# The greatest Canadian music act: group, individual, whatever. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2019, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481 "2019-04-13T02:45:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/1 "2019-04-13T02:45:58Z")
My friends and I were talking about this today. I don’t want to poison the well with my choice, but who do you think is the greatest Canadian musical individual or group? ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_Burly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frank_burly/32/24_2.png) [@Frank\_Burly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_Burly)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/2 "2019-04-13T02:47:37Z")
Nardwuar the Human Serviette. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/3 "2019-04-13T02:50:31Z")
Not Rush, that’s for sure. I’d take The Guess Who, or April Wine, or Steppenwolf, or Blood Sweat & Tears over Rush, any day. Maybe even Sharon, Lois and Bram. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/4 "2019-04-13T03:19:04Z")
Gordon Lightfoot ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/5 "2019-04-13T03:20:05Z")
Absolutely **Rush** , no question. Maybe Neil Young. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/6 "2019-04-13T03:26:18Z")
Not a Canadian, but I’d say Rush. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/7 "2019-04-13T04:57:17Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Absolutely **Rush** , no question. > > Maybe Neil Young. Ok. So those were the two choices we discussed. I chose Rush, my friends chose Neil Young. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/8 "2019-04-13T05:56:39Z")
Klaatu. They could play music, and play it well; but they also took advantage of the production techniques pioneered by the Beatles’ producer in the late 1960s. As a result, their music ranged from the predictable and pop-oriented (“Dear Christine,” “Magentalane”), through the slightly weird (“Calling Occupants,” “Sub Rosa Subway”) to the utterly bizarre (“Silly Boyz,” “Mr. Manson”). They experimented. They refused to stick to a single genre, and cannot be slotted into a single genre. They were good at nearly everything they tried. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/9 "2019-04-13T06:19:53Z")
Oh, I’m a Biebliber.🙂 Not really. I think Neil Young and Robby Robertson are my picks. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/10 "2019-04-13T07:19:28Z")
I guess I have to be the first one to suggest Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/11 "2019-04-13T08:08:17Z")
k.d. lang. I think she has, flat out, the finest voice of her generation. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/12 "2019-04-13T08:09:07Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I guess I have to be the first one to suggest Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Yes! Yes! Yes! ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/13 "2019-04-13T08:22:46Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I guess I have to be the first one to suggest Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Yes! Yes! Yes, too ! ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/14 "2019-04-13T11:42:15Z")
Sneaky sneaky Canadians, always masquerading as Americans. There are a lot of Canadian musicians the vast majority of people wouldn’t recognize as being so. No surprise to anyone who knows me but I’ll still go with Rush. Not only have they had one of the longest active careers but they’re unabashedly Canadian. They talk about it, the work with other Canadian artists and hey, The Great White North. Though this really comes down to personal tastes. According to the charts, Celine Dion is the top selling Canadian music artist of all time with more than 200 million claimed sales (audited 128 million). Bieber is #2 with 140 million claimed sales but he’s also listed as both Canadian and American for whatever reason (talk to his record company). Do you like classic rock? Neil Young. 80s rock: Bryan Adams. Country: Shania Twain. AOR: Celine Dion. Alternative: Tragically Hip Folk: Joni Mitchell Pissed off: Alanis Morrisette In short, it would be hard to nail it down. Canada’s tossed some quality music at the world over the last 50 years. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/15 "2019-04-13T11:48:51Z")
William Shatner. What’s not to love? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/16 "2019-04-13T12:30:04Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I guess I have to be the first one to suggest Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. I assumed that they hadn’t been mentioned because one or the other is the obviously correct answer. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/17 "2019-04-13T12:33:16Z")
Not a Canadian, and I don’t know who the greatest might be, but I want to say that Neil Young and Steppenwolf were part of the soundtrack of my college years, and so I love them. If I were on that committee in Oslo, I would have chosen Leonard Cohen over Bob Dylan. Oh, and in the folk-rock genre, I want to give more love to Gordon Lightfoot, and also to Great Big Sea. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/18 "2019-04-13T12:38:12Z")
**Men Without Hats**! For rock, I’d go with **Bachman Turner Overdrive** , and for solo artitsts, **Joni Mitchell** and **Gordon Lightfoot**. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/19 "2019-04-13T12:42:57Z")
What, no love for the Canadian band _The Irish Rovers_? I’m with the Joni Mitchell & Leonard Cohen voters. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-canadian-music-act-group-individual-whatever/832481/20 "2019-04-13T12:44:39Z")
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