Manitoba has produced much Canadian music, especially since the early 1960s.
The University of Manitoba and Brandon University both include schools of music. Brandon University's music school and its Queen Elizabeth II Music Building are hubs for music in southwestern Manitoba. [1]
Manitoba is a center for the old-time fiddling of the Métis people. The tune "Whiskey Before Breakfast" was popularized there by the Métis fiddler Andy DeJarlis (1914–1975), who was from the Red River region.
Bob Nolan was a cowboy singer famous for writing Tumbling Tumbleweeds, while Winnipeg-born Oscar Brand was an important figure in folk music.
In the early 1990s Susan Aglukark, born in Churchill, achieved national country music and adult contemporary chart success with songs incorporating Inuit folk music traditions.
The Canadian 1960s supergroup "Chad Allen and the Expressions" (later known as The Guess Who) became the first rock musicians to be recognized outside Canada. Their 1965 hit "Shakin' All Over" gave them instant success in Canada and Great Britain. The band was renamed the Guess Who in 1966, and with Chad Allen gone and new keyboardist Burton Cummings on vocals, they began to realize their full potential as a rock band. Their hits "American Woman", "No Time", "Clap for the Wolfman", "These Eyes", and "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature" made them one of the most successful rock bands to ever come from Canada. A version of the band featuring original dummer Garry Peterson continues to perform as the Guess Who, but the band as most fans know it broke up in 1975.
Neil Young was also a product of the 1960s Winnipeg music scene, and has deep family roots in Western Manitoba. Neil played in community clubs in Winnipeg with his band, the Squires, during the mid-1960s. Those days were recounted in the song "Prairie Town", recorded in 1992 with Randy Bachman. Early in Neil's career he played with Stephen Stills in the band Buffalo Springfield, and again with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. However, Neil Young is best known as a solo artist, producing albums like Harvest and a string of hits. As of 2022, his career has spanned more than five decades. He is referred to by some as the Godfather of Grunge, having inspired grunge pioneers like Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. Some regard him as one of the most influential Canadian musicians of all time. [2]
Former Guess Who guitarist, Randy Bachman, started a band called Brave Belt not long after he left the Guess Who. Brave Belt was later renamed to Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO for short). Bachman–Turner Overdrive became popular with such hits as "Takin' Care of Business", the Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" from 1974, and "Let it Ride". Burton Cummings, who had been the lead singer of the Guess Who, also had a successful solo career with softer hits including "Stand Tall", "Scared", and "Break it to Them Gently". In spite of the breakup of the Guess Who, several of Cummings’ solo songs featured Bachman on guitar. Bachman and Cummings continue to perform together on occasion under the banner Bachman-Cummings.
Between 1970 and 1974, four different Winnipeg artists had #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the aforementioned The Guess Who, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Neil Young, and Terry Jacks with 1974's "Seasons in the Sun."
Tom Cochrane, a rocker originally from the town of Lynn Lake in Northern Manitoba, rose to fame with his band Red Rider, producing such hits as "Lunatic Fringe", "Boy Inside the Man" and "Big League". As a solo artist Cochrane recorded five albums, producing the hit "Life Is a Highway", a song later covered by country band Rascal Flatts, among others.
The late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s brought a new arena rock vibe to the local music scene, featuring made-in-Manitoba rockers Harlequin, and the Chris Burke-Gaffney-lead bands The Pumps, Orphan and later the Deadbeat Honeymooners. Harlequin was arguably the most popular band to come out of Manitoba in the early 1980s, producing several radio-friendly hits including "Sweet Things in Life", "Innocence", and "Superstitious Feeling". Winnipeg was also a second home and regular stop for Regina-based Streetheart — a band with several linkages to Winnipeg including original member Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve.
In the late 1980s, an indie folk/pop band from Winnipeg called Crash Test Dummies was formed featuring singers Brad Roberts and Ellen Reid. In 1991, Crash Test Dummies had success in Canada with their first album The Ghosts that Haunt Me, which included the single “Superman's Song”. They found mainstream success in the US, UK and Australia with their second album, featuring the folk rock Billboard Modern Rock Tracks #1 single in 1994 "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm", as well as their third album and the single "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" which was featured in the movie Dumb & Dumber .
The Watchmen formed in Winnipeg in 1988, releasing their first album, McLaren Furnace Room in 1992. It was named for the space in Winnipeg's McLaren Hotel, where the band would rehearse. The Watchmen released seven albums and are known for Daniel Greaves’ unique vocals and songs like "Boneyard Tree", "Incarnate" and "Stereo", among others.
