Sam Roberts
(born October 2, 1974) is a Juno Award winning Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition
, became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history.
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SAM ROBERTS TICKETS
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Biography
Born in
Pointe-Claire, Quebec, to South African parents, he attended
Loyola High School and
McGill University. Roberts formed the band that was eventually known as
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 1999 after failing to release an album.
[1] 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 1999, 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
, independently. The EP sold slowly at first, but following a re-release of the EP in the summer of 2002 on
MapleMusic Recordings, his first single "
Brother Down" became one of the biggest Canadian hits of the year, and the second single, "Don't Walk Away Eileen", followed suit in the fall.
Roberts then signed to
Universal Music and released his full-length major label debut,
We Were Born in a Flame
, in June 2003. That album's singles, "Where Have All the Good People Gone?" and "Hard Road", received a large amount of success, though mainly just in Canada.
The band's second album,
Chemical City
, was released in Canada in April 2006. In Canada, the first single was "The Gate", which quickly shot to number one on Canadian rock radio. The second single in Canada was "
Bridge to Nowhere". "With a Bullet", the third song used to promote the album on Canadian radio, received little attention and no video was made for it.
Roberts' most recent album,
Love at the End of the World
, was released in May 2008. It debuted at the number one position on the Canadian album chart
[2], a first for Roberts. The lead single, "Them Kids", debuted on iTunes on March 4, 2008.
Sam Roberts is trilingual, speaking English, French, and Spanish. He married his high school sweetheart of 13 years, Jen, and they have a baby girl, Miriam Rose Roberts (born January 2007).
Band members
The members of the Sam Roberts Band as of 2008 are:
- Sam Roberts (lead singer, guitar)
- Dave Nugent (lead guitar)
- Eric Fares (keyboard, guitar)
- James Hall (bass)
- Josh Trager (drums)
Past band members or roles:
- Corey "Cuddy" Zadorozny (drums 2001-2005)
- Dan Roberts (keyboards 2001-2002)
- Dave Nugent played bass until James Hall rejoined the band in 2002
- Eric Fares played lead guitar until James Hall rejoined the band in 2002
Discography
- Brother Down
(2000)
- We Were Born in a Flame
(2003)
- Chemical City
(2006)
- Love at the End of the World
(2008)
Awards and nominations
Roberts first single, "
Brother Down" received two nominations from the
Juno Awards and three nominations from the
MuchMusic Video Awards, winning the award for Best
VideoFACT. The song "Hard Road", from Roberts' third album
We Were Born in a Flame
, received six nominations at the 2004 MuchMusic Video Awards and received the awards for Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Post-Production. Overall, Roberts has received 11 awards from 24 nominations.
Juno Awards
The
Juno Awards is a Canadian awards ceremony presented annually by the
Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Roberts has received four awards from seven nominations.
[3] [4] [5]
Year
| Nominated work
| Award
| Result
|
2003
| "Brother Down"
| Single of the Year
| Nominated
|
New Artist of the Year
| Nominated
|
2004
| We Were Born in a Flame
| Album of the Year
| Won
|
Rock Album of the Year
| Won
|
Artist of the Year
| Won
|
2007
| "Bridge to Nowhere"
| Video of the Year
| Won
|
Chemical City
| Rock Album of the Year
| Nominated
|
2009
| Love at the End of the World
| Artist of the Year
| Won
|
Rock Album of the Year
| Won
|
"Detroit '67"
| Video of the Year
| Nominated
|
MuchMusic Video Awards
The
MuchMusic Video Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the Canadian music video channel
MuchMusic. Roberts has received five awards from fourteen nominations.
[6] [7] [8] [9]
Year
| Nominated work
| Award
| Result
|
2003
| "Brother Down"
| Best VideoFACT
| Won
|
Best Pop Video
| Nominated
|
Best Independent Video
| Nominated
|
Sam Roberts
| People's Choice – Favourite Canadian Artist
| Nominated
|
2004
| "Hard Road"
| Best Director
| Won
|
Best Cinematography
| Won
|
Best Post-Production
| Won
|
Best Video
| Nominated
|
Best Pop Video
| Nominated
|
People's Choice – Favourite Canadian Artist
| Nominated
|
2006
| "The Gate"
| Best MuchMoreMusic Award
| Nominated
|
People's Choice – Favourite Canadian Artist
| Nominated
|
2008
| "Them Kids"
| Best Director
| Nominated
|
Best Post-Production
| Won
|
Notable Performances
- July 31, 2003: Opening performer at Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, otherwise referred to as SARStock, promoted to mitigate the economic downturn in Toronto following a limited outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
- June 12, 2003: National Hockey League's (NHL) NHL Awards ceremony main performer
- November 16, 2003: Canadian Football League's (CFL) 91st Grey Cup halftime show in Regina, Saskatchewan.
- July 2, 2005: Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario.
- January 1, 2008: AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic, outdoor ice hockey game in Buffalo, New York.
- July 2008: Opened for The Eagles in Moncton, New Brunswick
- March 29, 2009: Performed at the 2009 Juno Awards
- August 7, 2009: Performed a free concert at Sidney Crosby's hometown Stanley Cup celebrations in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.
- August 15,2009: Performed at the Big Time Out in Cumberland, British Columbia....
References
- Sam Roberts Biography
- A whole lot of love for Sam Roberts
- 2003 Juno Nominations
- McLachlan, Furtado, Nickelback lead Juno nominees
- 2007 Juno Awards
- OLP leads Much noms
- MuchMusic Video Awards '04
- Billy Talent, Kardinal up for MuchMusic video honours
- Winners