Blue Rodeo

Biography

Based in St. John’s, NF, this folk-rock trio performs a mixture of original material, traditional ballads, jigs and sea shanties.  Known for their modern take on traditional East Coast music, the boys use traditional instruments, including the bouzouki, the bodhrán and bagpipes to make the music sound distinctly their own.

Great Big Sea’s first gig was in 1993 and they have been performing, touring, recording, and warming the hearts of listeners ever since. Their first self-titled album came shortly after their initial performance and featured classic East Coast tracks, like “Drunken Sailor”.

Since then the band has gone to release 15 studio albums, three of which have gone to be certified platinum or multi-platinum: Up (1995), Play (1997) and Turn (1999). Great Big Sea have also won a number of awards, including  Entertainer of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards annually from 1996 until 2000. After dominating that award for so long, in 2001 they decided not to submit their name, to allow other bands to earn some recognition!

In the fall of 2012, the boys released XX, a double-disc album created to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a group. It was also made available as a special, limited-edition box set that came with a bevy of goodies. Featuring their biggest hits along with two previously unreleased songs, this release is a must have for any Great Big Sea fan.  

Sources: AllMusic.com, Wikipedia

Get Music

Relationship

1. Alan Doyle performed "What Am I Doing Here" along with Blue Rodeo on CMT's Blue Rodeo and Friends Special (2002).
2. In 1998, Jim Cuddy and Alan Doyle were both on hand at JetForm Park in Ottawa to announce the Stardust Picnic and to throw out the first pitch at the Ottawa Lynx game.
3. Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor sing background vocals on the songs "When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)", "Jolly Roving Tar" and "Haven't Seen You In A Long Time", on Great Big Sea's 1997 release Play .
4. GBS performed at Blue Rodeo's first Stardust Ball (now known as the Stardust Picnic) back in 1996 and again in 1999.
5. Blue Rodeo reciprocated by appearing at the Great Big Sea's festival, The Great Big Picnic.
6. Great Big Sea and Blue Rodeo both participated in 2005's Live 8 concert in Barrie, ON.

Quotes

" [...] That was Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo making fun of me for getting up so early to work when we're at home. He said, ‘Why'd you become musicians if you still have to get up early?' Alan and I joked about the kind of dream of just being able to do whatever you want, living totally consequence free. Of course, Jim gets up every morning to run his marathons, so he's not one to talk." - Sean MacCann in Urban Male magazine on the origins of "Consequence Free"

"We met the guys from Blue Rodeo three years ago and we hit it off smashingly, and try to play together as often as possible. They're just a great bunch of guys and true professionals. They also have that secret that every band craves and that is longevity." - Darrell Powers, from an interview with Rick Overall of the Ottawa Sun

Special Thanks to leftbrain

Great Big Sea's Website