Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Like actors who get typecast by roles, musicians can become stereotyped by songs—just ask Dan Hill. The Canadian singer shot to fame in 1977 when his composition “Sometimes When We Touch” topped the international charts and earned him a reputation as an overly sensitive artist. Although he went on to record a wide range of material, the Grammy- and Juno Award-winning musician was forever pegged as that guy whose honesty was, for a lot of people, simply too much. Undaunted, Hill continued writing hit songs—many of them for the likes of Céline Dion, Britney Spears, Michael Bolton and George Benson. His writing also took a literary turn when I Am My Father’s Son, his tell-all memoir about his c...

The Juno Awards turn 50 this year. Canadian music has evolved dramatically in that half century, embracing new styles and cultures with the country’s changing demographics.  Some of the freshest new sounds in Canada have come out of the Toronto area and its diverse African, Middle Eastern and South Asian communities. Here are some of the new rising stars.   Ali Gatie Born in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to Iraqi parents, Ali Gatie and his family settled in Mississauga, where he first started making music. Inspired by singers like J. Cole and Frank Ocean, he began to make his own romantic brand of “bedroom pop,” going viral with songs like “Moonlight” and “It’s You” and his lates...

JUNOS SPECIAL Canadian music’s big night takes place this year in Hamilton, Ont., airing on CTV Mar. 15th. It’s the first time since 2001 that the city southwest of Toronto—affectionately known as the Hammer—has hosted the awards and it’s pulling out all the stops for the occasion. The Juno show always makes for great entertainment and this year’s, the 44th edition of the awards, promises to no exception.   MUSIC This year’s show offers live music from the likes of Magic!, Kiesza, Hedley and the Hammer’s own Arkells. One of the night’s most anticipated performances will be from the Weeknd (aka 25-year-old Abel Tesfaye), who takes to the stage to deliver his hit single “Earned It” from t...

It's Juno week again. And once more, those vying for awards in Canadian music's biggest lovefest run the gamut from artistic to plastic-from the always compelling Leonard Cohen to the prefabricated pop quartet Sugar Jones. The Junos, Canada's answer to the Grammys, have always been rife with eccentricities, as Cohen noted in 1993 while accepting an award. "It's only in a country like this," mused the man with the infamous monotone, "that I could get Male Vocalist of the Year." Cohen's competition that year included Neil Young, who is also not known for his dulcet tones. Young won the award two years later. After that, the category name was changed to Best Male Artist to prevent more bad joke...