Gene Hardy is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. He performs on saxophone, violin,

musical saw A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is a hand saw used as a musical instrument. Capable of continuous glissando (portamento), the sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin. The musical saw is classified as a plaque f ...

and

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

Career

Hardy's early music training began in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

—first on violin at age 9, then on saxophone a year later. After studies at the

Victoria Conservatory of Music Founded in 1964, the Victoria Conservatory of Music (VCM) is a music school in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The VCM has earned an outstanding reputation of quality in education, performance and music therapy. As a music school for the whole ...

and

UVic The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

, he moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in 1986. In 1988 he joined Canadian alternative rock band

Bourbon Tabernacle Choir The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir were a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in 1985 in Toronto. History The band consisted of vocalist Kate Fenner, vocalist and organist Chris Brown, vocalist and guitarist Andrew Whiteman, guitarist Chris M ...

. After the Bourbon's break-up in the mid-1990s, he became the horn player for many of Canada's best known exports and domestic successes, recording and performing in the United States and Canada. He served as

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...

's musical director and featured soloist and is the latest addition to

Ronnie Hawkins Ronald Cornett Hawkins (January 10, 1935 – May 29, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, long based in Canada, whose career spanned more than half a century. His career began in Arkansas, United States, where he was born and raised. He ...

' band, The Hawks. From 2000 to 2005, Hardy was nominated as Horn Player of the Year at the Canada's

Maple Blues Awards The Maple Blues Awards are Canada’s blues awards, "honouring the finest in Canadian blues". They are the only comprehensive national best in blues awards program. The program's goal is to promote blues music across Canada, and to recognize outs ...

in recognition of his extensive contributions to the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

genre, both live and in the studio. He is also known as a session player on

, and has been featured on numerous recordings, including BNL's ''

Born on a Pirate Ship ''Born on a Pirate Ship'' (sometimes abbreviated ''BOAPS'') is the third full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies (BNL), featuring the songs "Shoe Box", "The Old Apartment", "When I Fall" and "Break Your Heart". "The Old Apartment" would be ...

'' and Veda Hille's ''Spine''. His saw playing can also be heard on jingles for an assortment of products and services including ads for Halls Cough Drops, Kia Cars, and Scott's Turfbuilder. A long awaited instrumental saw CD, entitled ''Musical Saw Encounters'', is slated for release in early 2015. His newest group, The Pip Squeek Orchestra, described as a dixieland-band-on-steroids, debuts fall 2007 with a new CD and a line-up of players from

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Victoria and Toronto. To date, Hardy has released four CDs as a solo artist. He continues to travel, perform and record extensively, dividing his time between Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Discography

Solo albums

* Gene Hardy & Sparkjiver – ''Gene Hardy & Sparkjiver'' (CD, 2000) * Gene Hardy & Sparkjiver – ''FunkyBluesyJazzyChurchy'' (CD, 2002) * Gene Hardy – ''Blow!Blow!Blow!'' (CD, 2004) * Gene Hardy & The Pip Squeek Orchestra – ''Gene Hardy & The Pip Squeek Orchestra'' (CD, 2007)

Contributions

* Bourbon Tabernacle Choir – ''Sister Anthony'' (1990) * Big Sugar – '' Big Sugar'' (1992) * Bourbon Tabernacle Choir – ''Superior Cackling Hen'' (1992) * Barenaked Ladies – ''

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

'' (1992) No. 1 CAN, US gold * Rheostatics – ''

Whale Music ''Whale music'' is a term for whale sound. It may also refer to: *'' Whale Music'', a 1989 novel by Paul Quarrington * ''Whale Music'' (film), a 1994 Canadian film based on the Quarrington novel **'' Music from the Motion Picture Whale Music'', the ...

'' (1992) * Big Sugar – ''

Five Hundred Pounds ''Five Hundred Pounds'' is an album by Canadian rock band Big Sugar, released in 1993 on Hypnotic Records. Based on Big Sugar's burgeoning reputation as a live band, the album sold 10,000 copies solely by word of mouth before it garnered any s ...

