Musician, community activist.
Born on the Roseau River First Nation in 1946, his childhood was spent at Steinbach, Knowles School for Boys, and Boys Town Orphanage at Omaha, Nebraska. He moved to Washington, DC where, in 1965, he joined the band Puzzle and signed with ABC Records. The band relocated to New York City where he met such musical legends as Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon. After Puzzle broke up, he moved to Toronto in 1973 where he performed solo in coffee houses, taking the name Shingoose after his grandfather's surname. In 1973, he met indigenous artist Duke Redbird and, in 1976, they recorded Native Country accompanied by Bruce Cockburn under their own label. It was the first of many independent project that he would undertake with Redbird. He returned to Winnipeg in 1981 and worked on the promotion of other indigenous artists, leading to the award-winning Indian Time television specials. He joined singer Buffy Sainte-Marie and songwriter Elaine Bomberry creating the Juno Awards' Aboriginal Music Committee in 1994 which led to creation of the Junos' Indigenous Album of the Year category. He died at WInnipeg on 12 January 2021.
“Indigenous performer was a musical trailblazer,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 January 2021.
“Shingoose's vision paved way for future artists,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 January 2021.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 16 January 2021
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