Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Rolling Stone Magazine-Top 50 Canadian Artists

charlene · 07-05-2023, 09:21 AM

12
Arcade Fire
(NETHERLANDS OUT) NETHERLANDS - MARCH 01: Regine Chassagne and Win Butler from Canadian group Arcade Fire posed in The Netherlands on 1st March 2005.(Photo by Lex van Rossen/MAI/Redferns)
Lex van Rossen/MAI/Redferns/Getty Images

“So many of my closest friends are in Montreal,” the Arcade Fire’s Win Butler said in 2022. “There’s such a magical interplay between Haitian, Caribbean, West and North African cultures, with Québécois, Canadians, and Americans, such a cool, interesting mix of people. It’s cultural, it’s food, and just the humanity.” The band has definitely done its part to bring that culture to the world. When Arcade Fire debuted with their classic album, Funeral, in 2004, they immediately shifted the attention of the rock audience to their home country, which was rich with great new indie-rock bands. Arcade Fire’s sound has moved on from the charismatic rock of Funeral to dance rock and other strains, but they’ve always maintained their hugely influential earnest intensity. Despite troubling accusations of abuse and toxic behavior against Win Bulter and the recent departure of co-founder Will Butler, the band toured in 2022 and 2023 behind its sixth album WE. —J.D.

11
Gordon Lightfoot
Musician Gordon Lightfoot performs onstage in 1978 (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Gordon Lightfoot has yet to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He never won a single Grammy. Classic-rock radio has reduced his five-decade career to two or three songs it occasionally broadcasts. But if you bring up his name to any truly great songwriter with a knowledge of history, they’ll tell you that the man was an absolute genius. “I can’t think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don’t like,” Bob Dylan once said. “Every time I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would last forever.” Dylan recorded Lightfoot’s classic “Early Mornin’ Rain,” joining a long list of others — including Elvis Presley, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, and Barbra Streisand — who covered his music. When he died in 2023, tributes poured in. “Gordon was a great Canadian artist,” Neil Young wrote. “A songwriter without parallel.” —A.G.

10
Celine Dion
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - DECEMBER 04: In this handout photo provided by Disney, Grammy Award-winning singer Celine Dion performs "O' Come All Ye Faithful" at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa hotel December 4, 2009 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, while taping the "Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade" holiday TV special. The special will air December 25 on ABC. (Photo by Matt Stroshane/Disney via Getty Images)
Matt Stroshane/Disney/Getty Images

Few artists are as beloved in Canada as Celine Dion, and for good reason: Her rags-to-riches story (youngest of 14 from a working-class family in small-town Quebec turns into global superstar) is the stuff of pop-music dreams, and the respect and adoration she receives around the world is something Canadians claim with pride. The Francophone Dion got her start singing in Canada’s other official language, releasing eight successful French albums before her English debut in 1990. Determined to make a name for herself internationally, she took lessons to improve her English while working with bigger producers and bigger stars. Her enormous career is undeniable, spanning Number One singles, countless awards, and one Titanic moment. Her voice is unmissable, a roaring tour de force, and she has stage presence to back it up. Yet through it all, Dion will tell you her greatest accomplishment was making her family — and her country — proud. And for that, our love for Celine will go on. —T.C.

9
Alanis Morissette
ATLANTA SEPTEMBER 14: Alanis Morissette performs at The Omni Coliseum in Atlanta Georgia, September 14,1996 (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Rick Diamond/Getty Images

With her lacerating wail and ability to distill complex feelings into a single lyric — “And every time I scratch my nails down someone else’s back I hope you feel it,” from her 1995 breakthrough single “You Oughta Know,” is worthy of greeting-card inscriptions — Ottawa’s Alanis Morissette got her start in comedy, dishing out wisecracks on the Canadian sketch show You Can’t Do That on Television. Her early-career efforts at teen pop were well-received in Canada, but 1995’s Jagged Little Pill, which combined alt-rock scuzz with her mighty voice and shrewd observations, broke her worldwide. Over time, Morissette became interested in spirituality and anti-censorship efforts, and she even released the meditation album the storm before the calm in 2022. Going her own way, of course, fits into her legacy as a woman unafraid to speak her truth, which was even enshrined on Broadway in the Diablo Cody-written jukebox musical Jagged Little Pill. —M.J.

