Curtis Jonnie (26 October 1946 – 12 January 2021), better known by his stage name Shingoose, was an

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

singer and songwriter from Canada. He played in

Roy Buchanan Leroy "Roy" Buchanan (September 23, 1939 – August 14, 1988) was an American guitarist and blues musician. A pioneer of the Telecaster sound, Buchanan worked as a sideman and as a solo artist, with two gold albums early in his career and two lat ...

's band during the early part of his career. He also recorded with

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, po ...

in his first album, ''Native Country''. Shingoose was inducted into the

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

Music Hall of Fame in 2012.

Early life

Shingoose was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, on 26 October 1946. He was a member of the

Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation (Ojibwe: ''Okwewanashko-ziibiing'', meaning: "Rag Weed River")Ross, Jordan. “Aug 2021: Roseau River First Nation Organizes Honour Walk.” The Carillon, August 7, 2021https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/the-car ...

. At the age of four, he was adopted by a

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

family in Steinbach as part of the

Sixties Scoop The Sixties Scoop was a period in which a series of policies were enacted in Canada that enabled child welfare authorities to take, or "scoop up," Indigenous children from their families and communities for placement in foster homes, from which th ...

. As a child in Steinbach, he grew up with

Patrick Friesen Patrick Frank Friesen (born 5 July 1946) is a Canadian author born in Steinbach, Manitoba, primarily known for his poetry and stage plays beginning in the 1970s. Life and career Friesen was born into a Mennonite family in Steinbach, Manitoba ...

, who later became a notable poet. He began singing in church choirs, and joined the

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

-based Boystown Concert Choir after moving to the United States at age 15. In the late 1960s and 1970s, he performed with several rock and rhythm and blues bands in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, including a stint in

's band.

Career

Shingoose returned to Winnipeg in 1973. Inspired by the contemporaneous

American Indian Movement The American Indian Movement (AIM) is a Native American grassroots movement which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968, initially centered in urban areas in order to address systemic issues of poverty, discrimination, and police ...

, he began performing as a singer-songwriter, adopting his great-grandfather's name. His first recording, ''Native Country'' in 1975, featured contributions from

."Musicians pull together for pioneer Shingoose after stroke".

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

, May 14, 2012. That album was the only one released on the Indigenous record label founded by him named "Native Country". Even though the label existed only for a brief period of time, Shingoose was described as a "visionary ahead of his time" for having created it. In that same decade, he signed a songwriting deal with

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodt ...

for five years. The partnership eventually folded when Campbell changed his musical focus. Shingoose also toured extensively across Canada, performing shows in clubs and university campuses and on the

folk festival A folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music. This list includes folk festivals worldwide, except those with only a partial focus on folk music or arts. Folk festivals may also feature folk dance or ethnic foods. Handicraf ...

circuit. His second album, ''Ballad of Norval'', was released in 1979. In the early 1980s, Shingoose collaborated with Don Marks and Bill Britain on the First Nations

musical play Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

''InDEO'', in which he starred. He and Marks later cofounded Native Multimedia Productions, a television production company which created the First Nations current affairs program ''Full Circle'', later retitled ''First Nations Magazine'', for

CKND-TV CKND-DT (channel 9) is a television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, part of the Global Television Network. The station is owned and operated by network parent Corus Entertainment, with studios on the 30th floor of 201 Portage in downtown ...

, and the 1989 television special ''Indian Time'' for CTV. He was the host of the former program, and was one of the performers in the latter.

Antonia Zerbisias Antonia Zerbisias is a Canadian journalist associated with the ''Toronto Star'' from 1989 until she took early retirement from the paper on 31 October 2014. She has been a reporter and TV host for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as wel ...

, "Native People entertain and educate". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', March 26, 1989. He was also a correspondent on First Nations issues for CTV's ''

Canada AM ''Canada AM'' was a Canadian morning television news show that aired on CTV from 1972 to 2016. Its final hosts were Beverly Thomson and Marci Ien, with Jeff Hutcheson presenting the weather forecast and sports. The program aired on weekdays, and ...

''."TVO appoints first manager of native policy". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', February 27, 1992. Shingoose hosted a three-part documentary series for

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

in 1991 on First Nations music. He also worked in aboriginal programming and policy development for

TVOntario TVO Media Education Group (often abbreviated as TVO and stylized on-air as tvo) is a publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario ...

, and as director of education for the Canada Arts Foundation. He later served as chair of the

Juno Awards 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 ...

committee administering the

Juno Award for Aboriginal Album of the Year The Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the best album by an Indigenous Canadian artist or band. It was formerly known as Best Music of Aborigina ...

, and raised funds for an aboriginal cultural centre in Winnipeg. His song "Treaty Rights" was adopted as an anthem of the 2007

Aboriginal Day of Action The Aboriginal Day of Action (also known as the Aboriginal Day of Protest) was a day of organized protest and demonstration by Canadian First Nations groups on June 29, 2007. Events were held at sites across the country. The event, now known as th ...

Later life and death

Shingoose had a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

in 2012 that left him with partial paralysis. Marks organized a fundraising concert to assist him with medical and living expenses, which featured

Eagle & Hawk Eagle & Hawk is a Canadian First Nations rock group based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, active since 1994. They are most noted for winning the Juno Award for Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording in 2002 for their album ''On and On''. The band had ...

Ray St. Germain Ray St. Germain Order of Manitoba, OM (born 1940) is a Canadian musician, author, and radio show host. He was the 2006 federal Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal candidate for the Winnipeg Centre constituency and the presenter for the 1969 Canadian ...

, Mark Nabess, Dustin Harder, Jesse Green and

Don Amero Donald Amero (born September 11, 1980) is a Canadian country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example ...

. He was enshrined into the Manitoba Music Hall of Fame that year. "Silver River", a track he recorded in collaboration with poet

Duke Redbird Dr.Duke Redbird (born 1939) is an Indigenous Canadian poet, journalist, activist, businessman, actor and administrator, best known as a key figure in the development of First Nations literature in Canada. An Ojibwe from the Saugeen First Nation i ...

for his 1975 release ''Native Country'', is featured on the 2014 compilation album '' Native North America, Vol. 1''."Light in the Attic Unearths the Forgotten History of First Nations Music with 'Native North America' Compilation"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', October 8, 2014. The album was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. During the

COVID-19 pandemic in Manitoba The COVID-19 pandemic in Manitoba is a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Manitoba officially reported its first cases on Mar ...

, Shingoose died from the virus at a care home in Winnipeg, on January 12, 2021 and at the age of 74.

Albums

*''Native Country'' (1975) *''Ballad of Norval'' (1979) *''Natural Tan'' (1989) *''T-Bird in the Lake'' (2007)

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 1946 births 2021 deaths Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian folk singers Canadian male musical theatre actors Canadian television producers Canadian television hosts First Nations musicians Musicians from Winnipeg Ojibwe people People from Steinbach, Manitoba Writers from Winnipeg Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada 20th-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian male singers