“The whole point of writing songs is to share experiences with people,” says Bruce Cockburn, looking back on a career that includes 26 albums, numerous international awards, 20 gold and platinum records, and countless performances since releasing his first solo work in 1970. As a songwriter, Cockburn is revered by fans and musicians alike. As a guitarist, he is considered among the world’s best. The New York Times calls Cockburn a “virtuoso on guitar.” In concert, all of Cockburn’s formidable gifts are always on full display. Tickets are $35 general, $35 Senior/Child and $25 HSU students. Tickets are available at the University Ticket Office and at humboldt.edu/centerarts.
Bruce Cockburn has often cited the influence of the blues on his music, especially the work of country-blues pioneers like Mississippi John Hurt. The blues tinge shines through in his performances. In the live setting Cockburn’s humor also comes across in anecdotes about panhandlers who claim to know his music and a mercenary who once offered him a summer job as a gun-runner while he was a student at Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music.
Fortunately for us, Cockburn turned down the job and stuck with music. Over 35 years, the Ottawa-born musician has recorded almost as many albums while earning respect for his charitable and activist work. “My job is to try and trap the spirit of things in the scratches of pen on paper, in the pulling of notes out of metal,” Cockburn said when he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2001. He was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada and has been the recipient of honorary degrees in Letters and Music from several North American universities, including Berklee and Toronto’s York University.
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