The band consists of original members Cuddy (guitar/vocals), Keelor (guitar/vocals) and Donovan (bass) plus newer additions Glenn Milchem (drums), and Bob Egan (multi-instrumentalist). Former members include Anderson (drummer), Wiseman (keyboardist), Kim Deschamps (multi-instrumentalist), Mark French (drummer), and Jamie Gray (keyboardist) and Bob Packwood (keyboards).
Blue Rodeo is one of the most successful and well known contemporary Canadian bands, having released 11 studio albums, one live album, a greatest hits collection and a DVD which have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. In addition, both Cuddy and Keelor have released solo albums. Blue Rodeo members have collaborated extensively with other notable Canadian artists, including Jann Arden, Cowboy Junkies, Burton Cummings, Kathleen Edwards, Great Big Sea, Sarah McLachlan, The Sadies, Ron Sexsmith, Skydiggers, and The Tragically Hip. Blue Rodeo have won many Canadian music awards, including seven Juno Awards (Canada's Grammy) and principal songwriters Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor have been honoured with seven SOCAN awards.
The band released (November 2008) Blue Road a special 20th Anniversary Live 'bootleg' DVD which features an insightful documentary by Chris Mills and an acoustic CD of their 2008 February 29th Toronto Massey Hall concert. The DVD disc features some acoustic covers, including Neil Young's "Are You Ready For The Country", Randy Travis's "Diggin' Up Bones" and Ian & Sylvia Tyson's "Four Strong Winds." In addition, there's a new bonus studio track on the audio CD by Cuddy and Keelor called "Losing You", which is also performed Live on the DVD.
It was formally announced on June 16th, 2009, that Blue Rodeo will be inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto in September, 2009.
On November 10th, 2009, Blue Rodeo released its twelfth studio album, The Things We Left Behind, which is a double CD featuring 16 original compositions by Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy. The release was produced by the band with engineering and mixing assistance from Darryl Neudorf (Neko Case, Jim Cuddy, Kevin Kane, Sarah McLachlan, The Sadies), and the first single to crack the airwaves is "Arizona Dust".
It was officially announced on December 12, 2011 that Blue Rodeo will be inducted into The Canadian Music Hall of Fame, with the formal presentation to occur on April 1st, 2012 at the Canadian Juno Awards.
Blue Rodeo released its 13th studio album on October 29th, 2013 entitled In Our Nature.
Canadian Governor General David Johnston announced on Dec. 30, 2013 that Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor will be celebrated as Officers of the Order of Canada, one of the country`s highest honours, in a ceremony to be scheduled later in 2014.
In the Fall of 2014, Blue Rodeo released their first seasonal holiday collection entitled, A Merrie Christmas To You, which is blessed with their favourite Christmas classics. The collection features beautiful songs by The Band, Big Star, Merle Haggard, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, and two moving originals entitled "Glad To Be Alive" and "Home To You This Christmas".
Blue Rodeo released its latest studio album on October 28, 2016 entitled 1000 Arms, which was produced by Tim Vesely and the band. The Warner Music Canada release features eleven new songs penned by Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, and the first single is entitled "Superstar".
For photo galleries, tour dates and other information on Blue Rodeo you can visit their official website, www.BlueRodeo.com.
Western Skies
Blue Rodeo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking through the tall pine trees
High
Up above Lake Louise
And I'd rather be
Chasing after shooting stars
Than waiting for this dumb 503 T-T-C
I'd like to see
The sun set behind Saddle Mountain
And listen to the wind whisper my name
Yea this world and me don't fit
One of us is going to have to quit
Oh how I miss those western skies
And I'd rather be
Back in the Rocky Mountains
Than sitting in some bar on Queen Street
And I'd rather be
Walking through the high meadow
Than watching the latest war on my TV
So please don't you stand in my way
I just got to get out of this place
If I waste another day
I'm sure the sun will forget my name
Oh how I miss those western skies
Oh to see the sunset in her eyes
Oh to see the sunshine in her eyes
And I'd rather be
Lying by the Bow River
Just watching the clouds go by
Yea I'd rather be
Anywhere else than here tonight
Than stuck in the city
But through the pain
Good things will come
After the rain the sun
But that don't mean much to me
Stuck in the city
Oh how I miss those western skies
The song Western Skies by Blue Rodeo is a wistful longing for the Canadian west, specifically the Rocky Mountains, and an expression of frustration at being stuck in the city. The singer dreams of walking through tall pine trees above Lake Louise, chasing shooting stars, and watching the sun set behind Saddle Mountain. He misses listening to the wind whisper his name and being in the high meadow, free from the latest war on TV.
The song is a lamentation of the distance between the singer and the environment he longs for. He articulates a yearning to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, using terms like "this dumb 503 T-T-C" to express his frustration. The lyrics also suggest a desire for companionship - to see the sunset in someone's eyes and to lie by the Bow River.
Overall, the song is a poignant expression of the divide between urban and rural Canada, and the deep sense of loss one can feel when disconnected from the natural world.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'd rather be
Walking through the tall pine trees
High
The singer would rather be walking through tall pine trees, high above Lake Louise.
Up above Lake Louise
And I'd rather be
Chasing after shooting stars
Than waiting for this dumb 503 T-T-C
The singer would rather be chasing after shooting stars than waiting for public transit.
I'd like to see
The sun set behind Saddle Mountain
And listen to the wind whisper my name
Yea this world and me don't fit
One of us is going to have to quit
Oh how I miss those western skies
The singer is fed up with the world and would rather see the sun set behind Saddle Mountain and listen to the wind whisper their name than deal with it.
And I'd rather be
Back in the Rocky Mountains
Than sitting in some bar on Queen Street
The artist would rather be back in the Rocky Mountains than sitting in a bar on Queen Street.
And I'd rather be
Walking through the high meadow
Than watching the latest war on my TV
So please don't you stand in my way
I just got to get out of this place
The artist would rather be walking through a high meadow than watching war on TV and wants to leave the current location.
If I waste another day
I'm sure the sun will forget my name
Oh how I miss those western skies
Oh to see the sunset in her eyes
Oh to see the sunshine in her eyes
The singer fears that if they waste another day, they will be forgotten and misses the western skies and the possibility of seeing the sunshine and sunset in someone else's eyes.
And I'd rather be
Lying by the Bow River
Just watching the clouds go by
The singer would rather be lying by the Bow River watching clouds than doing what they are currently doing.
Yea I'd rather be
Anywhere else than here tonight
Than stuck in the city
But through the pain
Good things will come
After the rain the sun
But that don't mean much to me
Stuck in the city
Oh how I miss those western skies
The artist would rather be anywhere else than where they are currently stuck in the city, but knows that good things come after pain. Despite this, they still miss the western skies.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GREG KEELOR, JIM CUDDY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind