Carl Quinn is a Cree
First Nations
First nations are indigenous settlers or bands.
First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to:
Indigenous groups
*List of Indigenous peoples
*First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
singer-songwriter from the
Saddle Lake First Nation in Alberta. He is also a traditional
pow-wow
A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity for Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their ...
dancer and sings with the Pisimoyapi drum group, since their inception. Throughout his music career Quinn has developed a genre in which he self-described as "New World" and that can be identified by its assortment of pop, rock, pow-wow, and
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...
. He has released three albums focused on life, love, tradition and values, all of which he sang in his Native Cree (Nehiyo) language. In 2003, Quinn was awarded the Best Traditional Album, Contemporary Award at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards (CAMAs) for his ''Nehiyo'' Album and in 2005 at the CAMAs he was awarded the best songwriter for "Ni Ototem" and "Otapihkes" which were both from his ''Ni Ototem'' album.
History
Carl Quinn is one son from a family of twelve and he was born on the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in a dirt-floored one room shack. Although, throughout his life he has experienced being a
hunter
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...
,
trapper
Animal trapping, or simply trapping or ginning, is the use of a device to remotely catch and often kill an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including for meat, fur/feathers, sport hunting, pest control, and wildlife man ...
, farm hand,
construction worker
A construction worker is a person employed in the physical construction of the built environment and its infrastructure.
Definitions
By some definitions, construction workers may be engaged in manual labour as unskilled or semi-skilled workers ...
, and a
human resource consultant, he is best known for being a leader in his community by becoming the youngest
Chief
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boat ...
ever to be elected on the Saddle Lake
reserve
Reserve or reserves may refer to:
Places
* Reserve, Kansas, a US city
* Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish
* Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County
* Reserve, New Mexico, a US v ...
and even greater known by becoming a great musical inspiration upon his people. The musical influences Quinn originally grew up with were the songs of the traditional ceremony, round dance,
handgame
Handgame, also known as stickgame, is a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native American guessing game, in which marked "bones" are concealed in the hands of one team while another team guesses their location.
Gameplay
Any number of people c ...
, and pow-wow of his
Cree
The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...
heritage. When receiving his first guitar at fifteen Quinn began emulating music of the
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk horror
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Fo ...
and rock sound from the late sixties and early seventies. Quinn eventually started writing his own music that combined sounds from his musical influences, citing
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly abbreviated as CCR or simply Creedence, was an American Rock music, rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty, h ...
,
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerable s ...
, and his traditional musical background.
Discography
;Albums
*''Ni Ototem'' (unknown)
*''Nehiyo''
(Copyrighted by Pisimoyapi Productions 2003, arranged by Tomas Brabec and Carl Quinn, released January 18, 2005)
#Nosisim
#Kisenapew
#Ka Sipihkosit Atahkos (a song about the resiliency of the"Nehiyo" and the assault on the "Nehiyo" identity)
#Nipin (a summer song meant to be lively and fun)
#Pakamapiskwewin (a song about golf from a humorous perspective)
#Kiwihtamawin
#Kise-Yotin
#Sakastew
#Takawakin Awasis
*''Nimosom'' (2007)
#Ahaw
#Akitah
#Awasis
#Iyiniw
#Meena
#Nehiyo
#Nemakikwiy
#Newayak
#Nimosom
#Nipahwih
#Nitanis
#Nohta
#O Kistin
#Onitopayo
#Otapihkes
#Pisimoyapi
#Sakihitwask
References
External links
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*
Videos
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Carl
20th-century births
Living people
Cree male singers
Indigenous leaders in Alberta
Singers from Alberta
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century First Nations musicians