Facts about the Tragically Hip as the band launches farewell tour
VICTORIA — Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip begins what is being billed as its final tour after lead singer Gord Downie was diagnosed with a deadly brain cancer. Here are some facts about Downie and the band:
Current members: Gord Downie, Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay.
Inception: Downie, Sinclair, Fay and Baker have all been with the band since forming it in 1984 while in high school in Kingston, Ont. The band also originally featured a saxophone player who left two years later. Langlois joined in 1986.
Origin of band name: Members say it was taken from a line in a 1981 movie called “Elephant Parts” by Michael Nesmith, a former member of the Monkees.