Sam Roberts
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Sam Roberts (born October 2, 1974) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose 2002 debut release, The Inhuman Condition, became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history.
Born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec to South African parents, he attended Loyola High School and McGill University. Roberts formed the band William in 1993. The band's name was changed to Northstar in 1996. Although the band gained some notice in independent rock circles, they couldn't break through to a national audience, and broke up in the late 1990s. Roberts' bandmate George Donoso went on to significant success in indie rock circles with The Dears, but Roberts struggled for several years afterward.
After disbanding Northstar in 1998, Roberts promptly recorded the full-length and now very collectible independent debut Brother Down at home. In 2001, Roberts recorded and released a six-song EP, The Inhuman Condition, on MapleMusic Recordings. The EP sold slowly at first, but by the summer of 2002 his first single "Brother Down" had become one of the biggest Canadian hits of the year, and the follow up single "Don't Walk Away Eileen" quickly followed suit.
Roberts then signed to Universal Music, releasing his full-length major label debut, We Were Born in a Flame, in 2004. That album's singles, "Where Have All the Good People Gone?" and "Hard Road", received, once again, a large amount of success, mainly in Canada.
The band's new album Chemical City, was released in Canada on April 11, 2006, and in the United States on May 16, 2006. In Canada, the first single was "The Gate" which quickly shot to number one on Canadian rock radio. The follow up single is "Bridge to Nowhere".
Discography
- Brother Down (2000)
- The Inhuman Condition (EP) (2002)
- We Were Born In A Flame (2004)
- Chemical City (2006)
- Piranha (EP)
- *1997 7-inch orange vinyl release with the band "William"
- Northstar (EP)
- *1998 CD self-titled release with the band "Northstar"
Awards
2003 Juno Awards
- Won: None
- Nominations: New Artist Of The Year, Single Of The Year (for "Brother Down")
2003 MuchMusic Video Awards
- Won: Best VideoFACT (for "Brother Down")
- Other Nominations: Best Pop Video (for "Brother Down"), Best Independent Video (for "Brother Down"), People's Choice-Favourite Canadian Artist
2004 Juno Awards
- Won: Album Of The Year (for "We Were Born In A Flame"), Rock Album Of The Year (for "We Were Born In A Flame"), Artist Of The Year
2004 MuchMusic Video Awards
- Won: Best Director (for "Hard Road"), Best Cinematography (for "Hard Road"), Best Post-Production (for "Hard Road")
- Other Nominations: People's Choice-Favourite Canadian Artist, Best Video (for "Hard Road"), Best Pop Video (for "Hard Road")
2006 MuchMusic Video Awards
- Won: None
- Nominations: Best MuchMoreMusic Award (for "The Gate"), People's Choice-Favourite Canadian Artist
See also
External links
Official Sites- [Sam Roberts Band] - Official Site
- [Sam Roberts Band] - The band's MySpace website
- [Chemical City] - Chemical City Official Site
- [Sam Roberts Maple Music] - Maple Music Site
- [Sam Roberts Universal Music Canada] - Official Universal Music Canada Site
- [Bangkok to Babylon Forum] - Fan Forum
- [Purple Midnight] - A Sam Roberts Fan Forum
- [49music, fansite]
- [Sam Roberts] - Sam Roberts' perception of place and how the Canadian landscape has inspired his music.
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