8
The Weeknd
WANTAGH, NY - AUGUST 22: The Weeknd performs live during the 2015 Billboard Hot 100 Music Festival at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on August 22, 2015 in Wantagh, New York. (Photo by Matthew Eisman/Getty Images)
Matthew Eisman/Getty Images

When the Weeknd released his first mixtapes in the early 2010s, not much was known about the shadowy singer — although it was very clear from the jump that he was a product of The 6. Those hazy, winding early songs led to him hooking up with fellow Toronto ambassador Drake, and things went all the way up from there. Abel Tesfaye’s lithe voice and melding of the dark arts with the sex-drugs-rock-and-roll trilogy, along with some assists from top-tier producers like Max Martin and Daft Punk, catapulted him into pop’s highest echelons in the mid-2010s, He was so big, in 2021 he became the first Canadian solo artist to headline a Super Bowl Halftime Show. —M.J.

7
Shania Twain
SAN DIEGO - JANUARY 26: Singer Shania Twain performs during halftime of Super Bowl XXXVII between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Al Bello/Getty Images

Country-pop megastar Shania Twain might have sold more than 100 million albums, but the Windsor-born singer is still true to her roots. “Northern Ontario is unique,” she told Maclean’s in 2002. “I don’t know whether it’s just because I’m from there, but I just have a connection.” Twain has also established connections with listeners all over the globe thanks to her flouting of Nashville convention, as well as her easy fusing of country’s twang-rich storytelling with big-tent arena rock’s brawn. Songs like “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much” are party-starters for even those people who might disavow country in their music-taste rundowns, while tender ballads like “You’re Still the One” tug at the heartstrings decades after their release. —M.J.

6
The Band
Group portrait of Canadian-Amercian rock group The Band in London, United Kingdom, June 1971. L-R Garth Hudson, Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko. (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)
Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns/Getty Images

The Band may be the quintessential Americana rock band, but four of the five members were born and raised in Canada. Guitarist Robbie Robertson, bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manuel, and organist Garth Hudson immersed themselves in American music from very young ages, making them the perfect choice to join up with Canadian rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins as his backing musicians in the late Fifties. Once Arkansas-born Levon Helm joined on drums, the classic lineup was complete. Bob Dylan upped their profile considerably when he took them on the road in 1965, and they finally had a chance to release a proper record in 1968 with Music From Big Pink, a staggering masterpiece they managed to top a year later with The Band. Only an outsider to our country like Robertson could have written the Civil War epic “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” which tells the story of the war from the perspective of an impoverished Southerner. “You couldn’t categorize the Band’s sound,” said Lucinda Williams. “But it was so organic — a little bit country, a little bit mountain, a little bit rock — and their vocal styles and harmonies set them apart.” —A.G.