Originally formed in Seattle, Econoline Crush is a band based in Vancouver, led by singer Trevor Hurst, who was born and raised in Virden, Manitoba. Econoline Crush had several hit songs in Canada, including "You Don't Know What It's Like", "Sparkle and Shine", and "All That You Are".
The New Meanies, originally called the Blue Meanies, are a Canadian four piece rock band from Winnipeg. Formed around 1990 by high school friends Damon Mitchell (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica), Jeff Hondubura (guitar, vocals), Sky Onosson (bass, vocals, keyboards) and Jason Kane (drums, percussion) started playing blues-influenced rock. After releasing two independent albums, Experience is Lost (independently released on cassette only) and The Blue Meanies, [3] they toured extensively throughout Western Canada in the early 1990s. The band signed with Virgin Records in 1996. The band changed its name to the New Meanies due to the existence of another Blue Meanies based in Chicago, and recorded a new album Three Seeds in the Los Angeles area with producer Howard Benson. The album was released in 1998, and the single "Letting Time Pass" achieved airplay on radio and television, charting at No. 14 on RPM Magazine's Canadian rock/alternative chart. [4] In 1999, the band performed in Toronto with Danko Jones and Tricky Woo. [5] In 2000, the band went indie again and released a new album, Highways, in 2001.
Born in India, and currently living in Vancouver, Bif Naked spent her teen and young adult years in Winnipeg where she developed into the unique artist that she is today. The heavily tattooed Naked has earned a loyal following with her unique and personal brand of rock music and poetry. Several of her songs have received airplay over the years, including “Spaceman”, “I Love Myself Today”, and “Tango Shoes”. Bif Naked continued recording while she battled breast cancer, releasing her album The Promise in 2009.
Juno Award-winning artist Chantal Kreviazuk released her first album in 1997 and recorded several hits, but is perhaps most successful as a songwriter. Kreviazuk has co-written songs for and with many other artists including Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson, and her husband Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace fame.
Brent Fitz a multi-instrumentalist born in Winnipeg, currently resides in Las Vegas and has recorded and toured with a vast array of Canadian and International artists including Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, Alice Cooper, Mötley Crüe vocalist Vince Neil, Theory Of A Deadman, Streetheart, Harlequin and The Guess Who.
Hard Rock band Jet Set Satellite secured a record deal and burst on to the Canadian music scene in 2000 with two hits: "Best Way to Die" and "Baby, Cool Your Jets". They left their label after only one album but continue to record as an indie band. Also in 2000, dance-pop duo McMaster & James made the leap from playing gigs at the Bank Cabaret in downtown Winnipeg to pop music fame with their one and only self-titled album.
Remy Shand also enjoyed a successful music career. His 2002 debut album, The Way I Feel, earned him a Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording, and four Grammy nominations. In the spring of 2013, Shand released a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Where Are We Going?" to YouTube, and added "Springtime" to his Bandcamp site. The song is dedicated to his late mother.
Propagandhi is a punk rock band from Winnipeg (originally from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) that incorporates politics and ethics in its music and performances. Though not heavily played on the radio, the band parlayed a renewed interest in punk music in the late 1990s into a successful touring career, and won the 2006 ECHO songwriting award for their song "A Speculative Fiction".
Juno-nominated indie-rockers The Weakerthans formed in 1997. Critical recognition soon followed, as did a local fan base, although they are best known to many for their tongue-in-cheek salute to their home town “One Great City!”, which features the line “I hate Winnipeg”.
Other Manitoba artists and bands in the rock and pop genres include The Waking Eyes, Royal Canoe, Imaginary Cities, and Chic Gamine.
Manitoba also has made significant contributions in other areas of music besides pop. There is a choral tradition that goes back to the beginnings of the 20th century. Manitoba has an opera tradition, a vaudeville tradition and a classical music tradition as well. Manitoba's multi-cultural make up is influenced by the cultures of the world.
The late jazz legend Lenny Breau, also a Winnipegger, had a profound impact on the music of Randy Bachman. He is a world-renowned jazz guitarist known for his rapid finger picking style and ability to sound like three guitars at once. Jazz guitarist Ed Bickert was also born in Manitoba.
The country band Doc Walker is also popular in Manitoba's country music scene, as well as Canada's country music scene. Formed in Portage la Prairie in 1996, the band has gone on to produce an expansive discography which features numerous singles and albums. Popular songs by Doc Walker include Do It Right, Rocket Girl, and Beautiful Life. As of 2022, country musician William Prince has been popular as well.
