Sam Roberts (born October 2, 1974) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has released seven albums. His debut EP '' The Inhuman Condition'', reached the Canadian charts in 2002. He and his bandmates have released three albums as Sam Roberts and four albums as Sam Roberts Band. He is also a member of Canadian supergroup Anyway Gang, who released their debut self-titled album in 2019. Roberts has been nominated, together with his band, for fifteen

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

s, winning six, including Artist of the Year twice (2004 and 2009) and

Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...

once (2004).

Early life and Northstar

Born in Westmount, to South African immigrants who had arrived in Montreal three weeks earlier, Roberts grew up on Cedar Avenue in Pointe-Claire, where his family moved to when he was five years old. Roberts is an alumnus of

St. Edmund Elementary School Beaconsfield is a suburb on the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, part of the Greater Montreal region locally referred to as the West Island. It is a prestigious residential community located on the north shore of Lac Saint-Louis, bordered on ...

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, west-northwest of central London and south-southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High W ...

, Loyola High School, N.D.G. and John Abbott College, Ste. Anne de Bellevue and McGill University. He holds a BA in English from McGill University, graduating in 1998. Roberts' first band was William in 1993, that changed into Northstar in 1998. As William they put out a single, "Piranha EP" on Northern Assembly Records in 1996, while as Northstar they released a self-titled independent EP in 1998, but broke up in 1999.

As "Sam Roberts" (2002–2010)

After disbanding Northstar, Roberts recorded a twelve track demo, "Brother Down", which formed the basis for the EP, '' The Inhuman Condition'' released in 2002. Recorded with Jordon Zadorozny, Roberts "recorded a song a day". Roberts signed with artist manager Dave Spencer and began to perform live. With the assistance of Linda Bush at Universal Music Publishing Canada, he signed a publishing contract with UMPG and a record contract with MapleMusic Recordings. MapleMusic released the six track EP culled from the demo with Roberts noting that "it is not something I had intended to be my first real foray into the music world but I couldn't turn my back on such a chance". It included two breakthrough singles, " Brother Down" (released in mid-2002) and "Don't Walk Away Eileen" (released in late 2002) which were heavily promoted in the Canadian market. In August 2002, Roberts signed with Universal Music. In November 2002, Roberts won the CASBY Award for "Favourite New Artist". In 2003, he released his major label debut album, ''

We Were Born in a Flame ''We Were Born in a Flame'' is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian rock musician and singer/songwriter Sam Roberts. A re-recorded version of " Where Have All the Good People Gone?" was released as the album's first single in Canada and ...

'', with the singles "

Where Have All the Good People Gone? "Where Have All the Good People Gone?" is a song by Sam Roberts. The song was originally released in 2002 on Roberts' EP ''The Inhuman Condition''. The song was re-recorded and released as the lead single from his major label debut album, ''We We ...

" and "Hard Road" garnering success in the Canadian market. The album achieved double platinum sales status in Canada and won two

s in 2004:

and Rock Album of the Year, with Roberts winning the Juno award for Artist of the Year. Sam Roberts Band 2007

Roberts’ second album, ''

Chemical City ''Chemical City'' is the second studio album by Canadian musician Sam Roberts, released in Canada on April 11, 2006, and in the United States on May 16, 2006. The album debuted at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 10,000 units in ...

'', was released in April 2006, with the first single "The Gate" topping as a No. 1 hit on Canadian radio. The second single, "

Bridge to Nowhere A bridge to nowhere is a bridge where one or both ends are broken, incomplete, or unconnected to any roads. If it is an overpass or an interchange, the term overpass to nowhere or interchange to nowhere may be used respectively. There are f ...

", won the

for Video of the Year in 2007 and the album achieved platinum sales status. Roberts' third album, ''

Love at the End of the World ''Love at the End of the World'' is the third full-length album from Canadian rock musician Sam Roberts. The album was first released in Canada on May 20, 2008, in the Netherlands on September 19, in the UK on October 13, and in the US on Februa ...

'', released in May 2008, debuted at No. 1 on the Canadian album chart, a first for Roberts. The lead single, " Them Kids", debuted on iTunes on March 4, 2008. Roberts again won the Juno award for Artist of the Year and the album took home Rock Album of the Year and reached gold sales status.

As Sam Roberts Band (2011–present)

Roberts released his fourth studio album, '' Collider'', on May 10, 2011. It is the first album under the moniker "Sam Roberts Band" instead of "Sam Roberts". The first single, " I Feel You" was officially released to Canadian radio on February 28, with an iTunes Canada release of March 8. On November 20, 2013, Roberts announced the release of next album, ''

Lo-Fantasy ''Lo-Fantasy'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock musician Sam Roberts, and the second released as "Sam Roberts Band". The album debuted at number 3 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 5,800 copies during its first week. The album was n ...

'', which was released by Paper Bag Records on February 11, 2014. Sam Roberts' Band released the ''Counting the Days'' EP on April 18, 2015. In 2015, the band collaborated with Toronto's Spearhead Brewery to release the "Sam Roberts Band Session Ale". Their sixth studio album, ''Terraform'', was released October 28, 2016. On September 12, 2016, a North-American tour was announced to promote their new album. ''Terraform'' was later nominated for a 2017 Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year, losing to The Tragically Hip's '' Man Machine Poem''. The band's seventh studio album, ''All of Us'', was released worldwide on October 16, 2020 on Secret Weapon / Known Accomplice.

