Daughter of late Indian City founder Vince Fontaine finishes song he started writing for his mom
CBC News | Posted: May 11, 2025 11:00 AM | Last Updated: May 11
Song released in time for Mother's Day is 'particularly special for my family,' says Gabrielle Fontaine
Gabrielle Fontaine grew up listening to the stories about the life her grandmother Nora had before having children, including the pivotal role she played in securing her family's treaty rights and status.
"You wish you were there," said Fontaine, an Anishinaabe singer-songwriter from Winnipeg who performs with Indian City, a band founded by her late father, Vince Fontaine — Nora's son.
"You always wonder what it would be like to actually be there in those moments."
That message is now captured in the song Mother, a single released by Indian City just in time for Mother's Day, paying tribute not only to Nora but to the work of Vince Fontaine.
"My dad just just loved his mom," said Gabrielle Fontaine. "I know he wanted to honour everything that she did before he even came along, and everything she did when he was here."
Before his death in 2022, Vince had begun writing a song about his mother — part of a project he had worked over his last years called Red Thunderbird Man, based on his spirit name.
"Some of the songs were more finished than others. Some were just basic guitar, some had more production," Fontaine said. "Mother was actually my favourite."
She fell in love with the song when she heard her dad play it, she said.
"After my dad passed, I really didn't want that music just to go away forever," she said. "[But] this one was particularly special for my family. We wanted this one to get out there."
Fontaine and Don Amero, a friend of Vince and an alum of Indian City, worked together to finish the song, tweaking a bit of the melody and changing parts of the lyrics "here and there," she said.
While the song was recorded last year, the band decided to hold off on releasing it, deciding that Mother's Day would be the perfect time to put it out.
The timing is also significant for Fontaine, who is 36 weeks pregnant.
"I'm about a month away from having my first child myself," she said. "So really, the timing, it's quite beautiful."