Tragically Hip, The, is a popular Canadian pop and rock music group known for its energetic live performances, witty wordplay, and involvement in social and environmental causes. It is also known for references to Canadian culture and history in its songs. The group is one of the country’s best-loved and best-selling bands. The Tragically Hip has won a number of Juno Awards for its music. Juno Awards are presented annually by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements.
The Tragically Hip was formed in Kingston, Ontario, in 1984 by lead singer and songwriter Gord Downie (1964-2017), guitarist Rob (formerly known as Bobby) Baker (1962-…), bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay (1966-…). Saxophonist Davis Manning was also in the group’s original lineup but left the group in 1986. Guitarist Paul Langlois (1964-…) joined the group around this time. The Tragically Hip took its name from a skit in the comedy music video collection Elephant Parts (1981), co-written by and starring the American musician Michael Nesmith.
The group released its first EP, The Tragically Hip, in 1987. EP stands for extended play and is a type of musical recording that includes several songs but is not considered a full-length album. The group’s first album, Up to Here, was released in 1989. Its third album, Fully Completely (1992), brought the group national attention in Canada. The Tragically Hip’s fourth album, Day for Night (1994), was the group’s first to debut at the top of the Canadian Albums Chart. The group has released over a dozen albums. All of them became hits in Canada. The Tragically Hip’s notable songs include “Highway Girl” (1987), “New Orleans Is Sinking” (1989), “Fiddler’s Green” (1991), “Fifty Mission Cap” and “Wheat Kings” (both 1992), “Grace, Too” (1994), “Ahead by a Century” (1996), “Bobcaygeon” (1998), “My Music at Work” (2000), and “Machine” (2016). In addition, Downie and Langlois released solo albums. Downie also wrote books of poetry and prose and acted in a number of films.
The Tragically Hip was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2008, the group won the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards’ National Arts Centre Award. The National Arts Centre Award recognizes work of an extraordinary nature and significance in the performing arts by an individual Canadian artist or company during a performance year.
In May 2016, Downie revealed that he had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. That same year, the group toured Canada in support of its 13th studio album, Man Machine Poem (2016). The tour’s final concert, in Kingston, was broadcast globally by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada (CBC/Radio-Canada) as a cross-platform television, radio, and internet streaming special that drew millions of viewers. Downie died on Oct. 17, 2017. His final solo album, Introduce Yerself, was released the same month.
