The Sadies are a Canadian

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, or d ...

band from

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. The band consists of Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky.

Dallas Good Dallas Good was a Canadian musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the co-founder, guitarist, and vocalist of the alt-country rock band The Sadies. Good was a pivotal figure in the Canadian music scene, contributing to a wide ran ...

, a founding member, died in 2022. Dallas and Travis are the sons of Margaret and Bruce Good, and nephews of Brian and Larry Good, who are members of the Canadian

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

group

The Good Brothers The Good Brothers are a Canadian country, bluegrass and folk music group originating from Richmond Hill, Ontario. The band's core members are Brian Good (guitar), his twin brother Bruce Good (autoharp) and younger brother Larry Good (banjo). ...

Background

The Sadies were formed in 1994. In 1998 the group released their first album, ''Precious Moments''. Several more albums followed, including ''In Concert Vol. 1'' in 2006. In addition to their own recordings, the Sadies often collaborate with other artists, such as

Blue Rodeo Blue Rodeo is a Canadian rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, 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 colla ...

Jon Langford Jonathan Denis Langford (born 11 October 1957) is a Welsh musician and artist based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Langford is a founder member of the punk band The Mekons, the post-punk group The Three Johns, and the alternative count ...

Gord Downie Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer, poet, and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from ...

, Andre Williams (on the 1999 country-influenced ''Red Dirt'' and the 2012 release entitled "Night and Day"),

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

(track "This Wheel’s on Fire" on the album ''Garth Hudson Presents a Canadian Celebration of The Band'') and have recorded, written and toured extensively as the backing band for singer

Neko Case Neko Richelle Case ( ; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case's singing voice has been described by contemporaries and critics as a "flamethrower", "a pow ...

. They have also toured and recorded with Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray as

Heavy Trash Heavy Trash is an American rockabilly band based in New York City, formed by Jon Spencer of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Matt Verta-Ray (formerly of New York bands Madder Rose and Speedball Baby). The band's music draws from an eclect ...

, as well as

John Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used in the British, Canadian, and American legal systems, when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law ...

. They are considered honorary members of

The Mekons The Mekons are a British Post-punk band formed in 1976 as an art collective. They are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk rock bands. The band's style has evolved over time to incorporate aspects of co ...

. The 2005 documentary ''Come on Down: Searching for the American Dream'' features music by the Sadies. The Sadies' music is featured in many films and television shows, for example,

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representativ ...

and s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

's '' 12 oz. Mouse''. An instrumental performed by the band can be heard in episode 5 of season 1, during a scene in which Rhoda the bartender is murdered. On 18 May 2010, the Sadies released '' Darker Circles'' CD/LP through Outside Music and Yep Roc Records. ''Darker Circles'' was a shortlisted nominee for the

2010 Polaris Music Prize The 2010 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 20, 2010.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 ...

with Mike Roberts for best video. The Sadies are collectively members of the group

The Unintended The Unintended is a Canadian indie supergroup, consisting of Dallas Good (died 2022), Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky of The Sadies, Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo and Rick White of Eric's Trip and Elevator. The band's name comes from a lyric ...

, along with

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 rele ...

of Blue Rodeo and Rick White of Eric's Trip/Elevator. They also make multiple contributions to

Garth Hudson Eric Garth Hudson (August 2, 1937 – January 21, 2025) was a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for The Band. He was a principal architect of the group's sound and was described as "the mo ...

's 2010 album ''Garth Hudson Presents: A Canadian Celebration of The Band'', by performing " The Shape I'm In", and also by backing

, for " This Wheel's On Fire", and

Mary Margaret O'Hara Mary Margaret O'Hara is a Canadian singer-songwriter, actress and composer. She is best known for the album ''Miss America'', released in 1988. She released two albums and an EP under her own name, and remains active as a live performer, as a con ...

, for "Out of the Blue". All performances on that album featured Hudson on keyboards. The Sadies have performed with other members of the Good Brothers intermittently over the years using the name "The Good Family", and in 2013 released the album ''The Good Family Album'', as well as performing live under that name. The Sadies at BSOMF 2011-3

Among the band's last studio releases are ''Internal Sounds'', released on 17 September 2013 through

Outside Music Outside Music is a Canadian record label and distributor founded by Lloyd Nishimura in 2001. In 2007, it expanded to include an artist management division which includes Jill Barber, Matthew Barber, Aidan Knight, Justin Rutledge as manageme ...

; ''

And the Conquering Sun ''And the Conquering Sun'' is a collaborative album by Gord Downie and The Sadies, released on Arts & Crafts Productions in 2014. The album began when The Sadies were invited to perform on the CBC Radio concert series ''Fuse (radio program), Fuse' ...

'', their 2014 collaboration with Gord Downie on

Arts & Crafts Productions Arts & Crafts Productions is a Canadian music-focused media and artist services company that offers services as an independent record label, management firm, merchandiser, and publisher worldwide. It has earned 21 Juno Awards. Arts & Crafts has ...

; and ''Northern Passages'', released in February 2017 on

Yep Roc Records Yep Roc Records is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and owned by Redeye Distribution. Since 1997, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Fountains of Wayne ...

. Dallas Good died unexpectedly on February 17, 2022, at the age of 48. The cause was a recently detected heart condition. ''

Colder Streams ''Colder Streams'' is the 11th studio album by Canadian alternative country band The Sadies, released July 22, 2022, on Dine Alone Records in Canada and Yep Roc Records in the United States.Alex Hudson"The Sadies Announce 'Colder Streams,' Produc ...

'', the last Sadies album completed before his death, was released in July 2022, to critical acclaim. The album was the winner of the

Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year The Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year, administered by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), has been awarded since 2005 to recognize the best album in the adult alternative genre by a Canadian Canadians ...

at the

Juno Awards of 2023 The Juno Awards of 2023 was a music awards ceremony that was held on 13 March 2023 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.2023 Polaris Music Prize The 2023 edition of the Canada, Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2023. The winner was electronic musician Debby Friday for her album ''Good Luck (Debby Friday album), Good Luck''. The longlist was announced on June 13, ...

. In 2024 the band released their first new album recorded without Dallas Good, a collaboration with Rick White entitled ''Rick White and the Sadies''. The album was longlisted for the

2025 Polaris Music Prize The 2025 edition of the Canada, Canadian Polaris Music Prize will be presented on September 16, 2025 at Massey Hall.Kerry Doole"Polaris Music Prize Announces 40-Album 2025 Long List, Announces SOCAN Polaris Song Prize" ''Billboard (magazine), Bil ...

. White, a longtime friend of the band's, had previously recorded his own album of Sadies covers, ''Rick White Plays the Sadies'', in 2022 following Dallas Good's death. In 2025 the band appeared on "Now That You're Gone", a tribute song to Dallas Good recorded by The Good Brothers.

Discography

Albums

Singles

* cork & monkey/village of horseheads/the curdled journey (2001) *"Crater" (with

Gordon Downie Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer, poet, and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from it ...

) (2014) * The Most Despicable Man Alive b/w Old Gunga Din (2020) Ernest Jenning Record Co.

References

External links