Sam Roberts

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For similarly named people, see Samuel Roberts.
Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts singing at Lollapalooza in 2007.
Sam Roberts singing at Lollapalooza in 2007.
Background information
Born October 2, 1974 (1974-10-02) (age 33)
Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada
Origin Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genre(s) Rock
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals
Guitar
Years active 2000 - present
Label(s) Secret Brain
MapleMusic Recordings
Universal Music Canada
Cordova Bay UK
Pony Canyon Records (Japan)
Lost Highway Records (USA)
Website samrobertsband.com

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.

Contents

[edit] 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. 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 on 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[1], a first for Roberts. The lead single, "Them Kids", debuted on iTunes on 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).[citation needed]

[edit] Band members

The members of the Sam Roberts Band as of 2008 are:

  • Sam Roberts (lead singer)
  • 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

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

For the following, only "Where Have All The Good People Gone?" was released as a commercial CD single. An edited version of the "The Gate" was made available for download from iTunes and other online retailers.

[edit] From The Inhuman Condition

  • "Brother Down" (2002) [radio and video only]
  • "Don't Walk Away Eileen" (2002) [radio and video only]

[edit] From We Were Born In A Flame

  • "Where Have all the Good People Gone?" (2003) [commercial single with video]
  • "Hard Road" (2003) [radio and video only]
  • "Dead End/Every Part of Me" (2003) [double radio-only]

[edit] From Chemical City

  • "The Gate" (2006) [radio, video, and digital only]
  • "Bridge to Nowhere" (2006) [radio and video only]
  • "With a Bullet" (2006) [radio only]

[edit] From Love at the End of the World

  • "Them Kids" (2008) [radio, video, and digital only]

[edit] Previous releases with other bands

  • Piranha (1997) [EP released on 7" yellow vinyl with the band William]
  • Northstar (1998) [self-titled EP released on CD with the band Northstar]

[edit] Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Title Result
2003 Juno Awards Single Of The Year "Brother Down" Nominated
New Artist Of The Year Nominated
MuchMusic Video Awards Best VideoFACT "Brother Down" Won
Best Pop Video Nominated
Best Independent Video Nominated
People's Choice-Favourite Canadian Artist Nominated
2004 Juno Awards Album Of The Year We Were Born in a Flame Won
Rock Album Of The Year Won
Artist Of The Year Won
MuchMusic Video Awards Best Director "Hard Road" Won
Best Cinematography Won
Best Post-Production Won
Best Video Nominated
Best Pop Video Nominated
People's Choice-Favourite Canadian Artist Nominated
2006 MuchMusic Video Awards Best MuchMoreMusic Award "The Gate" Nominated
People's Choice-Favourite Canadian Artist Nominated
2007 Juno Awards Video of the Year "Bridge to Nowhere" Won
Rock Album of the Year Chemical City Nominated
2008 MuchMusic Video Awards Best Director "Them Kids" TBA
Best Post-Production TBA

[edit] Notable Performances

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "A whole lot of love for Sam Roberts", Toronto Sun, 2008-05-30. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 

[edit] External links