He's been called both the Elvis Presley and the Bob Dylan of the Inuit and was the first Inuk musician ever to record in a commercial studio, in the early '70s. He had such a bad cold at the time that the vocals came out severely strained and nasal-sounding, but this didn't bother the producers who assumed this was the way Inuit music was supposed to sound. The public's understanding of Inuit music may never climb above that level. Although there has been some exposure to the "throat-singing" style, many still assume Inuit music must be like that of any other native American tribe, with a group of people gathered around a drum, playing and singing. In reality, many native Americans have always had an affinity for country & western, and Panigoniak is proof it isn't too cold for country up where he comes from.
Panigoniak was brought up in the vast, desolate stretches of the Northwest Territories.
Buy CD
© 2008