The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is set to honour a stellar class of Legends this year, featuring Andy Kim, Jane Siberry, Ian Thomas, Triumph, Gino Vannelli, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, François Cousineau, Michel Pagliaro, and Florent Vollant. These inductees represent the powerful history and diversity of Canadian sound.
Learn more here.
Ahead of the live tribute events in Toronto (Oct. 17) and Montreal (Nov. 17), we sit down with some of these music giants to hear the stories behind their unforgettable careers.
Let’s start with Rik Emmett from the band, Triumph.
Please introduce yourself to our readers.
Rik Emmett from Triumph. Songwriter, singer, guitarist, poet. Richard Gordon Emmett, originally from west Toronto, now a resident of Burlington Ontario. Married to Jeannette for 49 years, father of 4, grandfather to 5.
How does it feel to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and to have your work recognized as part of Canada’s cultural legacy?
It’s humbling and gratifying. It fulfills a lifelong dream for peer recognition in my avocation – a calling I would have pursued even if there hadn’t been rewards and prizes.
Looking back, what do you think has been the defining thread in your songwriting — the thing that makes your songs distinctly yours?
The most successful commercial Triumph ones had an optimism in them, and a strong thread of self-empowerment. But I have had a long and checkered career in the music business – consequently, my body of work is . . . eclectic. Wide-ranging. Self-indulgent. Wouldn’t have had it any other way.
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates songs that stand the test of time. What does “timeless songwriting” mean to you?
A timeless song is self-defining: it speaks to the human spirit through universal lyrical and melodic memorability. It tells a story of who, and where, it came from. A timeless song withstands / survives stylistic arrangements and contemporary production values.
What advice would you give to the next generation of Canadian songwriters trying to find their voice?
Be a radar dish for inspirations from the universe, but remain humble in the face of the infinite challenge: just try to remain true to your perspective, and try to figure out where you might contribute in the long history that has preceded your efforts. You can stand on the shoulders of giants, if you’re willing.
If you could go back to your earliest days as a songwriter, what is one piece of advice you would give your younger self?
Try to keep everything in balance. Don’t allow the past to cripple your life process with regret: don’t allow the future to generate fear. Live and work in your present, and do your human best to optimize the moment you’re in, with your best efforts. That’s a secret that’s no secret – it’s just what growing old taught me.
If you could pick one song from your catalogue that best represents who you are as a songwriter, which song would it be and why?
Not a reasonable question, especially for me. Different songs have different representations of what might be described as ‘best’ —- and I’ve been a songwriter for over 60 years now. Songs are made for others to experience, enjoy – likely, judge. And – for me? I keep moving on, which is just me being true to my own artistic instinct. ‘The next one’, is probably the best stock answer for me to offer in response to a stock question.
I have some songs (from a period of my life) that became life soundtrack for folks: songs that became lifestyle anthems. Hold On To Your Dreams, Lay It On The Line, Fight The Good Fight. Due to current social conditions, those songs in particular are enjoying something of a renaissance, which likely led to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame deciding Triumph had finally earned its Hall of Fame moment. ‘Song’ is not operative: ‘catalogue’ is.
With live tributes planned for the Toronto ceremony, what are you most looking forward to seeing during the celebration on October 17th?
I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing Gino Vanelli. I’m definitely looking forward to singing some harmonies with my longtime friend, Ian Thomas. And I can’t wait to play some guitar with Phil X, who is a force of rock & roll nature.
After decades of creating music, what still inspires you to write?
Ha! I just typed “force of nature” – and I create because the sun comes up, the wind is blowing, the rivers flow, the tide goes in and out. I create because I can, and because I have been compelled to do so, from before I was a teenager. I write because I keep trying to make sense of what I read in news feeds, and because I wonder if the kids of my grandkids will ever wonder who their crazy ancestor was: I write because I keep trying to figure myself out. I write because Life is a beautiful creative gift, and I’ve always felt it was my pleasure and honour to be able to apply my own humble gifts to the calling: to the muses: to the infinite mystery of the cosmos, and the infinite mysteries of the strangers who are making all that racket in the marketplace.
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