Does being inducted into Canadian Music Hall of Fame have members of Trooper feeling nostalgic about their half-century in the trenches of Canadian rock ‘n’ roll?
“I don’t know if you want it all. It’s a really long story,” said Ra McGuire, the co-founder and lead vocalist of the Vancouver band.
“50-odd years of stories,” added Brian Smith, Trooper’s co-founder and guitarist.
The two original members of the long-serving rock icons, who both officially retired from performing in 2021, were answering reporters questions on the red carpet Thursday night during their induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the National Music Centre. Specifically, they were asked obligatory queries about whether receiving this honour had them reflecting on their near 50-year run as hit-makers and road warriors and whether they ever dreamed to one day be walking the red carpet as hall of famers.
“It was never the motivation, really,” said McGuire. “It was always do the next gig, play the next show, meet another audience. That was always the carrot pulling the whole thing forward. So this wasn’t really a goal. This wasn’t a place we ever thought we’d be going.
photo : Keith Driver : WIndspeaker Media
But here they are. Trooper was among four new acts inducted into the Hall of Fame on Thursday by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). Inducted by long-time fan Rick Mercer, McGuire and Smith were joined by eight members of the band that represented different iterations and eras of the classic rockers. During his acceptance speech, McGuire also rhymed off the names of more than a dozen other musicians who have gone through the ranks of the band in the past 48 years.
photo : Keith Driver : Windspeaker Media
All 10 performed the band’s biggest hit, Raise a Little Hell, at the ceremony.
“This is a one-time only offer,” McGuire said. “We have never done a 10-member performance before. So this will be a one-off.”
Canadian Comic and actor, Rick Mercer spoke about having the honor of inducting the iconic band inthe the hall of fame.
Members of Trooper spoke ont he Red Carpet event about being inducted:
Longevity and resilience were common themes on Thursday night at the induction ceremony. Audiences heard about Trooper’s rise from their parent’s basements as young teens to become one of Canada’s most successful homegrown acts. They also heard about Medicine Hat-raised country superstar’s early years as a teenager waiting tables and selling cowboy boots in Nashville and performing for tips at Tootsie’s World Famous Orchid Lounge before conquering both the Canadian and American country-music worlds.
photo: Keith Driver: Windspeaker Media
“It feels a little surreal,” said Clark, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame by Jann Arden. “I’m just so humbled. I was actually surprised when I heard about it, I didn’t expect it so soon, I guess. I mean, I’ve been doing this for a lot of years but you picture yourself being maybe old-aged when these types of things happen. But it’s such an honour.”
Our Alberta Country Star said it was all a little over whelming. CJWE’s Trent Agecoutay got a chance to catch up with Terri on the red carpet:
Canadian Country artist , Jann Arden had the please of inducting Terri Clark into the Hall of fame and had this to say :
Alberta rockers Nickelback led the inductions back in March when they were honoured at the Juno Awards in Edmonton. But the class of 2023 are an eclectic bunch, a reflection of the academy’s efforts to induct a diverse group of artists representing various genres. This years inductees also included Dr. Oliver Jones and Diane Dufresne.
Moving forward, CARAS intends to induct multiple artists per year.
“There is a long list,” said Arden. “There is a couple hundred people in the queue. Not just singer-songwriters, but musicians and people in the industry, people in radio, media. There’s a real backlog. Obviously on the television show, the Junos, you know what kind of a show that is already”
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