I thought I’d give a quick rundown of the top Canadian bands of all time (in no particular order) in honour of Canada Day, which came and went this past July 1st. It may surprise many of you that may of the world’s biggest music starst are in fact Canadian..

Nickelback, for one band, has enjoyed huge success, albeit mostly off the coattails of their eight-year-old single, “How You Remind Me”, which helped their 2001 album Silver Side Up sell six million copies in the U.S.A. alone.

Nickelback’s three albums since then haven’t done nearly as well, but, in their defense, it’s hard to duplicate that kind of success. Still, there’s no denying that Nickelback is perhaps the biggest Canadian act out there today (aside from Celine Dion, who remains perhaps our most famous export of all-time).

Also of note, Sum 41 is another Canadian band that has made it into the mainstream. If we’re making comparisons, they can best be thought of as Nickelback’s pop-punk counterpart. At around the same time that “How You Remind Me” was climbing the charts, Sum 41 was achieving some breakout success of their own with their single “Fat Lip” and the song’s accompanying album All Killer No Filler.

And if Sum 41 is Nickelback’s pop-punk counterpart, Montreal’s Simple Plan is Sum 41’s even poppier-punk cousin from French-speaking Canada (even though they sing in English). Their success has been much less widespread, but they have had some, no doubt.

Canada also plays home to some of the most loyal fans bases out there. While the Barenaked Ladies, the Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace, and Finger Eleven (among other rock bands) have been unable to break out of Canada commercially, they still manage to make livings making their music, due in part to their continued success in their home country. As a huge fan of both both Finger Eleven and Our Lady Peace’s, I can honestly (or, maybe, that makes me biased?) say that they each deserve more accolades than they’ve earned up to this point. Finger Eleven is more of a hard rock/alternative act, while Our Lady Peace, despite starting out in much the same vein, has gradually evolved into more of a mainstream rock act. They still put out quality music, though, as evidenced by their latest album, Healthy in Paranoid Times, which was a smash, where else but in Canada.

One needs to go back a few decades to get a good idea as to just how much of an impact Canadian artists have had on the industry. Pioneers in the (not just Canadian) industry include: The Guess Who (ironically, their claim to fame was “American Woman”), Rush (“Tom Sawyer”), and Steppenwolf (“Born to be Wild”, “Magic Carpet Ride”). Also of note, Bryan Adams is one of the most well-known Canadian recording artists, a claim he has held for some time since his debut in 1980. Further back, Neil Young’s earlier work is heavily influenced by his beginnings in Toronto, Ontario and later in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

And all this doesn’t even take the country’s top pop artists into account: Anne Murray, Alanis Morrisette, Nelly Furtado, Avril Lavigne, and Feist. One can make an argument that Canada has produced just as many successful acts as America. It may not be a strong argument, but there are good points to be made.

Currently, there are several Canadian acts threatening to put Canada on the map in the music industry to an even larger extent. One example is Montreal’s own Saschali, a rhythm-and-blues singer, who was recently signed to international recording artist Akon’s Kon Live label.

Originally from Pembroke, Ontario, Saschali got to where she is through a combination of hard work, dedication, and talent, signing her record deal after earning a chance to perform in front of him through Hitlab.com, a relatively new social-network site that allows musicians to create profiles and upload their music in order to vie for that same chance. Currently, the site plays home to nearly 14,000 as-of-yet-unsigned artists.

Also of note, Pamela Lajoie, signed to Flydecibels, a small Montreal-based label is at the forefront of a new wave of pop singers. Only 16 years old, she, going just by just Pamela, has already released a full-length album, 120 Milles a L’Heure (2007). Coincidentally, Flydecibels is associated with Hitlab. Reportedly, a second album is being planned, and she has spent significant amounts of time in Atlanta and Los Angeles, meeting up with big-time producers, including Diane Warren. Warren notably wrote Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me”, which won a Grammy Award back in 1996.

Elsewhere,The Midway State is making a splash, having released their debut Holes last year. Out West, Ten Second Epic and Marianas Trench, are helping to drive the pop-punk scene further along, thanks to their sophomore hook-laced albums. Evans Blue is also making some noise in alt-rock circles everywhere for their melodic brand of metal. The former three are personal favourites of mine.

Admittedly, while few of the bands that “make it” with a record deal actually do to the point of establishing log-lasting careers, the aformentioned artists are evidence enough that Canada does have its share of talent and that, artist-wise, the country is firmly entrenched in the music industry today. While Canadians can take pride in the fact that plenty of Canadian artists have made huge names for themselves in the past, they can also feel good that the future looks just as bright. Happy Canada Day indeed.

Peace out,
MC