The Tragically Hip consists of Bobby Baker (lead guitar), Gordon Downie (lead vocals), Gordon Sinclair (bass, backing vocals), Johnny Fay (drums), Paul Langlois (rhythm guitar, backing vocals).
The Tragically Hip are a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie (lead vocals), Paul Langlois (guitar), Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass) and Johnny Fay (drums). The band is highly popular and influential in Canada and in 2005 was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
The Tragically Hip — often referred to simply as The Hip — formed in 1983. They took their name from a skit in the movie Elephant Parts by Michael Nesmith of The Monkees.
They were signed by MCA in 1987 when Bruce Dickinson saw them perform live at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Ontario. Later that year they released the EP The Tragically Hip, though they were largely unrecognized until 1989's Up To Here. Up To Here established them as one of the best and most influential bands in Canada. In 1992, they created the Another Roadside Attraction festival, which tours Canada to promote small, unknown bands.
The band is immensely popular in Canada. They have never found great success in the United States, but have never specifically sought it. When touring in Canada they typically play to sold-out arenas; when touring in the United States they will play smaller venues and clubs. Performances abroad are usually attended by Canadian expatriates. The band permit recordings of their performances, so an active trading community thrives. The tone and content of much of their music is a paean to the Canadian experience and touches on such themes as small-town life, geography, and hockey.
However, a live album, Live Between Us, was recorded in Detroit, Michigan in 1996, and they have a small following mostly along the border in Michigan and New York. In 1996, the Hip also released a new record, Trouble at the Henhouse. In 1998, they released Phantom Power, and performed at Woodstock 1999.