Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts (born in Montreal, Quebec) is a rock musician, whose 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition, became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history.
Roberts formed the band William in 1993. The band's name was changed to Northstar in 1996. Although the band gained some notice in independent rock circles, they couldn't break through to a national audience, and broke up in the late 1990s. Roberts' bandmate George Donoso went on to significant success in indie rock circles with The Dears, but Roberts struggled for several years afterward.
In 2001, Roberts recorded and released a six-song EP, The Inhuman Condition, on MapleMusic Recordings. The EP sold slowly at first, but by the summer of 2002, Roberts was all over the Canadian airwaves: his first single "Brother Down" had become one of the biggest Canadian hits of the year, and the followup single "Don't Walk Away Eileen" quickly followed suit.
Roberts then signed to Universal Music, releasing his full-length debut, We Were Born in a Flame, in 2003. That album's singles, "Where Have All the Good People Gone?" and "Hard Road", became major hits, confirming Roberts' place as a rock icon.