Norbert Poitras shares music from his favourite Indigenous artists

Norbert Poitras knew when he was a young guy growing up in Fort Chipewyan, Alta., that music was always going to be a part of his life.

"I go way back listening to the old drummers at the tea dances that my mom and grandma used to attend, sometimes late at night or until early morning," he said. "I learned to play guitar from my uncles, Gordon and Lawrence Whitehead."

Those early lessons stuck with Poitras and he became a musician, and even harboured some pretty big dreams.

"At one point in my teens I had a vision of going to Nashville and playing with some of the greats," he said. "I wanted to play bass, especially for Merle Haggard, my idol."

This edition of Music That Matters coincided with National Indigenous People's Day, so Poitras decided to focus on Indigenous artists, and for his first pick he chose Buffy Sainte-Marie and I'm Going To Be A Country Girl Again.

"Buffy Sainte-Marie, when she was 70 years old, I saw here at Folk On The Rocks in Yellowknife and she just blew me away," he said. "I saw her again at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Ottawa. When I'm 70, man, I want to be singing like that."

Poitras said Indigenous people have always faced a lot of challenges in Canada, things that have been very difficult to overcome, but he said they've never lost their sense of humour.

"We have to continue to live, regardless of who we live with, " he said. "One man that comes to mind when I think about having music in his life, but also having a really keen sense of humour is Winston Wuttnee. One of my favourite songs I've ever heard heard is his Goosed By A Moose, and I still love that song."

Poitras used to be the host of Trail's End on CBC Radio in Yellowknife and once interviewed Lawrence Martin when he was running a polar bear sanctuary.

"He came out with a song called Like A Real Bad Dream and I think that is a perfect song to be playing today."

(Unfortunately, we couldn't find a YouTube link for that song, but here's a great song from Martin called Ashai).

Jerry Alfred and The Medicine Beat's Grandfather Song was Poitras' fourth pick.

"I used to play that song at least once a month, if not twice a month, on the radio" he said. "I've had the chance to perform alongside him on a couple of occasions, and what a sweet man he is."

Poitras' final selection was from Cree singer Art Napoleon, and his song Bannock Love.

"When my wife and I were living in Victoria I had a chance to hang out with Art a lot," he said. "We played a few gigs, and sometimes there were no gigs and we'd just jam. He's a really, really funny man."