Bebe Buckskin – Blues artist, Cowgirl, and Prairie Soul
You may have walked into the Blues Can or Ironwood and wondered at the powerful vocalist on stage, only to find out that she’s a local gem who now calls Calgary home. Bebe Buckskin, known off stage as Danielle Ghostkeeper, has set herself apart with her gritty and soulful performances, evoking such Canadian legends as Alanis Morissette. Though we were forced to cancel her in-person concert, you’ll still have an opportunity to hear her perform. For the latest updates, follow our social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Born and raised in Paddle Prairie, a 9.5 hour drive North of Calgary, Danielle was born into a musical family who instilled a love for the artform in her from an early age.
“My first performance was at the age of three, that was my first gig,” says Danielle. “My mom backed me up, playing guitar. I remember that moment so vividly. Even at that age, I knew this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and it just evolved from there.”
Into her early teens, Danielle left music behind for a time, throwing herself into her other passion – barrel racing. While her mother and grandfather both played and performed music, her father and uncles were bull riders.
“I started barrel racing when I was eleven,” says Danielle. “I really do miss barrel racing and riding horses, I really do, but I knew that music took the cake. I had to hunker down and focus on that instead. Also, it wasn’t as if I could bring my horse to Calgary and just put it in my backyard.”
The Road to Muscle Shoals
In late 2013, Danielle had an experience that would shift the course of her music career. On a whim, she watched the Netflix movie Muscle Shoals a documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
“Watching the documentary, I came to realize that most of my musical idols and some of my favourite songs were recorded in Muscle Shoals. It just hit me like a tonne of bricks,” says Danielle. Just like that her plans shifted, and within the next nine months she was on her way to Muscle Shoals.
“I recorded a single there and completely fell in love with the energy, the vibe, the people. It does have a magical quality to it. From there I was just hooked,” says Danielle. “I knew that one way or another I would return and record a full-length album, I just didn’t know how to go about it. I knew it was going to happen. I was going to make it happen.”
From there Danielle applied for a Canada Council Grant - Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples which supports Canadian Indigenous artists. It took her three tries over the next three years until in 2018 she was awarded the funding she needed to record at the legendary FAME Studios. Wasting no time, she flew to Muscle Shoals in February of 2019 to embark on her dream.
An Intertribal Collaboration
“I had the idea of an intertribal collaboration shortly before I applied to the grant. I wanted to collaborate with an Indigenous tribe from the area surrounding Muscle Shoals, Alabama,” says Danielle. “I reached out to several nations surrounding Muscle Shoals and I found the Medicine Tail Singers, and was just blown away. Right away they were excited, they were all on board. We got along like a house on fire.”
Combining genres is no easy feat, and combining Indigenous music traditions with blues and soul may seem like an even more daunting pair. But for Danielle, it came together naturally, with everyone on the same page from day one.
“I’m excited for everyone to hear it. It took me by surprise just how fast it all came together, and how natural and organic the whole process was of collaborating with them,” says Danielle. “We weren’t really planning on infusing soul and R&B into the record, but it just happened. It’s so strange. We consider ourselves more rockers, but as soon as we recorded the songs out there, the songs just had this super vibey, R&B, soulful energy woven through. I think that speaks to the energy of the place, and what the Muscle Shoals sound is.”
You can listen to the first track release from that album here.
Coming away from the experience, Danielle wouldn’t trade it for the world. Not only did she stand in the same place as her musical heroes, she added to the already storied legacy of Muscle Shoals with her intertribal work. That accomplishment also allowed her to begin to heal her own personal trauma through a celebration of music.
“It was pretty surreal, cathartic. I had to pinch myself several times to make sure I wasn’t in a dream. ” says Danielle.
“I recently lost my husband, a year and half ago. This record is in honour of him, and in honour of his memory. Some of the songs on the record are songs that he and I wrote together. Some are songs I wrote about him, about my grief,” says Danielle.
“It was pretty surreal, cathartic. I had to pinch myself several times to make sure I wasn’t in a dream. ”
For the latest updates on how you will be able to hear Bebe Buckskin perform, follow our social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or check artscommons.ca for updates! Special thanks to PCL Construction of their support of Arts Commons Presents PCL Blues.