Additionally, electronic musician Aaron Funk, also known as Venetian Snares, is from and based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Venetian Snares has been creating computer-based electronic music since the middle of the 1990s and is a pioneer of the breakcore genre. In 2016, he released an album entirely made with modular analog synths. He released a collaborative album with celebrated Canadian producer/musician Daniel Lanois in 2018. [6]
Randolph Charles Bachman is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Bachman recorded as a solo artist and was part of a number of short-lived bands such as Brave Belt, Union and Ironhorse. He was a national radio personality on CBC Radio, hosting the weekly music show, Vinyl Tap. Bachman was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2016.
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1965. The band originated in 1962 and achieved an international hit single with a recording of "Shakin' All Over" in 1965 under the name Chad Allan and the Expressions. After changing their name to The Guess Who, they found their greatest success in the late 60s and early 70s, under the leadership of singer/keyboardist Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman, with hit songs including "American Woman", "These Eyes", and "No Time".
Bachman–Turner Overdrive, often abbreviated BTO, are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, founded by three brothers: Randy Bachman, Robbie Bachman, Tim Bachman; and Fred Turner in 1973. Their 1970s catalogue included seven top-40 albums and 11 top-40 singles in Canada. In Canada they have six certified platinum albums and one certified gold album; in the US they have five certified gold albums and one certified platinum album. The band has sold nearly 30 million albums worldwide and has fans affectionately known as "gearheads". Many of their songs, including "Let It Ride", "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", "Takin' Care of Business", "Hey You" and "Roll on Down the Highway", still receive regular play on classic rock stations.
The music of the Canadian Prairies includes the music of the Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Burton Lorne Cummings is a Canadian musician. He is best known for leading The Guess Who during that band's most successful period from 1965 to 1975, and for a lengthy solo career.
Charles Frederick Turner is a Canadian rock bassist, vocalist and songwriter, and was a founding member of the 1970s rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive (B.T.O.). He is credited on most B.T.O. albums as "C.F. Turner".
Rock music of Canada is a wide and diverse part of the general music of Canada, beginning with American and British style rock and roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern popular music called rock. Canada has produced many of the genre's most significant groups and performers, while contributing substantively to the development of the most popular subgenres, which include pop rock, progressive rock, country rock, folk rock, hard rock, punk rock, heavy metal and indie rock.
Talmage Charles Robert "Tal" Bachman is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1999 hit, "She's So High", a pop rock tune from his self-titled 1999 album that led to a BMI award.
Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music is a 4-CD box set released in 1996 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Juno Awards. A second box set, Oh What a Feeling 2, was released in 2001 to mark the awards' 30th anniversary, and a third set, Oh What a Feeling 3, was released in 2006 for the 35th anniversary. All of the sets feature popular Canadian songs from the 1960s onward. The sets were titled for the song "Oh What a Feeling" by rock band Crowbar. The original 25th anniversary box set peaked at No. 3 on the Canadian Albums Chart and was certified Diamond in Canada.
Kurt Frank Winter was a Canadian guitarist and songwriter, best known as a member of The Guess Who.
Streetheart is a Canadian rock band, originally from Regina, Saskatchewan and later based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Their best known songs include "Here Comes the Night", "What Kind of Love is This", and their cover of the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb".
The Quid was a Canadian garage rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, active during the 1960s and 1970s.
Michael James Kale is a retired Canadian musician, best known as the original bassist for the rock band The Guess Who. He was also a member of the band Scrubbaloe Caine. In 1987, he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame as a member of The Guess Who.
Allan Peter Stanley Kowbel, better known by his stage name Chad Allan, was a Canadian musician. He was the founding member and original lead singer of The Guess Who.
Brent Fitz is a Canadian musician and multi-instrumentalist. In his career, he has worked with Slash, Myles Kennedy, Theory of a Deadman, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Union, Gene Simmons, The Guess Who, Brad Whitford from Aerosmith, Derek St. Holmes, Ronnie Montrose, Indigenous, Lamya, Streetheart, Harlequin, and Econoline Crush.
Bachman & Turner was a musical project formed by Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, which followed the dissolution of Bachman–Turner Overdrive.
Gregory Leskiw is a Canadian guitarist best known for playing guitar with the Guess Who from 1970 to 1972.
Ian L. Gardiner is a bass player. He has played with Burton Cummings, formerly of the Guess Who, Lenny Breau, Makanda Ken McIntyre, Randy Bachman and many other musicians. He's produced Bo Diddley, The Bonedaddys and The Delphines; engineered Supertramp and The Knack, and more. Since 1996, he designs and manufactures custom pro audio gear and recording consoles, as the founder of Boutique Audio & Design and co-founder of Tree Audio, located in Los Angeles, California.
Brother was a short-lived rock trio from Winnipeg, Manitoba, best known for the fact that all three members later joined The Guess Who. They are only known to have recorded three songs.
