Vince Fontaine Tribute
Written by daybreak on January 14, 2022
Vince Fontaine, Sagkeeng First Nation (Anishinaabe), walked on to serenade the ancestors on January 11, 2022. Vince was the former frontman
of folk-rock group Indian City and co-founder of Eagle & Hawk. He suffered heart attack.
Eagle & Hawk has received 75 nominations and over 30 wins at awards ceremonies across North America, including a Juno Award, two Western Canadian Music Awards, nine Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, three Native American Music Awards, seven Indian Summer Music Awards, and 10 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards including 2008 Aboriginal Entertainer of the Year and 2009 Best Group and Best Rock Album. In 2010, Eagle & Hawk won Best Group of the Year and Best Album of the Year for their renowned album The Great Unknown at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards.
“He picked up the torch from the original Indigenous acts in this city, like Shingoose and C-Weed and Billy Joe Green,” Jay Bodner, his bandmate of 25 years, said. “He really, really worked in his butt off to move the dial and pushing Indigenous music into the mainstream.”
Fontaine’s passion for Indigenous culture is apparent in his songwriting, which is full of Indigenous story telling, spirituality, and symbology. He was able to meld native ideals into modern urban stories.
Fontaine directed the documentary Eagle & Hawk Take the Stage in 2020:
