Indio is the stage name for Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Peterson who released one album, ''Big Harvest'' in 1989, which includes the top 10 hit "Hard Sun."

History

Gordon Peterson grew up in

Dundas Dundas may refer to: Places Australia * Dundas, New South Wales * Dundas, Queensland, a locality in the Somerset Region * Dundas, Tasmania * Dundas, Western Australia * Fort Dundas, a settlement in the Northern Territory 1824–1828 * Shire ...

; a constituent community in the City of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

in Ontario, Canada. The name Indio came to him while recording the second half of the album ''Big Harvest'' in California with Larry Klein. One afternoon, Peterson drove down to Mexico and the last town before he crossed the California/Mexico border was named

Indio Indio may refer to: Places * Indio, Bovey Tracey, an historic estate in Devon, England * Indio, California, a city in Riverside County, California, United States People with the name * Indio (musician), Canadian musician Gordon Peterson * Índi ...

. At that point, Peterson decided he didn't want to use his own name on the album and decided to use Indio.

''Big Harvest''

''Big Harvest'' took two months to record. It involved several high-profile artists including Hamiltonian Bill Dillon and David Rhodes (

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

) on guitars. Larry Klein played bass. Brenda Russell, also of Hamilton, sang background vocals, as did

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...

. Other collaborators included Indian violinist

L. Subramaniam Lakshminarayana Subramaniam (born 23 July 1947) is an Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music. Early years Subramaniam was born in Madras, Madras Presidency, Brit ...

. The album appeared on the RPM 100 Chart in 1989. "Hard Sun" was released as the lead-off single from the album, with a stripped-down acoustic version of the song on the record's B-side. "Hard Sun" was a top 10 hit in Canada, peaking at No. 10 in September 1989 and the song reached the same position on the ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs chart that same month. Peterson, who was sensitive to industry demands, walked away from the business shortly after Indio's release. He was conflicted by a love to create music and the expectations imposed upon him. In 2007, Indio issued a new song, entitled "This Way Down", to a small number of fans and friends. The song features creative, at-home-studio techniques including a unique vocal recording accompanied by an electric guitar. ''Big Harvest'' has become a collector's item, with used copies commanding up to $400 on eBay. On January 27, 2009 ''Big Harvest'' was reissued by Pacemaker Entertainment, a Canadian CD reissue label. The album is, nowadays, often noted for its connotation towards

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

and spirituality through nature. The singer said that his eye for nature and conservation came from working on his grandfather's tobacco farm in Canada as a child.

"Hard Sun" lawsuit

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

covered the single "Hard Sun" for the 2007

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

movie '' Into the Wild''. Peterson re-emerged into the public when he filed a lawsuit in December 2009 against

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, g ...

, alleging infringement resulting from usage and alteration of "Hard Sun" without Peterson's permission, although

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and it ...

, Peterson's former label, granted permission. The suit against Vedder was dismissed, while a simultaneous suit against Universal was dropped after Universal and Peterson reached an undisclosed settlement.

Discography

*1989 – ''Big Harvest'' –

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Indio (Musician) Canadian singer-songwriters People from Dundas, Ontario Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian male singers Musicians from Hamilton, Ontario Living people Musicians from Toronto Place of birth missing (living people) A&M Records artists Canadian rock musicians Canadian male singer-songwriters