An interview with Donny Parenteau: First Peoples Creating

nistam athisthiniwak osihchikīwiniwāwa First Peoples Creating In this interview series, we speak with Indigenous artists and industry folks from around Saskatchewan about their music, inspiration and more. Donny Parenteau is a proud Métis country music artist born and raised in Prince Albert SK. Donny spent twelve years touring the world with U.S. singer Neal McCoy; recording on multi-platinum selling albums & playing on numerous shows, including performances on The Grand Ole Opry & The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Alongside McCoy, Donny has shared the stage with country music icons such as; Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard, Tim McGraw, Shania Twain, and Reba McEntire to name a few. Since starting his solo career, Donny has garnered over one hundred award nominations, including three JUNO nominations. Donny continues to perform, teach at his Donny Parenteau School of Music, and speak his message of inspiration and “Bully Free Zone” tours at schools across Western Canada. http://www.donnyparenteaumusic.com About the host: LJ Tyson is a Folk-Pop artist from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. LJ Tyson is of Cree/Metis heritage and identifies as bisexual. Identity has become a major part of his artistry and sound. LJ uses his music to connect with diverse audiences and bridge the gaps that disconnect us. The raspy uniqueness of LJ’s voice and the blend of Folk-pop he produces make him a must-hear for music lovers. nistam athisthiniwak osihchikīwiniwāwa We are grateful to Knowledge-Keeper and educator Eleanor Hegland from Lac La Ronge for suggesting words from the Cree language with which to describe our artistic focus for this series. nistam athisthiniwak osihchikīwiniwāwa (First Peoples Creating) will showcase creators from many styles of music. We recognize there are many distinct and beautiful Indigenous languages spoken in Canada, many of which are endangered. "The Cree language has the largest speaker population of all of Canada’s First Nations languages with an estimated 75,000 speakers, including dialect groups ranging from Quebec to northeastern British Columbia and into the Northwest Territories. Approximately 20,000 of these speakers live in Saskatchewan, where Cree ranks second only to English as the most commonly spoken language of the home - Cree bands making up over half of the province’s seventy-four First Nations." - Indigenous Saskatchewan Encyclopedia Our graphics for this series have been created by Gabrielle Giroux, Encore Graphics. This series is made possible in part through the financial support of FACTOR Canada (the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings), the Government of Canada, and Canada's private radio broadcasters.