Jess Lee is a Canadian
Métis
The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer-songwriter.
Career
Signed by
RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
in 1980 as the lead singer of the
Midnite Rodeo Band his work with
Rocky Swanson earned him several awards including BCCMA Male Vocalist and Album of the Year honours.
He recorded his first solo album ''Honky Tonk Love Affair'' in 1990. This album included 5 Canadian chart hits including the No. 1 hit "Crowhill Road". The title track was featured in the movie ''
Harmony Cats
''Harmony Cats'' is a 1992 Canadian comedy film, directed by Sandy Wilson.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 94.
Plot
''Harmony Cats'' is about a violinist named Graham Braithwaite (Kim Coates) who plays wit ...
'', was voted song of the year by the BCCMA, and garnered Jess Lee the Country Male Vocalist of the Year Award. He then spent several years songwriting in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
.
In the mid-1990s Lee returned to his aboriginal musical roots. He signed with 12th Street Records and, together with songwriter Bonnie James, wrote the album ''Sacred Ground''. This recording reflects experiences of the aboriginal and métis peoples of North America and was subsequently nominated for a
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
.
In 2004, Lee joined forces with Canadian
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
label Mighty Peace Records and released a CD of new original roots music, ''Born in the North''. The album has been credited by Larry Delaney of
Country Music News as one of his top ten album picks for 2004. Lee has appeared on numerous award shows and television shows including ''Native Voices'' and ''The
Tommy Hunter
Thomas James Hunter, CM, O.Ont (born March 20, 1937) is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman".
Career
In 1956, he began performing as a rhythm guitarist on the CBC Television show, '' Country Hoedown''. ''T ...
Show''.
In 2011 Lee was inducted into the BCCMA Hall of Fame. Lee's new album ''Still Standing on Sacred Ground'' was picked up and re-released and combined with his ''Sacred Ground'' album by the Gabriel Dumount Institute, 18 May 2013. The double CD has been renamed ''I Am All of This''. This album has a few remastered songs and some new ones.
Review highlights
*"The best pure country voice in Canada" – Dennis Charney, Country Music News
*"His voice lingers long in your heart long after the music has stopped"- Native Network News
*"A gifted pure country vocalist often compared vocally, and accurately so, to Merle Haggard." -Larry Delaney, Country Music News
Discography
Albums
Singles
Video releases
*"Honky Tonk Love Affair" 1991
*"Good Ol’ Boys" 1991
*"Sacred Ground" 1995
Awards
*BCCMA – Album of the Year 1988
*BCCMA – Duo of the Year 1988, 1991
*BCCMA – Male Vocalist of the Year 1981, 1988, 1991
*BCCMA – Songwriter of the Year 1991
*BCCMA – Group of the Year 1981
*CARAS West Coast Music Awards – Country Male Vocalist 1991
*
SOCAN
The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...
– No. 1 Canadian Single (Crowhill Road) 1991
*CARAS Juno Awards- nomination country group of the year 1983, 1985
*CARAS Juno Awards- nomination Best Aboriginal Album 1995
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Jess
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Canadian country singer-songwriters
Canadian male singer-songwriters
Métis musicians
Canadian Métis people