Dene country musician Harry Rusk remembered for 'paving a path' for other Indigenous musicians

Stephanie Cram · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 21, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

From surviving connected a trapline, to being regarded arsenic the archetypal Dene instrumentalist to execute astatine the Grand Ole Opry, Harry Rusk is remembered arsenic an important fig successful Canadian state music.  

Rusk died successful March astatine property 87 astatine his Rainbow Ranch successful Carrot Creek, Alta., eastbound of Edson. 

The instrumentalist grew up successful Kahntah, a tiny reserve successful bluish B.C., and his aboriginal years were marked with household calamity and illness. By the property of six, helium had already mislaid his member and begetter to tuberculosis. 

"The summertime my dada died successful 1944, it was a precise lonely clip for my parent and I," Rusk told CBC successful an interrogation in 1994. 

That aforesaid unwellness would onslaught Rusk astatine property 12, but from it came a accidental brushwood with a Canadian state prima that would alteration the people of his life. 

"Hank Snow came to sojourn america patients astatine the Charles Camsell hospital, wherever I was confined for 4 years with tuberculosis, mode backmost [on] June 13, 1952, and that truly inspired me," Rusk told CBC. 

Rusk's parent bought him his archetypal guitar with wealth she made from selling moccasins, and helium taught himself however to play by listening to Snow records. 

By 1965, Rusk would determination to Edmonton, and his vocation took off.

He appeared connected TV on Don Messer's Jubilee, a Canadian people philharmonic assortment amusement broadcast from Halifax. Snow watched Rusk's performance.

"Hank phoned maine and said, 'Come to Nashville, I got you connected the Grand Ole Opry,'" Rusk remembered.  

LISTEN | The archetypal Indigenous creator performing connected the Grand Ole Opry: 

In 1972, Rusk became the archetypal Dene idiosyncratic to execute connected the historical Grand Ole Opry signifier successful Nashville, Tenn. 

Rusk was ever a spiritual person, and it was done his religion that helium met his woman Gladys. 

In a caller interview, Gladys recalled meeting Rusk astatine a religion successful Edmonton successful 1981, wherever she was asked to perform. 

"I came successful that evening, and … this feline was connected the guitar, I didn't cognize who helium was, but it was Harry Rusk," Gladys said.

"I said to [the band], 'I'm singing tonight, it's successful the cardinal of C, conscionable deed the cardinal and I'll travel you." 

Gladys said, years later, her hubby would say, "Boy, we definite came a agelong mode from the cardinal of C." 

Despite not initially being funny successful state music, Gladys says she learned to emotion it, and remembers going to spot Snow execute successful Edmonton. 

"I retrieve Hank Snow saying, 'My person Harry Rusk is successful the beforehand row. Harry, don't perceive excessively carefully, you mightiness perceive a mistake from me,'" said Gladys. 

"After we'd seen Hank and his radical successful Edmonton, we decided to spell to Nashville successful … February '91, and we recorded with Hank Snow's band." 

LISTEN | From the trapline to the Grand Ole Opry: 

She and Rusk went connected to grounds respective albums and circuit astir the world.

In 2014, helium played guitar connected the opus 'Harry Rusk Plays Guitar' with Hank Snow's Rainbow Ranch Boys. 

Influential Indigenous voice 

Harry Rusk mightiness not beryllium a household name, but Gladys said helium "paved a road" for different Indigenous musicians. 

David McLeod, CEO of NCI FM, a vigor web successful Manitoba, collects records by Indigenous artists. Years ago, helium came crossed Rusk's albums. 

"He had similar six songs connected the charts, successful the Top 20 … and a batch of radical don't cognize his name. And, successful presumption of being an Indigenous artist, he's a groundbreaking artist," said McLeod, who is from Pine Creek First Nation, successful cardinal Manitoba. 

Weeks earlier Rusk died, McLeod visited him astatine his Rainbow Ranch. 

"He talked astir the bully old days and being successful Nashville … gathering the musicians, and sitting successful the precocious nighttime java shops, having those discussions of beingness connected the road, the challenges, the obstacles, the creativity astir making music," said McLeod. 

"Harry's eyes sparkled erstwhile helium talked astir that, and helium carried that vigor close until the end." 

Rusk mightiness person been the first, but helium wasn't the past Indigenous state instrumentalist to execute successful Nashville. 

In 2023, Manitoba instrumentalist William Prince, from Peguis First Nation, performed astatine the Grand Ole Opry. Before heading to Tennessee, McLeod chatted with Prince.

"It was a beauteous infinitesimal due to the fact that helium recognized Harry Rusk having opened the doors for artists similar himself," said McLeod. 

"That's the quality of the Indigenous community … it's astir making country for recognizing those before, and making country and abstraction for those after." 

Rusk's vocation is being recognized astatine the National Music Centre successful Calgary, arsenic portion of the Speak Up! exhibit celebrating Indigenous musicians.