Northern Cree | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Maskwacis, Alberta, Canada |
| Genres | Powwow |
| Years active | 1982–present |
Northern Cree, also known as the Northern Cree Singers, is a powwow and Round Dance drum and singing group based in Maskwacis, Alberta, Canada.[1][2][3] Formed in 1982 by Randy Wood, with brothers Charlie and Earl Wood of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, the group's members originate from the Treaty 6 area.[4][1][2] These include Ferlin McGillvary, Steve Wood and Joel Wood.[5] Additional members are Shane Dion, Leroy Whitstone, Penny McGilvery, Jonas Tootoosis, Marlon Deschamps, Conan Yellowbird, Dezi Chocan, Ben Cardinal, Kyle Pasquayak, JohnBoy Moosomin, Randall Paskemin, and Mickso Deschamps.[6]
Northern Cree has performed regularly at folk festivals Native American powwows across Canada and the United States and has won hundreds of championship powwow singing titles.[7]
They are the only traditional Canadian Aboriginal group to have been nominated for a Grammy.[6] In 2017, the Singers, along with founder Randy Wood and Tanya Tagaq, won a Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble for the album Going Home Star.[8]
Discography
[edit]Northern Cree has released 38 recordings.[7] Many are live recordings on Canyon Records.
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Northern Cree Singers, Vol. 1 |
| Northern Cree Singers, Vol. 2 | |
| Northern Cree Singers, Vol. 3: Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Fort Duchesne | |
| 1993 | Northern Cree Singers, Vol. 4: No Word Songs Please: Straight Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live |
| Vol. 5: Pow Wow Songs Recorded Live | |
| 1994 | Vol. 6: Pow Wow Songs Recorded Live |
| 1996 | Vol. 7: Pow Wow Songs, Live at Lummi |
| Vol. 8: Come and Dance — Pow Wow Songs, Live at Whiteriver | |
| 1997 | Dance Hard! : Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Poundmaker's Lodge |
| 1998 | Honor the Eagle Feather: Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live in Kamloops |
| It's Time to Round Dance! | |
| 1999 | Here to Stay |
| In Our Drum We Trust | |
| Showtime: Round Dance Songs | |
| 2000 | Rockin' the Rez: Pow-wow Songs Recorded Live at Saddle Lake |
| Second Song: Dancer's Choice!: Pow-wow Songs Recorded Live at Saddle Lake | |
| 2002 | Northern Cree and Friends, Vol. 1: Round Dance Songs Recorded Live |
| Round Dance Jam | |
| Still Rezin′ | |
| 2003 | Northern Cree and Friends, Vol. 2: Honoring Singers and Songmakers |
| 2004 | Northern Cree and Friends, Vol. 3: Honoring Singers and Songmakers |
| Rezonate: Pow-wow Songs Recorded Live at Saddle Lake | |
| 2005 | Nikamo = "Sing": Pow-wow Songs Recorded Live at Samson |
| Northern Cree and Friends, Vol. 4: Slide and Sway | |
| 2006 | Northern Cree and Friends, Vol. 5: Long Winter Nights: Round Dance "Live!" |
| Stay Red: Pow-wow Songs Recorded Live at Pullman | |
| 2007 | Northern Cree and Friends, Vol. 6: Calling All Dancers |
| Northern Cree and Friends, Vol. 7: Dancin' til Sunrise | |
| 2008 | Red Rock: Pow-wow Songs Recorded Live at Muckleshoot |
| 2009 | True Blue |
| 2010 | Temptations: Cree Round Dance Songs |
| 2011 | Drum Boy: Mistikwaskihk Napesis: Pow-wow Songs Recorded Live at Saddle Lake |
| 2012 | Dancerz Groove: Cree Round Dance Songs |
| 2013 | Loyalty to the Drum: Pow-wow Songs Recorded Live in Rocky Boy |
| 2014 | Breaking Boundaries: Pow-wow Songs Recorded Live at Red Mountain |
| Ewipihcihk (ᐁᐏᐱᐦᒋᐦᐠ)[a]: Cree Round Dance Songs | |
| 2016 | It's a Cree Thing: Cree Round Dance Songs |
| 2017 | Mîyo Kekisepa, Make a Stand: Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Red Mountain |
| 2018 | Nîtisânak (Brothers and Sister): Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Shakopee |
| 2019 | When It's Cold: Cree Round Dance Songs |
| 2022 | Drums In the Pines: Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live in Keshena |
Other appearances
[edit]Northern Cree was featured in the 1999 film Grey Owl.[6][9][7] They are featured on the album Gathering of Nations Pow Wow 1999, which won a Grammy in 2001.[10] The group is featured in the song and music video "Indomitable" by DJ Shub, which was nominated for Best EDM/Dance Video in the 2017 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards[11] and won Best Music Video in the 2017 Native American Music Awards.[12] In 2017, the group performed live as part of the pre-telecast for the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, which was the first time that traditional Native American or Indigenous music was performed on the Grammy stage.[7]
Northern Cree is featured on the CDs which accompany David Bouchard's children's books in Cree and English: Nokum Is My Teacher (2006) and The Drum Calls Softly (2008), both on Red Deer Press.[1][2]
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Native American Music Awards | Best Pow Wow Album | Won | [13] | |
