Willie Dunn
| Willie Dunn | |
|---|---|
 Hand print, Aboriginal Walk of Honour, Edmonton AB | |
| Born |
William Dunn August 14, 1942 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died |
August 5, 2013 (aged 71) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Film director, producer, screenwriter, musician |
William "Willie" Dunn (August 14, 1942 – August 5, 2013) was a Canadian singer-songwriter and producer. Born in Montreal, he was of mixed Mi'kmaq and Scottish/Irish background. Dunn often highlighted aboriginal issues in his work.
Music career
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Dunn was a singer and acoustic guitarist. He released several full-length albums of recorded music including Willie Dunn (1971), The Pacific (1980) and Metallic (1999). Metallic, reprises material from both earlier releases.[1] Dunn also composed the song, "Son of the Sun", which Kashtin recorded on their second album Innu.[2] In 2004 Dunn released the album Son of the Sun with sixteen songs (including three live versions).[3]
His songs "I Pity the Country", "Son of the Sun" and "Peruvian Dream" are featured on the 2014 compilation album Native North America, Vol. 1.[4]
Film
He wrote a song entitled "The Ballad of Crowfoot" and directed a ten-minute National Film Board of Canada (NFB) film of the same name in 1968.[5] Both the song and video are about inhumane and unjust colonial treatment of aboriginal Canadians, as well as their taking charge of their destiny and becoming politically active.[6] One of the first NFB films directed by an Aboriginal filmmaker, the film received several awards including a Gold Hugo for best short film at the 1969 Chicago International Film Festival.[7][8] His other films include The Eagle Project, The Voice of the Land and Self-Government,[9] and his music was used for the films Incident at Restigouche, about a 1981 police raid on the Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation,[10] and Okanada, about the 1990 standoff in Oka, Quebec between police and native protesters.
Politics
A longtime member of the New Democratic Party, Dunn defeated Mohamed Bassuny to win the party's federal nomination for Ottawa—Vanier in the 1993 federal election. He received 3,155 votes (6.50%), finishing fourth against Liberal incumbent Jean-Robert Gauthier.[11] He participated in the Culturally Diverse First Peoples Arts Showcase tour in 1998,[12] and the Nations in a Circle spotlight of 2002.[13] He was inducted into the Aboriginal Walk of Honour in 2005.[14] Dunn died in Ottawa on August 5, 2013, aged 71.[15][16][17]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1972 | Willie Dunn |
| 1980 | The Pacific |
| 1983 | The Vanity of Human Wishes |
| 1999 | Metallic |
| 2004 | Son of the Sun |
Singles
| Year | Single | CAN Country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | "Schooldays" | 35 | Willie Dunn |
| 1973 | "I Pity the Country" | 79 |
References
- ↑ "Willie Dunn". Auraltrad.com. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
- ↑ Windsor Star, 20 July 1992.
- ↑ Data from German album by Trikont)
- ↑ "Light in the Attic Unearths the Forgotten History of First Nations Music with 'Native North America' Compilation". Exclaim!, October 8, 2014.
- ↑ Montreal Gazette, October 21, 1990.
- ↑ Ottawa Citizen, 30 July 1992
- ↑ "The Ballad of Crowfoot". Collections page. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
- ↑ "The Ballad of Willie Dunn". Curator's comments by Gil Cardinal. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
- ↑ "Willie Dunn infosite". Auraltrad.com. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
- ↑ Armitage, Kay; Kass Banning; Brenda Longfellow; Janine Marchessault (July 1999). "The Documentary Practice of Alanis Obomsawin". Gendering the Nation: Canadian Women's Cinema. University of Toronto Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-8020-7964-0.
- ↑ Ottawa Citizen, October 7, 1993.
- ↑ Montreal Gazette, 14 November 1998
- ↑ Halifax Daily News, July 25, 2002.
- ↑ Edmonton Journal, June 25, 2005.
- ↑ Doc Rock. "July to December". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
- ↑ "William Dunn obituary". Legacy.com. 2013-08-05. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
- ↑ "Aboriginal singer, activist Willie Dunn dies at 71". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
External links
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