Cody Jay Canada (born May 25, 1976) is an American rock/
alt-country
Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
musician who currently is the lead singer and lead guitarist of the rock band
The Departed
''The Departed'' is a 2006 American epic crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is both a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film '' Infernal Affairs'' and also loosely based on the real-life Boston Win ...
since 2010. From 1994 to 2010, Canada was the lead singer of rock/alt country band
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Cross Canadian Ragweed was an American rock band formed in Yukon, Oklahoma in 1994. The band consisted of Cody Canada (lead guitar/vocals), Grady Cross (guitar), Randy Ragsdale (drums), and Jeremy Plato (bass guitar). The group released five s ...
.
Early life
Canada was born in
Pampa, TX in 1976. He acquired a taste for music after attending a
George Strait concert with his parents at the age of four. The next day he asked for a guitar. Canada first started playing guitar at the age of eight. While Cody was a teen, the Canada family relocated to
Yukon, Oklahoma
Yukon is a city in eastern Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 22,709 at the 2010 census. Founded in the 1890s, the town was named in reference to a gold rush in Yukon ...
and as a teenager was drawn to rock bands such as
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
and
Pearl Jam and also
outlaw country.
Cross Canadian Ragweed
In 1994, Canada along with fellow musicians Matt Weidemann (bass), Grady Cross (guitar), and Randy Ragsdale (percussion) formed Cross Canadian Ragweed in
Yukon, Oklahoma
Yukon is a city in eastern Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 22,709 at the 2010 census. Founded in the 1890s, the town was named in reference to a gold rush in Yukon ...
. The band was named after the original members with Canada taking on the role of lead guitarist, lead vocals, and prominent songwriter. They would later move to
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater ( iow, Ñápinⁿje, ''meaning: "Water quiet"'') is a city in, and the county seat of, Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. Route 177 and State Highway 51. As of t ...
. From the time of Ragweed's formation until its end in 2010, the band released seven studio albums as well as three live albums.
In 2010, the band went on an extended hiatus due to slight tensions inside the band, and Ragsdale's family responsibilities, eventually breaking up in late 2010.
The Departed
In 2011, Canada and Plato formed a new band, initially called Cody Canada & the Departed. The band originally consisted of Canada (guitar/vocals), Plato (bass guitar/vocals), Seth James (guitar/vocals), Steve Littleton (keyboards) and Chris Doege (drums) who replaced original drummer, Dave Bowen. They released their first album in June 2011 titled ''This Is Indian Land'', consisting of covers written by Oklahoma songwriters.
On August 24, 2012, the band, now billing themselves as The Departed, announced through their website and social media that they would release their first original album titled ''Adventus''. The album was released on November 13, 2012.
In September 2012, the band announced that they would release one song from ''Adventus'' every Monday leading up until the album's release on their Facebook artist profile.
In 2014 the band announced a third studio album. ''Hippielovepunk'' was released on January 13, 2015. The album debut at No. 9 on the Billboard US Country chart as well as No. 9 on the US Indie chart. The first single was a return to the Red Dirt sound of CCR titled ''Inbetweener''.
Solo work and collaborations
On November 19, 2013, Cody Canada released a solo acoustic 2-disc album ''
Some Old, Some New, Maybe a Cover or Two''. The album was recorded live at Third Coast Music in
Port Aransas, Texas
Port Aransas ( ) is a city in Nueces County, Texas, United States. This city is 180 miles southeast of San Antonio. The population was 2,904 at the 2020 census. Port Aransas is the only established town on Mustang Island. It is located north o ...
, with 19 songs from throughout Canada's career, including works with Cross Canadian Ragweed and The Departed.
On November 13, 2015, Cody Canada released a two-disc, 35-track album with
Mike McClure, ''Chip and Ray, Together Again for the First Time''. The album was recorded in Port Aransas, Texas, and features songs they worked on or recorded together.
Personal life
Canada is married to Shannon Canada, who also manages The Departed and their label Underground Sound. He has two sons, Dierks Cobain Canada (named after personal friend and country singer
Dierks Bentley
Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to Capitol Nashville and released his eponymous debut album. Both it and its follow-up, 2005's '' Modern Day Drifter'', a ...
and former Nirvana lead singer
Kurt Cobain), and Willy Vedder Canada (named after
Reckless Kelly
''Reckless Kelly'' is a 1993 Australian comedy film produced, written, directed and starring Yahoo Serious. It co-stars Melora Hardin, Alexei Sayle and Hugo Weaving. The story is a satirical take on a modern-day Ned Kelly, a famous Australian ou ...
member Willy Braun and
Pearl Jam's long time lead singer
Eddie Vedder). Dierks plays in a band called Waves, and has been featured in live shows with Cody.
He is also the brother in law of fellow red dirt musician
Wade Bowen
Paul Wade Bowen (born 1977) is an American Texas Country/Red Dirt (music), Red Dirt singer from Waco, Texas, United States.
Bowen was a member of the band West 84 with friend Matt Miller until 2001 when the group became known as Wade Bowen and ...
, who married his sister-in-law Shelby. Canada is also a
Christian, and has mentioned his faith and
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
in Ragweed songs ''Highway 377'', ''Carry You Home'' (of off 2002's ''Purple Album)'', ''Down'' (2004's ''Soul Gravy''), and ''When it All Goes Down'' (''Garage'', 2005). He lives in
New Braunfels, Texas
New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 Census. A suburb just nor ...
with his family.
Discography
Studio albums
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canada, Cody
1976 births
American rock singers
American alternative country singers
Living people
People from Pampa, Texas
People from New Braunfels, Texas
Musicians from New Braunfels, Texas
Songwriters from Texas
21st-century American singers