07-05-2023, 09:21 AM	#5
charlene Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 16,001	Re: Rolling Stone Magazine-Top 50 Canadian Artists 12 Arcade Fire (NETHERLANDS OUT) NETHERLANDS - MARCH 01: Regine Chassagne and Win Butler from Canadian group Arcade Fire posed in The Netherlands on 1st March 2005.(Photo by Lex van Rossen/MAI/Redferns) Lex van Rossen/MAI/Redferns/Getty Images “So many of my closest friends are in Montreal,” the Arcade Fire’s Win Butler said in 2022. “There’s such a magical interplay between Haitian, Caribbean, West and North African cultures, with Québécois, Canadians, and Americans, such a cool, interesting mix of people. It’s cultural, it’s food, and just the humanity.” The band has definitely done its part to bring that culture to the world. When Arcade Fire debuted with their classic album, Funeral, in 2004, they immediately shifted the attention of the rock audience to their home country, which was rich with great new indie-rock bands. Arcade Fire’s sound has moved on from the charismatic rock of Funeral to dance rock and other strains, but they’ve always maintained their hugely influential earnest intensity. Despite troubling accusations of abuse and toxic behavior against Win Bulter and the recent departure of co-founder Will Butler, the band toured in 2022 and 2023 behind its sixth album WE. —J.D. 11 Gordon Lightfoot Musician Gordon Lightfoot performs onstage in 1978 (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Gordon Lightfoot has yet to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He never won a single Grammy. Classic-rock radio has reduced his five-decade career to two or three songs it occasionally broadcasts. But if you bring up his name to any truly great songwriter with a knowledge of history, they’ll tell you that the man was an absolute genius. “I can’t think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don’t like,” Bob Dylan once said. “Every time I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would last forever.” Dylan recorded Lightfoot’s classic “Early Mornin’ Rain,” joining a long list of others — including Elvis Presley, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, and Barbra Streisand — who covered his music. When he died in 2023, tributes poured in. “Gordon was a great Canadian artist,” Neil Young wrote. “A songwriter without parallel.” —A.G. 10 Celine Dion LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - DECEMBER 04: In this handout photo provided by Disney, Grammy Award-winning singer Celine Dion performs "O' Come All Ye Faithful" at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa hotel December 4, 2009 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, while taping the "Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade" holiday TV special. The special will air December 25 on ABC. (Photo by Matt Stroshane/Disney via Getty Images) Matt Stroshane/Disney/Getty Images Few artists are as beloved in Canada as Celine Dion, and for good reason: Her rags-to-riches story (youngest of 14 from a working-class family in small-town Quebec turns into global superstar) is the stuff of pop-music dreams, and the respect and adoration she receives around the world is something Canadians claim with pride. The Francophone Dion got her start singing in Canada’s other official language, releasing eight successful French albums before her English debut in 1990. Determined to make a name for herself internationally, she took lessons to improve her English while working with bigger producers and bigger stars. Her enormous career is undeniable, spanning Number One singles, countless awards, and one Titanic moment. Her voice is unmissable, a roaring tour de force, and she has stage presence to back it up. Yet through it all, Dion will tell you her greatest accomplishment was making her family — and her country — proud. And for that, our love for Celine will go on. —T.C. 9 Alanis Morissette ATLANTA SEPTEMBER 14: Alanis Morissette performs at The Omni Coliseum in Atlanta Georgia, September 14,1996 (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images) Rick Diamond/Getty Images With her lacerating wail and ability to distill complex feelings into a single lyric — “And every time I scratch my nails down someone else’s back I hope you feel it,” from her 1995 breakthrough single “You Oughta Know,” is worthy of greeting-card inscriptions — Ottawa’s Alanis Morissette got her start in comedy, dishing out wisecracks on the Canadian sketch show You Can’t Do That on Television. Her early-career efforts at teen pop were well-received in Canada, but 1995’s Jagged Little Pill, which combined alt-rock scuzz with her mighty voice and shrewd observations, broke her worldwide. Over time, Morissette became interested in spirituality and anti-censorship efforts, and she even released the meditation album the storm before the calm in 2022. Going her own way, of course, fits into her legacy as a woman unafraid to speak her truth, which was even enshrined on Broadway in the Diablo Cody-written jukebox musical Jagged Little Pill. —M.J. 8 The Weeknd WANTAGH, NY - AUGUST 22: The Weeknd performs live during the 2015 Billboard Hot 100 Music Festival at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on August 22, 2015 in Wantagh, New York. (Photo by Matthew Eisman/Getty Images) Matthew Eisman/Getty Images When the Weeknd released his first mixtapes in the early 2010s, not much was known about the shadowy singer — although it was very clear from the jump that he was a product of The 6. Those hazy, winding early songs led to him hooking up with fellow Toronto ambassador Drake, and things went all the way up from there. Abel Tesfaye’s lithe voice and melding of the dark arts with the sex-drugs-rock-and-roll trilogy, along with some assists from top-tier producers like Max Martin and Daft Punk, catapulted him into pop’s highest echelons in the mid-2010s, He was so big, in 2021 he became the first Canadian solo artist to headline a Super Bowl Halftime Show. —M.J. 7 Shania Twain SAN DIEGO - JANUARY 26: Singer Shania Twain performs during halftime of Super Bowl XXXVII between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) Al Bello/Getty Images Country-pop megastar Shania Twain might have sold more than 100 million albums, but the Windsor-born singer is still true to her roots. “Northern Ontario is unique,” she told Maclean’s in 2002. “I don’t know whether it’s just because I’m from there, but I just have a connection.” Twain has also established connections with listeners all over the globe thanks to her flouting of Nashville convention, as well as her easy fusing of country’s twang-rich storytelling with big-tent arena rock’s brawn. Songs like “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much” are party-starters for even those people who might disavow country in their music-taste rundowns, while tender ballads like “You’re Still the One” tug at the heartstrings decades after their release. —M.J. 6 The Band Group portrait of Canadian-Amercian rock group The Band in London, United Kingdom, June 1971. L-R Garth Hudson, Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko. (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns) Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns/Getty Images The Band may be the quintessential Americana rock band, but four of the five members were born and raised in Canada. Guitarist Robbie Robertson, bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manuel, and organist Garth Hudson immersed themselves in American music from very young ages, making them the perfect choice to join up with Canadian rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins as his backing musicians in the late Fifties. Once Arkansas-born Levon Helm joined on drums, the classic lineup was complete. Bob Dylan upped their profile considerably when he took them on the road in 1965, and they finally had a chance to release a proper record in 1968 with Music From Big Pink, a staggering masterpiece they managed to top a year later with The Band. Only an outsider to our country like Robertson could have written the Civil War epic “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” which tells the story of the war from the perspective of an impoverished Southerner. “You couldn’t categorize the Band’s sound,” said Lucinda Williams. “But it was so organic — a little bit country, a little bit mountain, a little bit rock — and their vocal styles and harmonies set them apart.” —A.G.