Greg Keelor

Singer-guitarist Greg Keelor constitutes half of the enduring songwriting team frequently compared to a Canadian Lennon/McCartney across the 1980s and 1990s. His raspy vocal delivery and affinity for 1960s rock provide a rough-textured counterpoint to the bright melodies and gentle ballad style of Blue Rodeo co-frontman Jim Cuddy. Although Keelor first encountered his future collaborator during high school in Ontario, the pair did not begin playing music together until several years after graduation. They initially performed in the punk-pop band the Hi Fis, then relocated to New York in 1981 and formed Fly to France. Once that group dissolved, the two created a demo of their original songs, among them the later Blue Rodeo staples “Try,” “Outskirts,” and “Rose Coloured Glasses.” In 1984 they returned to Toronto, where a country-inflected “lonesome highway” sound was taking hold in the clubs, and circulated the tape. Through personal contacts and newspaper notices they assembled Blue Rodeo, whose widely praised debut album Outskirts appeared in 1986. During fall 1996 Keelor began recording his first solo project, Gone. The album functioned in part as personal catharsis after he learned he had been adopted, received a diabetes diagnosis, and, following six weeks with a guru in India, underwent a spiritual awakening.