The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is getting amplified this year with the inductions of two rock acts: legendary trio Rush and influential Montreal musician Robert Charlebois.
“It seemed like a great combination,” country artist Sylvia Tyson said at Tuesday’s press conference announcing the 2010 inductees.
“I think there’s a sensibility with the two that makes a great deal of sense: it’s Canadian rock ’n’ roll,” said Tyson, president of the hall of fame.
Rush and 65-year-old Charlebois will see their names and five of their tunes inducted into the hall at a Toronto gala on March 28.
Rush hits making the list are “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight,” “The Spirit of Radio,” “Subdivisions” and “Closer to the Heart.” Charlebois songs getting in are “Fu Man Chu,” “Les Ailes d’un ange,” Ordinaire,“ ”Demain l’hiver“ and ”Lindenberg.“
Six other songs by other artists are also being inducted, including Vancouver composer Dolores Claman’s iconic “The Hockey Theme.”
Released in 1968, the tune is often referred to as Canada’s second national anthem and was played on CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” until CTV purchased the rights in 2008. Rush drummer Neil Peart recently recorded a special rendition of it for TSN.
“It really is part of the fabric of Canada,” Dominic Denny, executive director of the hall of fame, said of Claman’s theme.
Claman is slated to be at the induction gala, as are Rush members Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.
Rush weren’t at Tuesday’s event but asked Hamilton musician Jacob Moon to play his version of “Subdivisions” in their absence.
“These guys are on equal footing with any other songwriter in Canada, just in a different style — a more progressive rock style, but still just as valid,” said Moon, who was noticed by the band through a viral online video of him playing “Subdivisions.”
Montreal musician Vincent Vallieres played Charlebois tunes at the press conference, calling himself “a big fan.”
“He’s a great singer-songwriter and he’s also a great performer who changed the course of the rock ’n’ roll music in French.”
Other songs making the cut this year are Alfred Bryan and Fred Fisher’s “Come Josephine in My Flying Machine,” and Elizabeth Clarke’s “(There’s a) Bluebird on Your Windowsill,” which Denny said was the first Canadian song written by a woman to sell one million copies.
Also on the list are “Des mitaines pas de pouces” by Ovila Legare, Germaine Dugas’s “Deux enfants du meme age” and “J’entends frapper” by Michel Pagliaro.
Receiving Legacy Awards are recorded-sound archivist Edward B. Moogk and the Quebec impresario, producer and agent Guy Latraverse.
The songwriters hall of fame hasn’t inducted any new members since 2008 due to “a lot of internal changes and moves,” said Tyson.
This year’s inductees were chosen after a year of negotiations by a committee of music publishers, journalists and songwriters, who consider songs that are at least 25 years old.
“We’re really looking at the body of somebody’s work, what impact does that writer have on the world, and how they helped to kind of tell the Canadian story in Canada but also beyond,” said Denny.
Rush’s work spans four decades and comprises 24 gold records, 14 platinum and three multi-platinum records, and total worldwide sales estimated at over 40 million units. The band members are also officers of the Order of Canada.
Charlebois is also an officer of the Order of Canada as well as an officer of the National Order of Quebec.
Past inductees into the hall, established in 2003, include Gordon Lightfoot, Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Canada’s national anthem.
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On the Net: www.cansong.ca