Blue Rodeo is a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band formed in 1984 in

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, 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, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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

Bob Wiseman Robert Neil 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 Canadia ...

, who, at that time, was 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 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 8, 1985, Blue Rodeo played their first show together at The Rivoli in Toronto; one week later, they performed at Handsome Ned'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" 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. 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, Boguski 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. 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 (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 (album), Surfacing'' (1997), for which she won two G ...

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, Burton Cummings, Great Big Sea,

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, The Sadies, Skydiggers, Cuff the Duke, Crash Vegas,

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, Sarah Harmer, Jill Barber, and Kathleen Edwards. They have won many Canadian music awards, including twelve

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

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

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

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and Tom Cochrane. According to CARAS, on selecting Blue Rodeo as the 2012 inductee, "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 The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are an annual Canadian award, presented to honour distinguished achievements in Canadian performing arts and culture. Administered by the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation in associ ...

(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 joined Blue Rodeo as a full member in 2013 due to Greg Keelor's inability to play electric guitar live anymore because of 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 Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

. The band is a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism. The City of Toronto named Blue Rodeo Drive, a street in the Riverdale neighbourhood near the band's studio, after the band in 2022. In 2024, Cuddy and Keelor were inducted into the

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame () is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1998 by Frank Davies, that inducts Canadians into their ''Hall of Fame'' within three different categories: songwriters, songs, and those others who have m ...

. In the same year they were profiled in Dale Heslip's documentary film '' Blue Rodeo: Lost Together'', which was the winner of the Audience Award at the 2024 Whistler Film Festival.

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. * Blue Rodeo’s song “Lost Together” (from the album of the same name) is featured near the conclusion (and plays over the end credits) of ''

Resident Alien In law, an alien is generally any person (including an organization) who is not a citizen or a national of a specific country, although definitions and terminology differ across legal systems. Lexicology The term "alien" is derived from the L ...

'' season 3, episode 3 (“141 Seconds”). * The song "Hasn't Hit Me Yet" is played in a 2003 episode of the American television series “ Ed,” as well as the 2015 British documentary '' The Fear of 13'' about exonerated death row inmate Nick Yarris. * 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 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. Reruns still air on CTV, CTV2, CTV Comedy Channel, Much, E! and are streaming on Crave and Amazon Prime. The series ...

''. * Blue Rodeo is the band appearing at the end of the 1990 film ''

Postcards from the Edge ''Postcards from the Edge'' is the debut novel by the American actress and writer Carrie Fisher, first published in 1987. Based on Fisher's own experiences of fame and substance abuse, the semi-autobiographical novel was later adapted by Fisher ...

''. * The song "Try" is played in the background of the bar in the film ''

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''. * 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 at 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" lineup 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 Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is the national day of Canada. A Public holidays in Canada, federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the B ...

2008, Blue Rodeo played on

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose ...

. 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 Yellowknife is the capital, largest community, and the 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 outlet of t ...

, NT from July 16 to 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 Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

as part of the Canada Day celebrations in London. Blue Rodeo performed at their induction to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the

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in the community of Kanata in

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, 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 Kawartha Lakes, 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 reco ...

". Blue Rodeo hosts an annual concert each summer at Budweiser Stage. 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 Citytv (sometimes shortened to City, which was the network's official branding from 2012 to 2018) is a Television in Canada, Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The network consis ...

's '' Budweiser Stage at Home''.

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 P ...

– vocals, guitar (1984–present) * Greg Keelor – vocals, guitar (1984–present) * Bazil Donovan – bass (1984–present) * Glenn Milchem – drums (1991–present) * Michael Boguski – piano, organ (2008–present) * Colin Cripps – guitar, backing vocals (2012–present) * Jimmy Bowskill – pedal steel, mandolin, guitar, backing vocals (2017–present)

Former members

* Cleave Anderson – 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:900 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:40 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1985 till:31/12/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1985 Legend = orientation:horizontal Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:pdlstlin value:drabgreen 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 id:bars value:black Legend:Studio_album LineData= color:bars layer:back at:26/03/1987 at:20/03/1989 at:20/11/1990 at:07/07/1992 at:26/10/1993 at:29/08/1995 at:15/07/1997 at:11/01/2000 at:08/10/2002 at:05/04/2005 at:25/09/2007 at:10/11/2009 at:29/10/2013 at:04/11/2014 at:28/10/2016 at:03/12/2021 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:Jimmy Bowskill from:01/01/2017 till:end color:bvox width:3 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:7 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:Bob 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'' (1989) * ''

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'' (1990) * '' Lost Together'' (1992) * '' Five Days in July'' (1993) * '' Nowhere to Here'' (1995) * ''

Tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are multiple types of tremolo: a rapid repetition of a note, an alternation between two different notes, or a variation in volume. Tremolos may be either ''measured'' ...

'' (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'' (2021)

Videography

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

'') (1990) ; Documentaries * "Blue Rodeo - Lost Together" (2024)