1. Rock and Folk Music of Canada By: Tom Blanton

2. The 1950’s-60’s Canadian rock started with American style rock and roll in the mid 20th century. In 1952 a Cleveland DJ on the other side of the border coined the phrase “rock-and-roll” to describe the new blend rockabilly, electric blues music of the emerging 50’s. The Four Lads were one of the first Canadian groups to capitalize on the new sound. The 1960’s gave way to a new style of psychedelic rock and folk/folk-rock, influenced by America, and dealing more with worldly and political matters such as the Vietnam War, civil rights, and feminism. Throughout the 60’s Canada introduced such big names into the music industry as: Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Denny Doherty of The Mamas and the Papas, and Neil Young of CSN&Y, Buffalo Springfield and Crazy Horse.

3. The 1970’s In 1971, the Canadian content law was passed, ensuring that Canadian artists and culture didn’t become overrun by American media outlets. Bands gaining popularity in the late 60’s in Canada took of in the early 70’s The rock band “Rush”, rising to fame in the early to mid 1970’s, remains one of the largest exports of the Canadian music industry, boasting 25 gold records and 14 platinum records. Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald” commemorated the tragic sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior in 1975, which remains of the most tragic disasters of the Great Lake shipping industry. The Seattle based, sister fronted rock band “Heart” rose to fame in the 70’s with a supporting band from Vancouver. Other Canadian artists that found success in the 70’s were: The Kings, Prism, Crowbar, Ian Thomas, Mahogany Rush, Moxy, Streetheart, and Ironhorse.

4. The 1980’s The rise of the “rock critic” in the 1970’s allowed coverage of rock and roll to enter Canadian media, and in turn promote the style to a whole new audience. The 1980’s saw a transformation in the music world towards a new, younger audience that wanted faster, harder, and crazier rock. Before the 1980’s, Canadian rock music had been generally discouraged by market forces in the country. The growing popularity of music videos in this decade led to an increase in exposure for pop rock bands in the U.S. Bryan Adams stands out as Canada’s most prominent figure of the 80’s for his work as a singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and photographer. Other Canadian bands finding fame in the 80’s include: Helix, Platinum Blonde, Spoons, Parachute Club, Trans-X, Rational Youth, and Bill Henderson of Chilliwack, Blue Rodeo, and The Waltons, among many others. Cowboy Junkies; and Canadian thrash-metal bands like: Anvil, Razor, Sword and Exciter.

5. The 1990’s Just as 1970’s artists had to compete with disco, artists of the 1990’s found themselves in competition with the new hip-hop movement. Arena Rock and glam metal gave way to grunge, hip-hop, and alternative rock, which enveloped the new generation of youth. The 1971 CRTC, which ruled that 25% of the content on radio be Canadian, rose to 30% with the increase of Canadian nationalism the 90’s saw. The Barenaked Ladies hit it big in the 90’s alternative scene, having the first indie released album go platinum in Canada. The Tragically Hip became Canada’s homegrown heroes of the 90’s, and though they never became to well recognized in the U.S., their Canadian fan base kept them playing healthy for over 2 decades. Dominant female Canadian singers of the 90’s include Shania Twain, Celine Dion, and Sarah McLachlan, which began a time when Canadian females ruled the pop charts. Prominent Canadian artists of the 1990’s include: The Headstones, The Tea Party, Matthew Good Band, Moist, The Lowest of Low, Odds, Junkhouse, Sandbox, and Pure, among many others.

6. The 2000’s Post-grunge, pop-punk, hard-rock, and indie-rock marked the beginning of the music world in the new millennium. The internet and digital downloads became a new, if not the new, way to obtain music. Nickelback stands out as the leading force of Canadian music during this decade, followed close by the “pop-punk princess” Avril Lavigne. Other popular Canadian based bands of this decade include: Sum 41, Simple Plan, Thousand Foot Krutch, Alexisonfire, Hot Hot Heat, Three Days Grace, Thornley, and Billy Talent, among others. The Canadian indie-rock scene remains in world view to this day, due to the many renowned Canadian acts of the past 6 decades.

7. Sources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Canada http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_rock http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_(band) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Barenaked_Ladies