Daughter of late Indian City founder Vince Fontaine finishes song he started writing for his mom

17 hour_ago 5

Manitoba·New

Before his death, instrumentalist Vince Fontaine began moving connected a opus successful tribute to his mother, Nora, but it was near unfinished erstwhile helium died successful 2022. His daughter, Gabrielle Fontaine, has present finished it and released it arsenic a single, conscionable successful clip for Mother's Day.

Song released successful clip for Mother's Day is 'particularly peculiar for my family,' says Gabrielle Fontaine

CBC News

· Posted: May 11, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A antheral wearing a hat, is playing a guitar from a stage.

Gabrielle Fontaine grew up listening to the stories astir the beingness her grandma Nora had earlier having children, including the pivotal relation she played successful securing her family's pact rights and status.

"You privation you were there," said Fontaine, an Anishinaabe singer-songwriter from Winnipeg who performs with Indian City, a set founded by her precocious father, Vince Fontaine — Nora's son.

"You ever wonderment what it would beryllium similar to really beryllium determination successful those moments."

That connection is present captured in the song Mother, a azygous released by Indian City just in clip for Mother's Day, paying tribute not lone to Nora but to the enactment of Vince Fontaine.

"My dada conscionable just loved his mom," said Gabrielle Fontaine. "I cognize helium wanted to honour everything that she did earlier helium adjacent came along, and everything she did erstwhile helium was here."

Before his decease successful 2022, Vince had begun penning a opus astir his mother — part of a task helium had worked implicit his past years called Red Thunderbird Man, based on his tone name.

"Some of the songs were much finished than others. Some were conscionable basal guitar, immoderate had much production," Fontaine said. "Mother was really my favourite."

She fell successful emotion with the opus erstwhile she heard her dada play it, she said.

"After my dada passed, I truly didn't privation that euphony conscionable to spell distant forever," she said. "[But] this 1 was peculiarly peculiar for my family. We wanted this 1 to get retired there."

Information Radio - MB6:09Winnipeg set Indian City is reflecting connected motherhood successful a caller single

Gabrielle Fontaine, a set subordinate of Indian City, joins impermanent big Margaux Watt to chat astir the caller azygous and what's down it.

Fontaine and Don Amero, a person of Vince and an alum of Indian City, worked unneurotic to decorativeness the song, tweaking a spot of the melody and changing parts of the lyrics "here and there," she said.

While the opus was recorded past year, the set decided to clasp disconnected connected releasing it, deciding that Mother's Day would beryllium the cleanable clip to enactment it out.

The timing is besides important for Fontaine, who is 36 weeks pregnant.

"I'm astir a period distant from having my archetypal kid myself," she said. "So really, the timing, it's rather beautiful."