Sam Roberts Band members

The members of Sam Roberts Band as of 2020 are: * Sam Roberts (lead vocals, guitar) * Dave Nugent (lead guitar) * Eric Fares (keyboard, guitar) * James Hall (bass) * Josh Trager (drums) Past Members: * Corey Zadorozny (drums) *

Chet Doxas Chet Doxas is a saxophonist, clarinetist and composer based in Brooklyn, NY. His work has been nominated for numerous Juno, Grammy and Academy Awards. Doxas has released a number of albums as a leader and has received accolades for his work as a per ...

(tenor saxophone)

Discography

As Sam Roberts

*''

'' (2003) *''

'' (2006) *''

'' (2008)

As Sam Roberts Band

*'' Collider'' (2011) *''

'' (2014) *''TerraForm'' (2016) *''All of Us'' (2020)

With Anyway Gang

*''Anyway Gang'' (2019)

Awards and nominations

Juno Awards

The Juno Awards is a Canadian awards ceremony presented annually by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. , - , rowspan="2", 2003 , , rowspan="2", " Brother Down" , , Single of the Year , , , - , New Artist of the Year , , , - , rowspan="3", 2004 , , rowspan="3", ''

'' , ,

, , , - , Rock Album of the Year , , , - , Artist of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2", 2007 , , "

" , , Video of the Year , , , - , ''

'' , , Rock Album of the Year , , , - , rowspan="3", 2009 , , rowspan="2", ''

'' , , Artist of the Year , , , - , Rock Album of the Year , , , - , " Detroit '67" , , Video of the Year , , , - , rowspan="3", 2012 , , rowspan="2", " Them Kids" , , Video of the Year , , , - , Group of the Year , , , - , '' Collider'' , , Rock Album of the Year , , , - , 2017 , , ''TerraForm'' , , Rock Album of the Year , , , - , 2021, , ''All Of Us'' , , Rock Album of the Year , ,

MuchMusic Video Awards

The

MuchMusic Video Awards The iHeartRadio MMVAs were an annual awards show broadcast on Much to honour the year's best music videos that was last held in 2018. Originally debuting in 1990 as the Canadian Music Video Awards, the awards were renamed in 1995 to the MuchMu ...

was an annual awards ceremony presented by the Canadian music video channel

MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...

. Roberts has received five awards from fourteen nominations. , - , rowspan="4", 2003 , , rowspan="3", "Brother Down" , , Best VideoFACT , , , - , Best Pop Video , , , - , Best Independent Video , , , - , Sam Roberts , , People's Choice – Favourite Canadian Artist , , , - , rowspan="6", 2004 , , rowspan="6", "Hard Road" , , Best Director , , , - , Best Cinematography , , , - , Best Post-Production , , , - , Best Video , , , - , Best Pop Video , , , - , People's Choice – Favourite Canadian Artist , , , - , rowspan="2", 2006 , , rowspan="2", "The Gate" , , Best

MuchMoreMusic M3 was a Canadian English language Category A cable and satellite specialty channel owned by Bell Media. Established in 1998 as MuchMoreMusic, the network began as a spin-off of the youth-oriented MuchMusic, targeting an older demographic with ...

Award , , , - , People's Choice – Favourite Canadian Artist , , , - , rowspan="2", 2008 , , rowspan="2", " Them Kids" , , Best Director , , , - , Best Post-Production , ,

Notable performances

*July 30, 2003: Opening performer at

Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto was a benefit rock concert that was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on July 30, 2003. It was also known as "Toronto Rocks", "Stars 4 SARS", "SARSStock", "SARSfest", "SARS-a-palooza", the "SARS concert", or, more ...

, otherwise referred to as SARStock, promoted to mitigate the economic downturn in Toronto following a limited outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). *June 12, 2003: National Hockey League's (NHL)

NHL Awards The National Hockey League presents numerous annual awards and trophies to recognize its teams and players. The oldest, and most recognizable, is the Stanley Cup. First awarded in 1893, the Stanley Cup is awarded to the NHL's playoff champion. ...

ceremony main performer *November 16, 2003: Canadian Football League's (CFL) 91st

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

halftime show in Regina, Saskatchewan. *July 2, 2005: Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario. *January 1, 2008:

AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic The 2008 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic) was an NHL outdoor games, outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2008, at Ralph Wilson Stadium near Bu ...

, outdoor ice hockey game in Buffalo, New York. *August 2, 2008: Opened for The Eagles in

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...

, New Brunswick *March 29, 2009: Performed at the 2009 Juno Awards *July 18,19 2009: Performed at Folk on the Rocks, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. *August 7, 2009: Performed a free concert at Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, in honour of Sidney Crosby and his Stanley Cup win. *February 20, 2010: Performed at

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. *December 31, 2010: Performed free concert in Brampton, Ontario for New Year's Eve celebrations. *June 25, 2011: Performed at Bobcaygeon Musicfest in Bobcaygeon. *July 1, 2011: Performed a free concert in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Canada Day Canada Day (french: Fête du Canada), formerly known as Dominion Day (french: Fête du Dominion), is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 18 ...

for

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

, and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. *December 31, 2013: Performed at Niagara Falls' New Year's concert alongside

Serena Ryder Serena most commonly refers to: * Serena Williams (born 1981), professional tennis player Serena may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Serena (genre), 13th-century Occitan poetic genre * ''Serena'' (1962 film), a British crime th ...

and

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...

References

External links

Sam Roberts Band
*
Sam Roberts Band collection
at the Internet Archive's live music archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Sam 1974 births Anglophone Quebec people Canadian rock singers Canadian singer-songwriters Singers from Montreal Juno Award for Artist of the Year winners Living people McGill University alumni Canadian people of South African descent People from Westmount, Quebec Musicians from Quebec MapleMusic Recordings artists Juno Award for Album of the Year winners Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year winners 21st-century Canadian male singers Canadian male singer-songwriters