Indio (music)
Encyclopedia
Indio is a Canadian singer-songwriter
whose name is Gordon Peterson. Indio released one album, 1989's Big Harvest.
.
The name Indio came to him while recording the second half of the album Big Harvest in California with Larry Klein
. One afternoon, he drove down to Mexico and the last town before he crossed the border was named Indio
. At that point Peterson decided he didn't want to use his own name on the album and decided to use Indio.
) on guitars. Larry Klein played bass. Brenda Russell, also of Hamilton, sang background vocals, as did Joni Mitchell
. Other collaborators included India
n violinist L. Subramaniam
.
Though the single "Hard Sun" got a fair amount of airplay in Canada and the U.S., Big Harvest did not sell well, and Peterson was dropped from his label and left the business. He remains a reclusive figure to this day.
Big Harvest has become a collectors item, with used copies commanding up to $400 on eBay. On January 27, 2009 Big Harvest was reissued by Pacemaker Entertainment a Canadian CD reissue label.
The album is, nowadays, often noted for its connotation towards conservation
and spirituality through nature. The singer said that his eye for nature and conservation came from working on his grandfather's tobacco
farm in Canada as a child.
's Eddie Vedder
, alleging infringement resulting from usage and alteration of "Hard Sun" without Peterson's permission, although Universal Music
, Peterson's former label, granted permission. Vedder recorded the song for the Sean Penn
-directed movie Into the Wild
.
Track Listing
covered the single "Hard Sun" for the Sean Penn
movie Into the Wild
.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
whose name is Gordon Peterson. Indio released one album, 1989's Big Harvest.
History
Peterson grew up in Dundas, OntarioDundas, Ontario
Dundas is a formerly independent town and now constituent community in the city of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. It's nickname is the Valley Town. The population has been stable for decades at about twenty thousand, largely because it has not annexed rural land from the protected Dundas Valley...
.
The name Indio came to him while recording the second half of the album Big Harvest in California with Larry Klein
Larry Klein
Larry Klein is a music producer, songwriter and bass guitar player, commonly known for being the frequent musical collaborator, and ex-husband, of Joni Mitchell....
. One afternoon, he drove down to Mexico and the last town before he crossed the border was named Indio
Indio, California
Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...
. At that point Peterson decided he didn't want to use his own name on the album and decided to use Indio.
Big Harvest
Big Harvest took two months to record. It involved several high-profile artists including Hamiltonian Bill Dillon and David Rhodes (Peter GabrielPeter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
) on guitars. Larry Klein played bass. Brenda Russell, also of Hamilton, sang background vocals, as did Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
. Other collaborators included India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n violinist L. Subramaniam
L. Subramaniam
Dr. Lakshminarayana Subramaniam is an acclaimed Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music, and renowned for his virtuoso playing techniques and compositions in orchestral fusion.-Early years:Subramaniam was born to V...
.
Though the single "Hard Sun" got a fair amount of airplay in Canada and the U.S., Big Harvest did not sell well, and Peterson was dropped from his label and left the business. He remains a reclusive figure to this day.
Big Harvest has become a collectors item, with used copies commanding up to $400 on eBay. On January 27, 2009 Big Harvest was reissued by Pacemaker Entertainment a Canadian CD reissue label.
The album is, nowadays, often noted for its connotation towards conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
and spirituality through nature. The singer said that his eye for nature and conservation came from working on his grandfather's tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
farm in Canada as a child.
Recent events
Peterson re-emerged into the public when he filed a lawsuit in December 2009 against Pearl JamPearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
's Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
, alleging infringement resulting from usage and alteration of "Hard Sun" without Peterson's permission, although Universal Music
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, Peterson's former label, granted permission. Vedder recorded the song for the Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
-directed movie Into the Wild
Into the Wild (film)
Into the Wild is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by Sean Penn. It is an adaptation of 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer based on the travels of Christopher McCandless across North America in the early 1990s. The film stars Emile Hirsch as McCandless with...
.
Discography
1989 - Big Harvest - A&M RecordsA&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
Track Listing
- "The Grinding Wheel"
- "Discovery"
- "Save for the Memory"
- "Big Harvest"
- "Hard Sun"
- "This Golden Land"
- "Season of the Lost"
- "Stories"
- "My Eyes"
- "Ship on a Sea"
- "Life Lies Down"
Covers
Eddie VedderEddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
covered the single "Hard Sun" for the Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
movie Into the Wild
Into the Wild (film)
Into the Wild is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by Sean Penn. It is an adaptation of 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer based on the travels of Christopher McCandless across North America in the early 1990s. The film stars Emile Hirsch as McCandless with...
.