Bruce Cockburn (pronounced "co-burn") (born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer/songwriter. He has recorded over 25 albums, and written songs ranging from folk music to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.
Cockburn was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and attended Broadview and Nepean High School. Cockburn's career began in the late 1960s in a band called "The Children". In 1967 he made his first solo appearance at the Mariposa Folk Festival, and in 1970 released his first self-titled solo album. Cockburn's phenomenal guitar work and songwriting skills won him a devoted following. Early in his career, he became a devout Christian; many of his albums from the 1970s show evidence of his religious beliefs.
Although Cockburn had been popular in Canada for years, he didn't make a splash in the USA until 1979, with the release of Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws. "Wondering Where The Lions Are", the first single from that album, became a minor hit in the US, landing Cockburn on NBC's hit TV show, Saturday Night Live.
Increasingly, through the 1980s, Cockburn's songwriting became more politicized, and he became heavily involved with socialist and other left-wing activist causes. Cockburn's second radio hit came in 1984 with the release of his Stealing Fire album and the song "If I Had A Rocket Launcher", written a year earlier after Cockburn had visited Guatemalan refugee camps in Mexico that were attacked before and after his visit by Guatemalan military helicopters. His political activism continues to the present: Cockburn has travelled to many countries, played benefits, and written many songs on a variety of political subjects ranging from the International Monetary Fund to landmines.
