Jim Cuddy

Jim Cuddy studied at Upper Canada College and North Toronto Collegiate Institute. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are rock music and country music. Distinctions recorded are Officer of the Order of Canada and Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year.

• Name — Jim Cuddy • Birth Name — James Gordon Cuddy • Born — 2 December 1955 • Birthplace — Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Origin — Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Instrument — Guitar, piano, mandolin, vocals, harmonica • Genre — * Pop/Rock • Rock • Country • Alternative country • Folk rock • Soft rock • Americana • Occupation — Musician, songwriter • Years Active — 1978–present • Label — Warner Music Canada • Associated Acts — Blue Rodeo, The Jim Cuddy Band • Website — jimcuddy.com

Cuddy was born in Toronto, Ontario. His mother Jean Cuddy was an English teacher at Monarch Park Secondary School. He attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute, where he met and befriended Greg Keelor, his future bandmate. He also went to Upper Canada College and Queen's University.

After graduating from university, Cuddy and Keelor formed a band called the Hi-Fis along with Jim Sublett on drums and Malcolm Schell playing bass. The band released a single in 1980 featuring "Look What You've Done" and on the B side "I Don't Know Why (You Love Me)". The record was not a commercial success, and when they couldn't get a record deal in Toronto, they headed off to New York City. In New York they met keyboardist Bob Wiseman, but were still unable to arrange a recording contract. They later moved back to Toronto.

In 1984, Cuddy and Keelor formed a new band, Blue Rodeo, with Wiseman, and recruited Bazil Donovan on bass and Cleave Anderson on drums as backup. Since that time, Cuddy has continued to lead the band, which has toured extensively and released 16 studio albums.

Cuddy has recorded a number of solo albums and performs live with the Jim Cuddy Band, featuring musicians such as Bazil Donovan, Colin Cripps, Joel Anderson, Steve O'Connor, Anne Lindsay and Gavin Brown. Guest performers on his solo albums have included Kathleen Edwards, former Weeping Tile member Sarah Harmer, and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy.

Jim Cuddy's song "Whistler" from the All in Time album was featured in the 2002 documentary Ski Bums by John Zaritsky. In 2016, Cuddy participated in a benefit concert in Edmonton, Alberta and another in Toronto, Ontario for the citizens of Fort McMurray, whose town was destroyed by fire. On March 19, 2020, he performed the first concert in the National Arts Centre's #CanadaPerforms series of livestreamed home concerts by Canadian musicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. He narrates the TVOntario documentary series Striking Balance.

Cuddy married Canadian actress Rena Polley in 1984. They have three children: daughter Emma; and two sons, Devin and Sam, who are also musicians. His brother Loftus Cuddy was a Conservative candidate for the riding of Toronto—Danforth in the 2004 Canadian federal election, but he was not elected. In the 2004 edition of Canada Reads, Cuddy advocated for Guy Vanderhaeghe's novel The Last Crossing, which won the competition. In the 2007 edition of Canada Reads, an "all-star" competition pitting the five winning advocates from previous years against each other, Cuddy returned to champion Timothy Taylor's novel Stanley Park. In 2016, Cuddy collaborated with Tawse Winery in Niagara to launch a new wine brand, Cuddy by Tawse. In 2017, Cuddy narrated the documentary TV series Striking Balance.

• Title — Album details — Peak positions — Certifications (sales thresholds) • CAN • All in Time — * Release date: September 8, 1998 * Label: WEA — 38 — * CAN: Gold • The Light That Guides You Home — * Release date: September 12, 2006 * Label: WEA — 18 — * CAN: Gold • Skyscraper Soul — * Release date: September 27, 2011 * Label: WEA — 8 • Constellation — * Release date: January 26, 2018 * Label: WEA — 3 • Countrywide Soul — * Release date: May 31, 2019 * Label: WEA — 56 • All the World Fades Away — * Release date: June 14, 2024 * Label: WEA

• Year — Single — Peak positions — Album • CAN • 1998 — "Disappointment" — 53 — All in Time • "Too Many Hands" [[#endnote_A|[A]]] — — • 1999 — "Trouble" — — • "All in Time" — 73 • 2006 — "Pull Me Through" — — — The Light That Guides You Home • 2007 — "Married Again" (with Kathleen Edwards) — — • "Maybe Sometime" — — • 2011 — "Everyone Watched the Wedding" — — — Skyscraper Soul • 2012 — "Regular Days" — — • 2024 — "All the World Fades Away" — — — All the World Fades Away • "—" denotes releases that did not chart • Notes • A ^ "Too Many Hands" peaked at number 13 on the Canadian RPM Adult contemporary Tracks chart and number 34 on the RPM Country Tracks chart.

• Year — Single — Artist — Album • 2004 — "Somewhere Else" — Jim Bryson — The North Side Benches • 2008 — "Songbird" — Melanie Doane — A Thousand Nights • 2011 — "Hard Luck Girl" — The Cooper Brothers — In from the Cold • 2013 — "Pancho and Lefty" — George Canyon — Classics II

• Year — Video — Director • 1998 — "Disappointment" — Ulf Buddensieck • "Too Many Hands" • 1999 — "Trouble" • 2004 — "Somewhere Else" (with Jim Bryson) • 2006 — "Pull Me Through" • 2007 — "Married Again" (with Kathleen Edwards) • 2008 — "Songbird" (with Melanie Doane) • 2011 — "Everyone Watched the Wedding" • 2018 — "You Be The Leaver" — Tatjana Green/Matthew Barnett • "Constellations" — Christopher Mills • 2019 — "Back Here Again" — Stephen Hughes • "Glorious Day" — Peter Guzda • 2024 — "Learn to Live Alone" — Jenn Grant • "Impossible"

Jim Cuddy is recorded with the occupation singer-songwriter. Recorded with the occupation guitarist. Recorded with the occupation musician. Recorded with the occupation composer. Classed in the genre country music. Classed in the genre rock music. Recorded as having received Officer of the Order of Canada and Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year.