Gord Downie

Originally, the band covered popular British rock songs from the 1960s.

In an interview with Canadian music journalist Steve Newton, Downie noted that the Tragically Hip's early setlist was originally drawn to bands such as The Yardbirds and The Stones, a decision that was made because the Hip wished other Kingston bar bands would also play the genre.

The Tragically Hip quickly became famous once MCA Records president Bruce Dickinson saw them performing at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto and offered them a record deal.

Downie became known for his showmanship in live Hip performances, incorporating mid-song spoken-word rants, zany gestures and movements, and especially on their final Man Machine Poem Tour, his bold wardrobe.

Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist.

He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its formation in 1984 until his death in 2017.

He is revered by many as an inspiring and influential artist in Canada's music history.

In 1984, at age 20, Downie formed the Tragically Hip with Rodents's members Rob Baker and Gord Sinclair, another younger Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute alumnus, Johnny Fay, and saxophonist Davis Manning.

After graduating from high school, Downie attended Queen's University where he majored in film studies, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in 1986.

In 1986, Manning left the band as guitarist-vocalist Paul Langlois joined.

Downie released eight solo albums, three posthumously: Coke Machine Glow (2001), Battle of the Nudes (2003), The Grand Bounce (2010), And the Conquering Sun (2014), Secret Path (2016), Introduce Yerself (2017), Away Is Mine (2020) and Lustre Parfait (2023).

His first to hit number one was Introduce Yerself, shortly after his death.

His family and managers said future releases are planned, including solo material and unreleased work with the Hip.

Gordon Edgar Downie was born in Amherstview, Ontario, and raised in Kingston, Ontario, along with his brothers Mike and Patrick, and sisters Charlyn and Paula.

He was the son of Lorna (Neal) and Edgar Charles Downie, a travelling salesman, later a real estate broker and developer.

In Kingston, Downie attended the downtown high school Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where other members of the Tragically Hip also attended.

In high school, Downie was the frontman for a band called the Slinks performing at the KCVI Variety show and rivaling older members Rob Baker and Gord Sinclair's band the Rodents.

Downie began pursuing a solo career with the release of Coke Machine Glow in 2001.

He published his first poetry and prose collection alongside the album and under the same title.

The backing musicians, credited as the Goddamned Band, consisted of indie rock band the Dinner Is Ruined, Josh Finlayson of Skydiggers and singer-songwriter Julie Doiron.

He released his second solo album, Battle of the Nudes, in 2003 before returning to the studio with the Tragically Hip.

In 2008, Downie appeared as a guest vocalist on City and Colour's single "Sleeping Sickness".

Downie also made a cameo appearance in the 2008 indie drama Nothing Really Matters, directed by Jean-Marc Piché.

Downie also appears in the Trailer Park Boys movie The Big Dirty, in which he and Alex Lifeson play a pair of police officers.

More recently, he and other members of the band appeared in the episode of Trailer Park Boys entitled "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys", in which he is harassed while eating a bologna sandwich at a singles dance.

Downie was also featured in the sitcom Corner Gas in the episode "Rock On!"

in which the Tragically Hip are shown as a local band practising in the main character's garage.

His third solo effort, The Grand Bounce, was released in 2010.

Both it and Battle of the Nudes are credited as Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles.

In addition to his solo works, Downie collaborated with several fellow Canadian and international artists.

His most famous Canadian collaborations are with Richard Terfry (better known as Buck 65), Dallas Green of City and Colour and Alexisonfire, the Sadies and Fucked Up.

Terfry collaborated with Downie on the song "Whispers of the Waves" off the album 20 Odd Years.

Terfry composed the track and with the help of Charles Austen, his co-writer, decided Downie's vocals would be the best fit for their song.

In 2014, Downie released an album with the Sadies called And the Conquering Sun.

He commented on working with the Sadies, saying, "I enjoy getting together with those guys; it's a whole other universe. They're writing all the music and I'm writing all the lyrics and we're coming up with some neat stuff. You do it for the company but I'm genuinely shocked by the themes and things you touch based on the music you're singing to. That's really compelling to me."

The album consists of ten songs.

Also in 2014 Downie appeared as a guest vocalist on "The Art of Patrons", a song from Fucked Up's album Glass Boys.

On February 2, 2017, Downie joined Blue Rodeo onstage at Massey Hall for a performance of Blue Rodeo's song "Lost Together".

This marked his last public appearance before his death.

Downie had cameo appearances in Men with Brooms, in which the Tragically Hip play a curling team.