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Charles Reed Biddle (familiarly, "Biddles"), jazz bassist (born 28 July 1926 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died 4 February 2003 in Montréal, QC). Somewhat limited as a bassist but a tireless supporter and promoter of jazz in Montréal, Biddle organized festivals of local musicians in 1979 and 1983, which sowed the seeds for the Montreal International Jazz Festival.
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The Vancouver rock band Chilliwack produced some of the most enduring Canadian rock songs of the 1970s and early 1980s, including “Lonesome Mary,” “Fly at Night” and “My Girl (Gone Gone Gone).” Their catchy, easygoing hooks and bright, melodic style were distinguished by the soaring falsetto and tasteful guitar playing of lead singer and principal songwriter Bill Henderson. In 18 years (1970–88), Chilliwack released 11 albums, four of which were certified platinum in Canada. They also had 19 Canadian singles. The band moved in an increasingly commercial direction from psychedelic, progressive and country rock to adult contemporary and pop rock. Chilliwack was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2019 and Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2023.
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Daisy Elitha Sweeney (née Peterson), teacher, pianist, organist (born 7 May 1920 in Montréal, QC; died 11 August 2017 in Montréal). An accomplished musician in her own right, Daisy Peterson Sweeney is perhaps best known as the older sister, and early teacher, of celebrated jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. She also taught other notable Montréal jazz pianists, including Oliver Jones and Joe Sealey.
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Finn Michael Wolfhard, actor, writer, director, musician, model (born 23 December 2002 in Vancouver, BC). Finn Wolfhard is best known for playing Mike Wheeler in the popular Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–present). He is also known for his roles in the Stephen King adaptations It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019) and director Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021). Wolfhard has become a central figure in the contemporary Gen-X/Millennial’s interest in 1980s pop culture nostalgia.
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François Bourassa, pianist, composer and band leader (born 26 September 1959 in Montréal). He is the son of the late Robert Bourassa, former premier of Québec. Considered one of the best jazz pianists in Canada due to his virtuosity, he is highly regarded and appreciated both nationally and internationally.
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George Brough, pianist, organist, harpsichordist, opera coach (born 25 February 1918 in Boston, Lincolnshire, England; died 15 September 2015 in Toronto, ON). George Brough was widely recognized as one of Canada's most skilful, reliable and versatile accompanists. Able to sight-read with tremendous proficiency, he provided secure support for hundreds of performers, from students in competitions to professional artists such as Heinz Holliger, Gervase de Peyer, Henri Temianka, Bernard Turgeon and Jon Vickers. He was an assistant conductor and accompanist with the Canadian Opera Company, an organist with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and taught at the Banff Centre for the Arts and the University of Toronto.
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Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green), jazz musician, composer, arranger, bandleader (born 13 May 1912 in Toronto, ON; died 20 March 1988 in Cuernavaca, Mexico.) Known as the “prince of swing,” Gil Evans is widely regarded as one of the greatest orchestrators and arrangers in jazz history. He is best known for incorporating unconventional instrumentation (initially French horn, tuba and flute, and later electric instruments) into a big band format, and for his influential collaborations with Miles Davis. Evans was also a central figure in the development of cool jazz, free jazz and jazz fusion. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship, won multiple Grammy Awards and was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
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Guido Basso, CM, flugelhornist, trumpeter, arranger, composer, conductor, harmonica player (born 27 September 1937 in Montreal, QC; died 13 February 2023 in Toronto). One of Canada’s pre-eminent jazz trumpeters, Guido Basso was also known for the lyricism of his flugelhorn work. He was credited with the theory that one attacks the trumpet and makes love to a flugelhorn. Basso appeared on some 30 recordings by the Boss Brass, and on albums by Anne Murray, Ian Tyson, Holly Cole, Lenny Solomon, Oliver Jones and others. Basso’s Lost in the Stars won the 2004 Juno Award for Traditional Jazz Album of the Year. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1994.
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Haviah Mighty, rapper, musician, songwriter, producer (born 18 December 1992 in Toronto, ON). Haviah Mighty is one of Canada’s best young rappers. She is known for the intensity of her performances, her politically charged lyrics and for addressing issues of systemic injustice. Her first studio album 13th Floor (2019) won the Polaris Music Prize, making Mighty the first Black woman and first rapper to win the prize. She also became the first woman to win the Juno Award for Rap Album of the Year when her mixtape Stock Exchange (2021) won in 2022.
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Ian Dawson Tyson, CM, AOE, singer, songwriter, guitarist, rancher (born 25 September 1933 in Victoria, BC; died 29 December 2022 in Longview, AB). Ian Tyson was one of Canada’s most acclaimed folk and country music artists. A former rodeo rider, he enjoyed great success as part of the duo Ian and Sylvia with his then-wife, Sylvia Tyson. They are best known for “Four Strong Winds,” a 1963 folk anthem written by Ian. It is considered one of the best and most influential Canadian songs of all time. Tyson received many awards, including a Governor General's Performing Arts Award. He was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
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Jian Ghomeshi, singer, songwriter, musician, broadcaster, writer, manager (born 9 June 1967 in London, England). Jian Ghomeshi was a member of the quirky, alternative pop-folk group Moxy Früvous from 1990 to 2001. He parlayed that recognition into a radio and television career with the CBC, hosting such entertainment talk shows as >play, The National Playlist and Q. He wrote a best-selling memoir, 1982 (2012), about growing up as an Iranian Canadian in Thornhill, Ontario, and stayed active in the music business as an artist manager. His career and national profile unravelled in the fall of 2014 when he was fired by the CBC and charged with sexual assault in incidents involving several women (see Jian Ghomeshi Case).
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John Sopinka, Supreme Court justice, lawyer, social advocate, author, football player, violinist (born 19 March 1933 in Broderick, SK; died 24 November 1997 in Ottawa, ON). John Sopinka played in the Canadian Football League while studying law at the University of Toronto. As a prominent litigation attorney, he represented Ukrainian Canadians in national and international commissions and handled other influential cases. In 1988, he became the first Ukrainian Canadian appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.
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Karl Tremblay, singer, songwriter, video game developer (born 28 October 1976 in Montreal, QC; died 15 November 2023 in Terrebonne, QC). Karl Tremblay was best known as the lead singer of the country- folk rock group Les Cowboys Fringants — widely considered the most influential and popular Quebec rock band of the 21st century. The band has sold more than 1.3 million albums and won 19 Félix Awards, including six for Group of the Year (2003, 2004, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2023), three each for Alternative Album (2002, 2003, 2005) and Rock Album (2012, 2016, 2020), and one for Best-Selling Album of the Year (2020). Tremblay’s untimely death from cancer in 2023 at the age of 47 was mourned as a national tragedy in Quebec, similar to the reaction to the death of the Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie in English Canada.
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Lawrence Rusby Cluderay, organist, choir conductor, critic (born 1 December 1907 in Leeds, England). FRCO, ARCM.
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Marc Djokic, musician, violinist (born 29 July 1982 in Halifax, NS). Marc Djokic is one of Canada’s most accomplished violinists. Primarily a chamber musician, he has also performed as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Quebec Symphony Orchestra. He has played alongside such classical musicians as Beverley Johnston, James Ehnes, Jamie Parker and Measha Brueggergosman. Djokic received the prestigious Prix Goyer in 2017 and was named the concertmaster of the Orchestre classique de Montréal in 2018. He is the son of violinist Philippe Djokic and the brother of cellist Denise Djokic.
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