Juno nominated Indigenous country singer Tracy Bone is releasing her third album in 2017—and she credits her passion for music to her grandmothers.
“Growing up, I had my grandmothers around me—people were always coming by, playing guitar, and playing records,” said Bone. “There was always music.”
She’s been surrounded by music all of her life and at 9-years-old the Ojibway artist took a leap of faith and chose to audition for a part at her Sunday school. She was cut early, but when one of her Sunday school teachers asked if she was chosen for the final round, she lied.
“I remember hesitating and I shook my head yes,” she said. “So, I ended up going into the piano room and I ended up getting the part.”
From that piano room, Bone has gone on to produce two albums and receive many awards, including a Juno nomination in 2009. Her last album, “Women of Red”, was released in 2012.
Bone has taken some time off since then to find herself. She spent some of that time in Pine Ridge, South Dakota with relatives to fully engage herself in her healing process.
“I’ve been writing the entire time,” she said. “I have a much better appreciation and awareness of myself. The inspiration comes from that healing of myself.”
Both of Bone’s grandmothers are residential school survivors. They were very young when they went to school. Bone helped her grandmother on her mother’s side with the application to tell her story to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Bone is grateful that her grandmother was brave enough to share her story.
“I got to thank her for her strength, her part, her role and her courage for sharing things that a lot of people may never share,” she said. “That took a lot for her to do that.”
She says her grandmothers are the strongest women she’s ever known and they’ve raised many children, including herself. But because of the impact that residential schools have had on the women, they were unable to tell their children they loved them until they were adults.
Understanding what love truly means has been a learning process for the family. But Bone’s grandmothers have given her a lot through their stories.
“What came from that was the title track off my second album, which is called ‘Women of Red’ and it’s a song about being proud of being a woman of the Red Nation,” said Bone. “We are the backbone of our families. There’s a lot that rests on our shoulders as women to keep ourselves and our families strong.”
Bone would like to show her support and encouragement to all who suffer from complex and intergenerational trauma.
“That lack of confidence and belief in yourself—that’s something that I can relate to and I write from that place,” she said. “When I write, it’s for all of us.”
Bone is currently fundraising for her third album.
You can find her music on iTunes and CDbaby.com/tracybone.
Sound Cloud: (song single link) www.soundcloud.com/user-622433/so-good-tracy-bone
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tracybone
Official Facebook Artist Page: https://facebook.com/TracyBoneSongs
www.reverbnation.com/tracybone
To support Bone, you can attend her fundraiser on Jan. 20, 2017 in Edmonton at Shakers Roadhouse—Yellowhead Inn. The fundraiser starts at 8 p.m.
