Willie Thrasher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Willie Thrasher
Willie Thrasher photographed in Montréal , Québec , Canada at La Sala Rossa.
Born	1948 Aklavik, Northwest Territories, Canada
Occupation	Musician
Years active	1960s – present

Willie Thrasher, born in 1948, is a talented musician from Canada's Arctic region. He is Inuvialuit, which is one of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. Willie has made music by himself and with bands like The Cordells and Red Cedar. He has also spent much of his career speaking up for the rights and cultures of Inuit and First Nations people.

Willie's Early Life

Willie was born in 1948 in Aklavik, a community in the Northwest Territories. His family followed the traditional Inuit hunting way of life in the western Arctic, and his father was a whaler and hunter.

When Willie was five years old, he was sent away from his family to a special school. At these schools, he learned to play the drums. He stayed there until he was sixteen. After leaving school, Willie worked as a forest firefighter in Whitehorse. This is where he started playing in rock bands. Willie was a big fan of The Beatles drummer, Ringo Starr. He even started his own band called The Cordells with his brother and friends.

Willie's Music Journey

Touring with The Cordells

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, The Cordells traveled all over northern Canada. They played music at schools and community halls. Based in Inuvik, they were known as the first rock and roll band in that town. They mostly played popular songs of the time.

Finding His Own Voice

One day in the mid-1970s, after a show, an older man asked Willie why he didn't play music that showed his Inuit background. This question made Willie think. From that moment on, he started writing his own songs. These new songs were very personal and reflected his Inuit heritage. He also began to study traditional Inuit music.

Speaking Out Through Music

After changing his style, Willie joined other famous artists like Buffy Sainte-Marie and Willie Dunn. In the mid-1970s, they all started using their music to talk about Indigenous topics and political issues.

In the early 1980s, Willie made two recordings with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Northern Service. One was a full album of his own songs called Spirit Child. The other was a live recording called Sweet Grass. He made Sweet Grass in Val-d'Or, Quebec, with other First Nations musicians like Willy Mitchell, Morley Loon, and Roger House.

Red Cedar and Important Events

Willie joined Morley Loon's group called Red Cedar in the 1980s. This band was based in Vancouver. In 1990, Willie took part in the Odeyak expedition. This was a special journey where Cree and Inuit leaders paddled from Quebec all the way to New York City. A song Willie wrote was even performed by the group in Times Square!

In 1998, Willie performed at a special event in Whitehorse. It was a revival of traditional potlatch ceremonies, which are important cultural gatherings.

Rediscovery and Touring

Willie's songs "Spirit Child," "Old Man Carver," and "We Got to Take You Higher" were featured on a 2014 music collection called Native North America, Vol. 1. Because of this collection, more people discovered Willie's music. He started touring more, playing at festivals in places like Austin, Texas and the Northwest Territories. His 1981 album Spirit Child was even re-released in October 2015. Today, Willie Thrasher lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Willie's Music Albums

• Sweet Grass Music (live), 1980, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Northern Service, with Willy Mitchell, Morley Loon, and Roger House
• Spirit Child, 1981, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Northern Service
• Asumatak – The Great Land, 2009