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Darryl Hester Profile Page
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| www.wcymp.ca | |
| Music, Other | |
| Waskaganish | |
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About
| BIOGRAPHY: DARRYL S. HESTER
Dream big. Those words can sometimes mean so little when compared to the overwhelming obstacles that oppose young aboriginals with a musical talent. The reality is that life on the reservation can mean a complete dead end to any dream. It is a situation that Darryl S. Hester found himself in at an early age. But for this young man, “dream big” were not just empty words, they were words to live by. They were words that could change not only his life, or the life of others, but an entire community, and an entire nation. Hester, born in Moose Factory, Ontario in 1977, is a member of the Crees of the Waskaganish First Nation. Growing up in Waskaganish, a small Cree village in Northern Quebec, Hester's appreciation for music began like most musicians – at home. Instead of musical influences from recorded and established musicians, Hester was influenced by live music. His father Jim, was a member of a gospel music band that practiced often in the family basement. For certain, Hester would seat himself beside these passionate musicians and listen as they melded their instruments together to make melodious and moving music. It was this early exposure to music, and the passion from which it is birthed, that inspired Hester to make his own music. Hester soon began imploring his father to teach him. At first it was learning the simple notes of the bass guitar. He can be heard playing bass on the family's first recording. Then it progressed into learning each instrument. It was not too long that the young Hester found where he belonged – in the music. Hester had a ravenous appetite to learn more. Much of the early musical influences came from his father's gospel band, and Canada's pioneering aboriginal Innu band, Kashtin. In his teen years, Hester began listening to the likes of Bon Jovi, Metallica, Def Leppard, and Canada's Bryan Adams. Inspired by their musical influence, Hester found and formed his own musical style. When he found that others shared this passion for music, it was not long before he played a leading role in forming his first band at 16 years of age. “Chiistin” (CHEE-shtin) performed throughout much of the Cree nation of Northern Quebec and even crossed the border into Ontario's northern Cree communities. They were featured twice on the Cree Nation Youth Council's Youth Compilation Album project. For almost 6 years the band traveled every summer performing to live audiences. Since then Hester has performed solo to audiences in places such as Val d'or, Amos, and Winnipeg. When the group finally disbanded, the music inside Hester continued to cry out for release. Seeing his own community ravaged by rampant drug and alcohol abuse, by violence, and by hopelessness, Hester desired to see change. He felt he needed to do something. All he had was his music. “I was tired of people hurting each other,” says Hester. The constant abuse of drugs and alcohol were creating a “community that seemed messed up” he confesses. “I wanted to do something. I felt like I wanted to change something in my community. I wanted people to realize that they can achieve anything they really wanted to.” Moved by this, Hester began writing songs that would reach and inspire young people. “The message of hope has been in my music since the day I started writing. It keeps coming back.” Songs such as “If You Try Your Best” encourage young people to reach for their dreams in the face of adversity. The song receives constant airplay on the region's largest radio station. The real impact however, has been made by Hester's leading in the creation of the Waskaganish Cree Youth Music Program (WCYMP). The program is meant to create, educate and inspire youth in all aspects of music and to establish a foundation for life-long growth in music. Each member is expected to strive to be inspiring as well as musical and intellectual leaders in the community. The WCYMP mission is to expand the music opportunities available to all Cree youth and to enhance the quality of community life. Since the creation of the WCYMP, Hester has established a home-based studio that would give almost any professional recording studio a run for its money. The first major project of the WCYMP was for Hester to record, produce, master, and provide the print design for their first community youth album. That album, entitled “Broken”, was a direct response to a wave of suicides that hit the small Cree community. Broken was released in the summer of 2005 with 12 songs recorded by the youth of Waskaganish. The CD continues to receive much airplay across northern Ontario and Quebec. In 2008, with an updated digital recording studio, Hester embarked on creating the 2nd CD of the program. This time, all Waskaganish musicians, regardless of age, were invited to record on the CD. In the midst of the CD project, Hester also spearheaded the creation of the program's website http://www.wcymp.ca. His dedication to the site with constant updates about the progress of the second CD project kept visitors coming back for updates from all across Canada. It even garnered radio interviews from places as far away as Ottawa, Ontario. The second CD, “Rain: Songs of Hope” was released in March 2009 during a two-day concert event that Hester planned, organized and coordinated. In 2009, he was the recipient for the Music Industry Award at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards held in Hamilton, ON. Since then, he has been invited to perform through-out the Cree Nation and across Canada namely; the Vancouver Olympics at the Aboriginal Pavilion. Although still a young man, Hester's accomplishments are far-reaching and monumental. And he is not done yet. “It’s just the beginning,” he says. “I have other hopes and goals.” In fact, Hester already has plans for a new CD project – the best of the Cree Nation and his first very own full original CD album. In June 2010, he was the recipient of the ‘Music & Arts” award at the Youth Achievement Awards held by the Cree Nation Youth Council in Val-d’Or, Quebec. Despite desperate odds, Hester continues to dream big. “It feels like it’s the beginning of something bigger, something greater,” says Hester. Updated August 2010 |
Contact Info
| Darryl | |
| Hester | |
| - | |
| - | |
| P.O. Box 471, 333 Wiinibek St. | |
| J0M1R0 | |
| Québec | |
| Canada | |
| 8198952197 | |
| 8198958002 |
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