If you’re looking for the true measure of musical creative genius, look no further than an artist who has enjoyed a remarkable career as a member of a highly acclaimed ensemble and has fashioned a successful solo career.
More specifically, look no further than Jim Cuddy. Back in 1984 in New York City, the Toronto-born singer-songwriter, in collaboration with guitarist Greg Keelor and keyboardist Bob Wiseman, founded the roots rock band Blue Rodeo.
From the its first show in 1985 at The Rivoli in Toronto to its 2014 awarding of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, with a truckload of Juno Awards in between, Blue Rodeo was, and in many ways remains, the poster child of Canadian music success stories.
But for all his success as a performer and as a songwriter in partnership with Keelor, Cuddy yearned to get his music out there as a solo act, and did just that in 1998 with the release of his debut album All In Time. Now, five solo albums later, Cuddy remains a tour de force on his own while retaining his status as an integral member of the band that he co-founded all those years ago.
On Wednesday, July 9 at Del Crary Park in downtown Peterborough, the artist who continues to enjoy the best of two music worlds will front The Jim Cuddy Band at Peterborough Musicfest. As always, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is free.
While he’s arguably best known and recognized for co-writing and singing Blue Rodeo’s hit songs, such as “Try,” “Lost Together,” and “Head Over Heels,” Cuddy”s debut solo album capitalized on that track record, earning gold status for sales on the strength of the singles “All In Time” and “Disappointment.”
VIDEO: “While I Was Waiting” – Jim Cuddy
Cuddy didn’t rush to release a follow-up album, but when he did in 2006, The Light That Guides You Home proved well worth the wait, again earning gold status.
From 2011 to 2019, three more albums — Skyscraper Soul, Constellation, and Countrywide Soul — more than held their own. Now, five years after the release of the latter, Cuddy is back with more new music in the form of All The World Fades Away, his sixth solo album which debuted just more than a year ago.
It should surprise no one that Cuddy has won just about every accolade available to Canadian musicians. Having won best male vocalist honours at the 1999 Juno Awards, he came home with the 2007 Juno Award for adult alternative album of the year for The Light That Guides You Home.
In 2013, alongside his friend and longtime collaborator Greg Keelor, Cuddy was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada. Both were also inducted to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame just last year, an act that begged the question “What took you so long?”
While he has a long way to go to match the 16 albums Blue Rodeo has released and the 11 Juno Awards the band’s creative output has reaped, Cuddy as a solo artist has clearly made quality a priority over quantity. What’s more, according to a 2024 media release from Warner Music Canada about his latest record, Cuddy’s goal as a songwriter has shifted.
“When Blue Rodeo started, I wrote songs with the intention of playing them live,” reflects Cuddy. “But as things have gone along, I write them more as short stories. That kind of evolution takes time and concentration, which I enjoyed with this record.”
VIDEO: “Back Here Again” – Jim Cuddy
“You sort of enter a dream state when you begin writing, and I’ve begun to wonder why some images have stayed with me over the years and others haven’t,” Cuddy says. “So yes, this album is about looking back. I tried to make sure the record is affirming of life as it is now, reflecting how much I like where I’m at today. It’s just … surveying.”
Having paused work on All The World Fades Away to tour and record with Blue Rodeo, Cuddy got his band together in the summer of 2023 to finish the project. Close by, as he has often been, was guitarist Colin Cripps, who co-produced the album with Tim Vesely.
“Colin and I have worked together from the very beginning, so that’s very symbiotic. And Tim, who added percussion and vocals across the record, is brilliant. He helped us decide musical questions.”
Asked in what section of a record shop All The World Fades Away should take up residence, he answers “Wherever John Prine is filed” — referring to the late American country-folk singer-songwriter who is widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation,
“There’s something perfect about his songs. They have a straightforward, harmonic structure and are told simply, but they have impact. That’s what I’m going for too.”
Wednesday night’s concert will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. by a performance by Cale Crowe, an indie rock singer-songwriter from Alderville First Nation, under the Cogeco tent near the George Street entrance to Del Crary Park. He’s appearing as part of Musicfest’s new Future Sound Series featuring the talents of nine local performers this summer.
VIDEO: “Scars” – Jim Cuddy
Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 16 free-admission concerts during its 38th season, each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights until Saturday, August 16th.
Overseen by executive director Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission remains “to provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”
For more information on this concert or the 2025 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2025 season.
