B. J. Snowden

B. J. Snowden is an American songwriter and musician[1] who sings and plays synthesizers.[2] She has become a cult figure in Canada for her many songs about the country, including titles covering every Canadian province, and has been featured on CBC Radio One's show As It Happens.[1] In addition to her songs about Canada, she covers diverse subjects, including Judge Joe Brown and Daisuke Matsuzaka.[3]

BJ Snowden
Background information
BornBillerica, Massachusetts, USA
OriginMassachusetts, USA
GenresOutsider music
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, teacher

Her ancestors were the first black family to purchase land in Billerica, Massachusetts, where she grew up; she graduated from Billerica Memorial High School, and later Berklee College of Music[4] class of 1973.[5] Snowden has taught music in Philadelphia, Boston, and Somerville,[4] though she has been unemployed since before 2003.[6]

Snowden's work has been referred to as outsider music.[2] The Boston Globe has compared her to Yoko Ono and Lene Lovich.[7] She is described by Irwin Chusid in Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music as having "a teddy-bearish innocence that goes over well with youngsters";[2] while she was initially unhappy about the "outsider music" label and coverage by Chusid, she changed her mind after subsequent mainstream press coverage.[6] Les Inrockuptibles notes that she is one of the "famous stars of outsider music".[8]

Her album Life in the USA and Canada, which debuted in the fall of 1996, was reviewed by David Grad in the New York Press.[2] Her fans include Fred Schneider of the B-52's, who also produced two Christmas songs for her.[2]

Snowden has performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live's Future Talent Showcase.[9][3] She has also performed with Leslie and the Ly's, and on The Daily Show.[10] She was profiled on the BBC in April 2003.[11] Snowden has also performed at the Outsider Music Festival.[12]

References
  1. staff (July 27, 2015). "B.J. Snowden: Meet the American musician who can't stop singing about Canada". CBC News. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  2. Chusid, Irwin (2000). Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-372-4. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  3. Mullen, Elizabeth (4 February 2009). "'In Canada' BJ would be queen". Suffolk Journal. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  4. Sobey, Rick (11 February 2018). "A black family's pride strong as roots are long". The Lowell Sun. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  5. staff. "B.J. Snowden". berklee.com. Berklee College of Music.
  6. Guzman, Isaac (24 January 2003). "Zeal's for real at do-it-yourselfer fest". New York Daily News. p. 58.
  7. staff (21 April 2005). "Musical Residency". The Boston Globe. p. 53.
  8. Burgel, Thomas (4 November 2013). ""Outsider music": le vrai punk, c'est ça". LesInrockuptibles (in French).
  9. staff (7 July 2005). "Getting National Airtime". The Boston Globe. p. 9.
  10. staff (5 February 2008). "Two of a Kind". The Boston Globe. p. 3.
  11. Brown, Diana (4 May 2003). "Big Leagues". The Boston Globe. p. 9.
  12. staff (6 November 2009). "Music". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 46.
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