Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1978-2018 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
Extent and Medium – 15 Banker boxes and 8 Oversize.
Aggerates Total
• Textual – 1.9 meters
• Photographs
o 45; colour; 4x6 in
o 1; Black and White; 8x10in
o 26; negatives colour; 35mm
o 1; colour; 5x7 in
• Objects
o 1; Pin
o 1; Merchandise Patch
o 8; Access Passes
o 2; View Master
o 11; Hockey Jerseys
o 2; Business suits
o 4; Coats
o 20; t-shirts
o 7; Awards plaques
o 1; Newspaper plank
• Graphic
o 2; flyer; 11x16 in
o 1; poster; 18x24 in
• Data
o 1 DVD-R; 106MB
• Video
o 4; BetacamSP duration ca. [240:00]
o 5; VHS; duration ca. [274:00]
o 3; DVD-R; duration 282:22
o 2; DVD; duration 146:20
• Audio
o 5; Vinyl; 7 in – duration 34:09
o 6; CD-R; duration ca. 181:00
o 2; CD; duration 41:23
o 1; DVD-R; duration 7:06
o 2; ¾ cassette duration [149:00]
o 2; DAT; duration [30:00]
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
Blue Rodeo’s roots can be traced to the late 1970s, when singer/songwriters Jim Cuddy and Greg Keeler (along with bassist Malcolm Schell and drummer Jimmy Sublett) formed a power pop band in Toronto called the Hi-Fi’s. The group issued one single on the Showtime label, but broke up in 1981. Cuddy and Keeler spent the next three years in New York City in a group called Fly to France; this band recorded four demos, including the future Blue Rodeo hits “Try” and “Outskirts”. Upon returning to Toronto in 1984, Cuddy and Keeler recruited keyboard player Bobby Wiseman, bassist Basil Donovan and drummer Cleave Anderson for a new group they called Blue Rodeo. The band debuted under this name in 1985, and played regular shows in Toronto before expanding their concert base across the country.
The band was signed to Risque Disque in 1986, and their debut album Outskirts included the song “Try”, which became a major Canadian pop and country hit. Between 1986 and 2002, Blue Rodeo issued one live album (1994’s Five Days in July), as well as nine studio albums. In 1990, Blue Rodeo appeared in the film Postcards from the Edge.
There have been several changes in the band’s lineup over the years. In 1989, Mark French replaced drummer Anderson, and three years later Glenn Milchem became the drummer. In 1992, Wiseman left and was replaced by Kim Deschamps; he, in turn, was replaced by James Gray, who was then replaced by Bob Packwood, and then Mike Boguski. In 2013 Colin Cripps joined the band as a full member. In addition to their work in Blue Rodeo, both Cuddy and Keeler have released solo albums. On August 5, 2013, James Gray suffered a fatal heart attack.
Blue Rodeo has won numerous industry awards, including JUNOs and SOCANs. In 2012 they were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. In 2014, they were honored with Canada's highest honour in the performing arts – the Governor General's Performing Arts Award (GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The Blue Rodeo Accrual is separated under these series:
Series 1 – 7
Series 1: Video and Music Production
Series 2: Blue Rodeo-Live Contracts
Series 3: Tour Itineraries
Series 4: Audio Visuals
Series 5: Press clippings
Series 6: Merchandise and advertisement
Series 7: Awards
Series 1: Video and Music Production
The Blue Rodeo accrual’s first series is based on video and music production. This series deals with the business side of music production, music video requests and music sheets. It contains handwritten drafts of music sheets for their songs Sad Nights, It Could Happen to You, and Blew it away. It also includes correspondences to various production studios, video/film production ideas, and talks on video treatment for Blue Rodeo Music Videos. Lisa Mann and Christopher Mills created music treatments, and Anne Lindsay arranged the music score.
Series 2: Blue Rodeo-Live Contracts
The second series contains the collections of gig contracts for Blue Rodeo and Jim Cuddy’s solo acts. The venues include both public and private performances. The documents in the series are the engagement contract forms from the Toronto Musician’s Association for Blue Rodeo tours and contracts from the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. It also includes correspondence, catering, and memos from various venues. The contracts are from their tours in Canada and various international tours in Europe, the United States, and South America.
Series 3: Tour Itineraries
The third series retains Blue Rodeo tour itineraries both for Canadian and international tours. Itineraries include the scheduling for Lost Together, Tremolo, and the Diamond Mine tours in Canada and the United States from 1988 to 1997. The folders contain not only the tour itineraries but also contacts from various entertainment management companies, performance schedules, invoices for advertisement, press clippings about the tour, and correspondences. The series also includes Jim Cuddy and his solo band’s performance tours.
Series 4: Audio Visuals
The fourth series includes the videos and audio tapes from their concerts and songs. Videos include events such as the 40th Juno Awards red carpet, their shows at Horseshoe Tavern, Blue Rodeo in Banff, and Massey Hall. Audio from this collection includes songs Is it You, Moon and Tree, The Undiscovered Country, Walk like you Don’t Mind, Blue Rodeo in Stereovision, and other songs. It also includes vinyl records I don’t know why (You Love Me)/ Look what you've done, their songs from Hi-Fi.
Series 5: Press clippings
The fifth series contains a collection of press collections, magazines, and online articles that follow the journey of Blue Rodeo and Jim Cuddy’s solo performance written in in English, French, and German. Blue Rodeo press clippings publishers are from Canada, Australia, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Press clippings include their various tours, album reviews, interviews with Blue Rodeo and Jim Cuddy, NHL sports competitions, and lastly, the press featuring Blue Rodeo merchandise and marketing for concerts and albums.
Series 6: Merchandise and Advertisement
The sixth series includes the merchandise materials, objects, and proofs. Merchandise materials include business cards of various media companies proposing their works to Blue Rodeo by giving samples of their security access passes, patches, stickers, and langers. Media companies that submitted their work to Blue Rodeo also worked with musicians such as Snoop Dog, Eagles, Blink 182, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, KISS, and other music festival companies. Other merchandise materials include the Blue Rodeo’s tour apparel, which includes t-shirts, sweaters, and jackets. The advertisement consists of correspondence to Blue Rodeo and Jim Cuddy’s managers, music producers, and flyers to their earlier events. The last piece in the series is the personal apparel from Jim Cuddy, which includes his JUNO Cup hockey jerseys and business suits.
Series 7: Awards
The final series includes all the awards and recognition that Blue Rodeo and Jum Cuddy received during their careers. Awards include plaques, programs for award shows, and guides for the inductees. The numerous industry awards consist of the JUNOs, SOCANs, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the 2014 CBC Music Awards, and Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts – the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award (GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. Lastly, it includes correspondence for participation in charity work.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
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Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Preservation concerns may limit access, consult archivist rights.
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Media Commons does not own copyright of collection materials. Consult rights holder for reproduction(s).
Language of material
- English
- French
Script of material
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Finding aids
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Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
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Dates of creation revision deletion
Description created by Khadija Alexander, November 2023