Sweet Grass Records and others like it make space for Indigenous artists and their traditions
Ted Whitecalf started Saskatoon-based Sweet Grass Records in 1993 with the goal of better showcasing Indigenous musicians and traditional music.Whitecalf, who is Cree from Sweetgrass First Nation , grew up listening to and appreciating traditional Indigenous music, but it was difficult to find in any format. He wanted to give the genre the high-quality production and recordings it deserved, accompanied by packaging and promotion.
Within a year of opening, Sweet Grass Records got its big break when its recording of the Stony Park Singer’s Stony Park album was nominated for a Juno in what was then called the Best Music of Aboriginal Canada category. That nomination connected Whitecalf to EMI Records, a label Sweet Grass now has a partnership with, and since then its artists have gone on to collaborate with the likes of Barenaked Ladies and Nelly Furtado.
“This means looking for a recording studio, and looking after hotels and expenses,” he explains. “I paid for studio time and engineers, for the printing of the cassette or CD, and then making sure the group got paid through sales or given production to sell themselves.” “I didn’t want to abuse it in any way, and Indigenous groups use sweetgrass spiritually to smudge and everything else,” he explains. Smudging, smoking tobacco and other cultural practices are also respected at Sweet Grass.
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