'' (1993) * Rheostatics – ''

Music from The Motion Picture Whale Music ''Music from The Motion Picture Whale Music'' is a 1994 album by Rheostatics. It is the soundtrack to the film version of Paul Quarrington's novel '' Whale Music'', and should not be confused with the band's 1992 album '' Whale Music''. The album ...

'' (1994) * Barenaked Ladies – ''

Maybe You Should Drive ''Maybe You Should Drive'' (commonly abbreviated MYSD) is the second studio album by Barenaked Ladies. It was released in August 1994 and went double platinum in Canada, reaching No. 3 upon its release. It was also their first album to chart in ...

'' (1994) No. 175 US, No. 57 UK * Rheostatics – ''

Introducing Happiness ''Introducing Happiness'' is the fifth studio album by Rheostatics, released in 1994 on Sire Records. Produced by Michael Phillip Wojewoda, the album was recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas.Tom Harrison, "A musical banquet moves on ...

'' (1994) * Bourbon Tabernacle Choir – ''Shy Folk'' (1995) * Barenaked Ladies – ''

'' (1996) No. 111 gold U.S, No. 18 Canada * Veda Hille – ''Spine'' (1996) * Bourbon Tabernacle Choir – ''Simply the Best 1985–1995'' (2000) * Kevin Quain – ''Tequila Vampire Matinee'' (CD, 2000) * Neil Leyton – ''Midnight Sun'' (2003, Fading Ways) * Esthero – ''

We R in Need of a Musical Revolution "We R in Need of a Musical Revolution" is a song by Canadian singer/songwriter Esthero. It was released as part of a six-song EP in November 2004 and was also featured on her 2005 album ''Wikked Lil' Grrrls''. The song lyrically explores the lac ...

'' (CD EP, 2004, Reprise Records) * Esthero – ''

Wikked Lil' Grrrls ''Wikked Lil' Grrrls'' is Canadian singer Esthero's second album, her first full-length in seven years. It was released on June 28, 2005 in North America by Reprise Records. The album elicited mixed reviews upon its release, with contemporary mus ...

Samplers (Version 1 & 2)'' (CD, 2005, Warner Bros. Records) * Esthero – ''

'' (CD, 2005, Warner Bros. Records) * Esthero – ''Fastlane Remixes'' (CD, 2005, Warner Bros. Records) * Dean Drouillard – ''Dream at Harmony Motel'' (CD, 2005) * Adam Warner – ''No Place to Lay'' (CD, 2006) * Kevin Quain – ''Winter in Babylon'' (CD, 2007) * Chuck Jackson – ''A Cup of Joe'' (CD, 2012, Linus Records)

TV and film

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

(TV series) * Ups And Downs (film) *

Colin James Colin James (born Colin James Munn, August 17, 1964) is a Canadian rock and blues singer and songwriter. Biography Early years James was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His grandpa was Serbian. He got his break opening for Stevie Ray V ...

Presents the Blues Masters (TV special, 1997) * Hemingway Vs. Callahan (CBC mini-series, 2003) *

Take The Lead ''Take the Lead'' is a 2006 American drama dance film directed by Liz Friedlander and starring Antonio Banderas as dance instructor Pierre Dulaine, the founder of Dancing Classrooms. It also stars Alfre Woodard, John Ortiz, Rob Brown, Yaya DaCos ...

(film, 2006) * Sounds Like Motown (documentary, 2007) * Motown High (documentary, 2008) * Numerous appearances on

MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...

, 1990–present * The Being FRANK Show (TV talk / variety show, 2011–present)

References

External links

Live performance by Gene Hardy & Sparkjiver
on YouTube
Gene Hardy
on Sonicbids EPK {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Gene Living people Canadian blues musicians Canadian rhythm and blues musicians Canadian rock musicians Canadian saxophonists Male saxophonists Musicians from Toronto Musicians from Victoria, British Columbia Canadian alternative rock musicians 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century Canadian male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)