22 February 2010 - Earth Day Canada is pleased to honour Bruce Cockburn with this year's
Outstanding Commitment to the Environment Award. For three decades, Canadian
singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn has been an outspoken voice on issues
relating to the environment. He has performed benefit concerts in support of
the Haida Nation and the Stein River Valley and their fights against
logging; spoke out against the destruction of tropical rain forests and the
Exxon oil spill off the Alaskan coast; narrated a television documentary on
the Mali desert; acted as honorary chairperson of Friends of the Earth; and
of course wrote the anthemic "If A Tree Falls".
"The whole point of writing songs is to share experiences with people", says
Bruce, looking back on a career that includes 26 albums, numerous
international awards, including the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the
Tenco Award for Lifetime Achievement in Italy, 20 gold and platinum records
in Canada, and countless concert performances since he released his first
solo work in 1970.
Born in Ottawa in 1945, Bruce set his sights on a career in music after
growing up listening to Elvis records. He landed at Berklee College of Music
in Boston in the early '60s before moving back to Ottawa in 1965 to play in
a series of rock bands. He eventually found his voice as a songwriter and
developed a highly personal finger-picking guitar style that merged
Mississippi John Hurt blues with modal jazz harmony, melodic lyricism and
cycling rhythms.
Bruce was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1982 and was promoted to
Officer in 2002. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) inducted him
into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame. He has also received numerous
honorary doctorates for his contributions to music, culture and social
activism.
~ from www.earthday.ca/gala/bruce.php