Blue Rodeo

Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band from Toronto, active since 1984. The group forms around Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, who know each other from high school at North Toronto Collegiate Institute and later work on starting a band after attending Queen’s University at Kingston. After several false starts, they come together with Cleave Anderson, Bazil Donovan and Bob Wiseman to form Blue Rodeo.

Style and line-up

The band’s music sits in country rock, folk and rock. Its core line-up includes Cuddy on guitar and vocals, Keelor on guitar and vocals, and Donovan on bass. Later members include Glenn Milchem on drums and Bob Egan on multi-instrumental duties. Former members include Anderson on drums, Wiseman on keyboards, Kim Deschamps on multi-instrumental duties, Mark French on drums, Jamie Gray on keyboards and Bob Packwood on keyboards.

Recordings and labels

Blue Rodeo’s debut album, Outskirts, is produced by Terry Brown and appears in March 1987. The band signs with Warner Music Canada from the beginning, while its releases in the United States and other markets move among Warner Brothers and Rounder, before a later international re-signing with Warner Brothers International. Across its catalogue, the group releases 11 studio albums, one live album, a greatest-hits collection and a DVD, with sales of more than three million copies worldwide. Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor also release solo albums.

Collaborations and recognition

Members of Blue Rodeo collaborate with a range of Canadian artists, including Jann Arden, Cowboy Junkies, Burton Cummings, Kathleen Edwards, Great Big Sea, Sarah McLachlan, The Sadies, Ron Sexsmith, Skydiggers and The Tragically Hip. The band wins seven Juno Awards, while Cuddy and Keelor each receive seven SOCAN awards. Blue Rodeo is inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame and later into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Cuddy and Keelor are also named Officers of the Order of Canada.

Later releases

The band issues Blue Road, a 20th anniversary live DVD with a documentary, an acoustic CD from a Massey Hall concert, covers of Neil Young, Randy Travis and Ian & Sylvia Tyson, and the studio track “Losing You”. Later albums include The Things We Left Behind, a double album of 16 original songs by Keelor and Cuddy, In Our Nature, the seasonal collection A Merrie Christmas To You, which includes covers of songs by The Band, Big Star, Merle Haggard, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon as well as the originals “Glad To Be Alive” and “Home To You This Christmas”, and 1000 Arms, produced by Tim Vesely and the band and featuring eleven new songs written by Cuddy and Keelor.