| 2002 | Grammy Awards | Best Native American Music Album | Rockin' the Rez | Nominated | [14] |
| 2004 | Still Rezin' | Nominated | [15] | ||
| Native American Music Awards | Best Compilation Recording | Won | [13] | ||
| 2006 | Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards | Best Contemporary Pow-Wow Album | Nikamo – "Sing!" | Won | [16] |
| Best Hand Drum Album | Northern Cree & Friends, Vol. 4 – Slide & Sway | Won | |||
| 2007 | Grammy Awards | Best Native American Music Album | Northern Cree & Friends, Vol. 5: Long Winter Nights | Nominated | [17] |
| Juno Awards | Aboriginal Recording of the Year | Stay Red | Nominated | [18] | |
| Native American Music Awards | Best Pow Wow Album | Won | [13] | ||
| 2009 | Grammy Awards | Best Native American Music Album | Red Rock: Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Muckleshoot | Nominated | [19] |
| 2010 | True Blue | Nominated | [20] | ||
| 2011 | Temptations: Cree Round Dance Songs | Nominated | [21] | ||
| 2017 | Best Regional Roots Music Album | It's a Cree Thing | Nominated | [22] | |
| Indigenous Music Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | [7] | ||
| Juno Awards | Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble | Going Home Star | Won | [8] | |
| Native American Music Awards | Best Music Video | Won | [13] | ||
| Best Pow Wow Recording | Won | ||||
| 2018 | Grammy Awards | Best Regional Roots Music Album | Miyo Kekisepa, Make a Stand [Live] | Nominated | [23] |
| 2019 | Juno Awards | Indigenous Music Album of the Year | Nitisanak - Brothers and Sister | Nominated | [24] |
| 2020 | Grammy Awards | Best Regional Roots Music Album | When It's Cold - Cree Round Dance Songs | Nominated | [25] |
Notes
[edit]- ^ Title translates to "to go Round Dancing (with)," or, "he/she goes Round Dancing (with)"
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Bouchard, David (2006). Nokum Is My Teacher. Calgary: Red Deer Press. ISBN 9780889953673. OCLC 71344719.
- ^ a b c Bouchard, David (2008). The Drum Calls Softly. Calgary: Red Deer Press. ISBN 9780889954212. OCLC 198523387.
- ^ Wong, Jessica (6 December 2016). "Beyoncé, Drake, Adele and Justin Bieber to vie for Grammy Awards". CBC. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
- ^ "Biography". Northern Cree Singers. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
- ^ "Northern Cree Singers". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ a b c La Rose, Lauren (6 February 2017). "Grammy award nominees Northern Cree will kick off ceremony in L.A." CBC News. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Northern Cree". Buffalo Jump Records. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ a b Saxberg, Lynn; Hum, Peter (1 April 2017). "Gord Downie wins three Junos at music awards gala dinner Saturday night". The London Free Press. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "Northern Cree - In Our Drum We Trust (CR-6291)". Canyon Records. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ "43rd Grammy Awards". CNN. February 21, 2001. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ Bliss, Karen. "Shawn Mendes, Grimes And A Tribe Called Red Lead The 2017 iHeartRadio MMVA Nominations". Billboard. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Native American Music Awards 2017 Winners". Native American Music Awards. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d Native American Music Awards & Association Inc. (2024). "Winners Directory". Native American Music Awards. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS News. January 4, 2002. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ The Associated Press (December 8, 2003). "Grammy Award Winners". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ "Northern Cree Receives Two Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards". World Music Central. 5 December 2006. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ "49th Annual Grammy Awards". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ "Past Nominees + Winners". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ Conner, Thomas [in German] (December 3, 2008). "Complete list of Grammy nominees". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ "The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List". Grammy.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ "53rd Annual Grammy Awards nominees list". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
- ^ "59th Annual GRAMMY Awards Winners & Nominees". GRAMMY.com. February 12, 2017. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "60th GRAMMY Awards: Full Nominees List". Grammy.com. 28 November 2017. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018.
- ^ "2019 JUNO Award Nominees". The JUNO Awards. Archived from the original on 2019-04-23. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
- ^ "2019 Grammy Winners & Nominees". GRAMMY.com. January 26, 2020. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2022.