Bruce Cockburn

Bruce Cockburn's prominence in the Canadian music world is so well-established that there is a risk that some of his early accomplishments may be overlooked. That would be a mistake, because the awards he received for the first five years of his recording career would be enough to satisfy most musicians for a lifetime.

In fact, those early years produced associations with a couple of other Canadian icons: movie maker Don Shebib; and artist Alex Colville. Cockburn received the B.M.I. Award in 1971 for the soundtrack to Shebib's classic 'Goin' Down the Road' (he was also voted a JUNO as Canadian Folksinger of the Year that year, as well as the next two). Then, the use of Colville's 'Horse and Train' as cover art on the 'Night Vision' album transported the haunting image across Canada; the album was certified Gold in 1979.

Perhaps his best-known song is 'Wondering Where the Lions Are' from Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws' which charted in the top-20 in the U.S. Released in 1978, the album became a turning point for him. "It was the culmination of what I was doing through the '70s," he says. "The acoustic-based, jazz-influenced thing didn't die there, but that was the last major expression of it. I then started going after something more rhythmic, band-oriented, and hard-edged."

Social issues have also played an important role in his music, coming to the forefront in the '80s. He has traveled the world for a variety of issues, and remains committed to First Nation rights; he is also Honorary Chairman of Friends of the Earth.

He will be one of the first, if not the first, Member of the Order of Canada, to play the Festival. Overall, Cockburn has been awarded 10 Junos, 16 Gold, and three platinum records.