viral show

BalconyTV The Orchard is an American music and entertainment company, specializing in media distribution, marketing, and sales. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music, based in New York City. In 2019, the company sold off its film and television division, whic ...

for a rare acoustic performance on a small Balcony overlooking Dame Street, Dublin. On July 1, 2011, Blue Rodeo performed at

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson comm ...

as part of the Canada Day in London celebrations. Blue Rodeo performed at their induction to the

during the

Juno Awards of 2012 The Juno Awards of 2012 honoured Canadian music industry achievements in the latter part of 2010 and in most of 2011. The awards were presented in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada during the weekend of 31 March and 1 April 2012. A week of related events b ...

Scotiabank Place Canadian Tire Centre (french: links=no, Centre Canadian Tire) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located in the western suburb of Stittsville. It opened in January 1996 as the Palladium and was also known as Corel Cent ...

in the community of Kanata in Ottawa, Ontario on Sunday April 1, 2012. They took the stage with long-time friend and collaborator

and performed their 1992 hit single, "Lost Together". As the performance ended, the audience rose for a spirited standing ovation recognizing Blue Rodeo as "one of Canada's true musical treasures". On January 1, 2017, Blue Rodeo took part in CBC's The Strombo Show's Hip 30, covering "

Bobcaygeon Bobcaygeon is a community on the Trent–Severn Waterway in the City of Kawartha Lakes, east-central Ontario, Canada. Bobcaygeon was incorporated as a village in 1876, and became known as the "Hub of the Kawarthas". Its recorded name ''bob- ...

". Blue Rodeo hosts an annual concert each summer at

Budweiser Stage The Budweiser Stage, originally known as the Molson Amphitheatre, is a concert venue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the grounds of Ontario Place and hosts many diverse acts, including genres like rock, pop, country, and jazz. The ...

. 2020 was the first time in years the concert did not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the band performed on Citytv's ''

Budweiser Stage at Home ''Budweiser Stage at Home'' is a Canadian music performance series which aired on Citytv in 2020. Created in partnership with Live Nation Entertainment as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the series broadcast live concert performances ...

''.

Personnel

Current members

Jim Cuddy James Gordon Cuddy, (born December 2, 1955) is a Canadian singer-songwriter primarily associated with the band Blue Rodeo. Early life and education Cuddy was born in Toronto, Ontario. His Mother Jean Cuddy was an English teacher at Monarch Par ...

– vocals, guitar (1984–present) *

Greg Keelor James Gregory Keelor, (born Francis McIntyre, August 29, 1954) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as a member of the band Blue Rodeo, where he shares song writing and vocal duties with Jim Cuddy. Keelor has also rel ...

– vocals, guitar (1984–present) * Bazil Donovan – bass (1984–present) * Glenn Milchem – drums (1991–present) * Michael Boguski – piano, organ (2008–present) *

– guitar, backing vocals (2012–present) *

Jimmy Bowskill Jimmy Bowskill (born 16 September 1990) is a Canadian Blues music, blues singer, guitarist and bassist based in Toronto, Ontario. Early life Bowskill grew up in Bailieboro, Ontario, Bailieboro, a small village near Peterborough, Ontario, where he l ...

– pedal steel, mandolin, guitar (2017–present)

Former members

– drums (1984-1989) *

– piano, organ (1984-1992) * Mark French – drums (1989-1991) * James Gray – piano, organ (1992-2005; died 2013) * Kim Deschamps – pedal steel, mandolin, guitar (1993-2000) * Bob Packwood – piano, organ (2005-2008) * Bob Egan – pedal steel, mandolin, guitar (2000-2016) ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:140 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1985 till:31/12/2021 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:pdlstlin value:teal legend:Pedal_Steel,_Mandolin id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:bvox value:pink legend:Backing_Vocals Legend = orientation:vertical position:right ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1985 PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Jim Cuddy from:01/01/1985 till:end color:vocals bar:Greg Keelor from:01/01/1985 till:end color:vocals bar:Jim Cuddy from:01/01/1985 till:end color:guitar width:3 bar:Greg Keelor from:01/01/1985 till:end color:guitar width:3 bar:Kim Deschamps from:01/01/1992 till:31/12/1999 color:pdlstlin bar:Bob Egan from:01/01/2000 till:20/08/2016 color:pdlstlin bar:Jimmy Bowskill from:01/01/2017 till:end color:pdlstlin bar:Kim Deschamps from:01/01/1992 till:31/12/1999 color:guitar width:3 bar:Bob Egan from:01/01/2000 till:20/08/2016 color:guitar width:3 bar:Jimmy Bowskill from:01/01/2017 till:end color:guitar width:3 bar:Colin Cripps from:01/01/2012 till:end color:guitar bar:Colin Cripps from:01/01/2012 till:end color:bvox width:3 bar:Bobby Wiseman from:01/01/1985 till:31/07/1992 color:keys bar:James Gray from:01/08/1992 till:31/05/2005 color:keys bar:Bob Packwood from:01/06/2005 till:31/08/2008 color:keys bar:Mike Boguski from:01/09/2008 till:end color:keys bar:Bazil Donovan from:01/01/1985 till:end color:bass bar:Cleave Anderson from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1989 color:drums bar:Mark French from:01/01/1989 till:30/11/1991 color:drums bar:Glenn Milchem from:01/12/1991 till:end color:drums

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Outskirts'' (1987) * ''

Diamond Mine There are a limited number of commercially available diamond mines currently operating in the world, with the 50 largest mines accounting for approximately 90% of global supply. Diamonds are also mined alluvially over disperse areas, where dia ...

'' (1989) * ''

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'' (1990) * '' Lost Together'' (1992) * '' Five Days in July'' (1993) * '' Nowhere to Here'' (1995) * '' Tremolo'' (1997) * '' The Days in Between'' (2000) * '' Palace of Gold'' (2002) * '' Are You Ready'' (2005) * '' Small Miracles'' (2007) * '' The Things We Left Behind'' (2009) * '' In Our Nature'' (2013) * '' A Merrie Christmas to You'' (2014) * '' 1000 Arms'' (2016) * ''

Many a Mile ''Many a Mile'' is Buffy Sainte-Marie's second album, released in 1965. Though originally released on Vanguard Records, it was never reissued on CD when the rest of Sainte-Marie's catalog for that label came out in the late 1990s. It was reissu ...

'' (2021)

Videography

;Video albums *''Blue Movies'' (1991) *''In Stereovision'' (2004) - Certified 3× Platinum by the

CRIA A ''cria'' (pronounced ) is a juvenile llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. Etymology The term comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, ''crya'' (pronounced ), was coined by British sailors who explored C ...

. *''Toronto Rocks (SARSfest)'' (2004) - Canadian edition featuring Blue Rodeo. ;Video singles *"Bulletproof" (from ''Watch This!'') (2004) ;Soundtrack appearances * "I'm Checkin' Out" with Meryl Streep (from '' Postcards from the Edge'') (1990)