The Cree Nation Youth Council has a lot of firsts.
For example they were the first to have Elders as part of their council as well as hosting the First Indigenous Youth Conference. Now they’re doing it again; the first James Bay Cree Youth Compilation Album is out!
Nine artists from four communities bring you fifteen songs guaranteed to make you proud. The James Bay has always had great musicians and it’s nice to know that will continue. The talent that you will hear is by no means raw. It is a finely tuned exposition of dedication, achievement and persistence that made all this possible.
It all started back in the turbulent years of ’89 or ’90 that Bertie Wapachee and Lloyd Cheechoo got together to do a demo. Then Bertie had a dream… an album of all the Cree he had listened to, at that time to bring all those musicians together… the late Morley Loon, Rodger House to name a couple of the Cree that inspired that dream. But he didn’t have the resources to carry out such a project.
Four years later he presented the idea to the Cree Nation Youth Council in 1995. By this time the idea was taken over by the Nemaska Youth Council and the Nemaska First Nation Youth Department. Bertie’s idea was contagious and people built on it. Too many to name says Bertie but he adds, “Buy the album, we thank everyone on it.”
The album encompasses many forms but all of them dynamic parts of Cree life. The songs will bring back memories, both of songs played around the community and a few of them are cover songs for the jaded.
Not that there’s anything wrong with being jaded but treat yourself to something new, something Cree and something you can be proud of… Buy the James Bay Cree Youth Compilation Album today.
Available at fine stores in the communities, in Chibougamau at Musicom and Val d’Or at Polyson.
