This is the story of a sound... and the soundtrack of a generation. It’s the story of an enormously influential group of Canadian musicians, whose stories have never been told. Until now. THIS IS In 1971, the Canadian government, in response to mass indifference towards Canadian artists, implemented Canadian content regulations – cancon – in order to allow Canadian musicians, the access to the airwaves they so desperately needed. Initially met with massive resistance, cancon percentages gradually increased, and Canada has gone on to produce some of the 21st century’s biggest stars. Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne, Drake, Shania Twain, Justin Bieber, the Weeknd, Celine Dion, and Nickelback are just some of the international superstars who have originated from Canada. In the late 1980’s, the floodgates really opened up, as artists like Bryan Adams, Glass Tiger, Corey Hart, and Alannah Myles found enormous international success, and Canadians began to embrace their own – packing arenas and buying millions of records by the Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, and Our Lady Peace - whether or not they found success outside of their own borders. Somewhere in the middle of this musical stew came a magical decade that defined ‘the Canadian sound’. An era that gave rise to the bands whose music remains in constant rotation on Canadian airwaves; musicians who still tour relentlessly; and a sound that is undeniably, unmistakably, Canadian. In 1971, AprilWine released their self-titled debut album, and a new sound was born. In the next handful of years, a flurry of bands would arrive on the scene, all sharing a recognizable DNA: Harlequin, Toronto, Max Webster, QCK, Orphan, Streetheart, Trooper, Prism, Chilliwack, Red Rider, &Loverboy, to name a few. All of these bands had a unique, new, hybrid sound that contained elements of rock, punk, new wave, synth, prog rock, and pop… creating a sound never heard before – or since. The UK may have given us the British invasion, but there was never anything quite like that one-of-a-kind sound that came from Canada in the 70’s. This is the story of a ground-breaking group of Canadian musicians, whose stories have never been told. Until now.
