On Thursday, March 22, 2012, delegates of Slacker Canadian Music Week 2012 will have a rare opportunity to look behind the scenes into the life and career of a Canadian treasure and legend Burton Cummings as he speaks in an exclusive one-on-one at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto.
With a career spanning more than 40 years, Burton Cummings has cemented his place in Canadian music history as both a solo artist and as the celebrated lead singer and co-writer for The Guess Who. Through timeless classics such as “American Woman” – recently ranked the greatest Canadian single of all time in bestseller The 100 Top Canadian Singles and the first Canadian song to reach number one in the US – “These Eyes”, “Laughing”, “No Time”, “Stand Tall”, “Break it to Them Gently”, and “You Saved My Soul”, he has endeared himself to audiences worldwide to become one of the most distinctive voices in rock.
As a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame, six-time JUNO Award winner, recipient of the Order of Canada, the Order of Manitoba, the Governor-General’s Performance Arts Award, and 22 SOCAN Awards for over 1 million airplays of his songs, Cummings’ success and acclamations have been rivaled by few. He has the distinction of being the only individual to be inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame twice and with 80 platinum and gold certifications has amassed more hit records than just about any other Canadian performer in history.
His performances and collaborations with fellow The Guess Who bandmate and co-writer Randy Bachman are legendary. The two reunited in 2000 to re-launch The Guess Who and tour the act across Canada and the U.S. The union reignited the creative spark between the two and transmitted into The Bachman-Cummings band, which the two would continue well into 2009.
Cummings’ latest release – 2008’s Above the Ground – was his first solo album of new material in 18 years. Met with critical praise, it has been heralded as some of his best work ever by fans alike. A man of the times, he has embraced the world of social media and has maintained an active presence through his blog.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
