The Tragically Hip

Over the course of nearly two decades and ten albums, Canada's The Tragically Hip has achieved the enviable status of beloved band—one that enjoys both mass popularity and critical acclaim. The five-piece group of childhood friends from Kingston, Ontario accomplished this remarkable feat by producing raw, uncompromising music and lyrics that fearlessly "document the indigenous." The latter, penned by Gord Downie, the group s feverish frontman and a published poet in his own right, are renowned for their ironic wordplay and references to quintessentially Canadian subjects from hockey to history.