Curtis Jonnie

Curtis Jonnie was born on October 26, 1946 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

He returned to Winnipeg in 1973. Inspired by the contemporaneous American Indian Movement, he began performing as a singer-songwriter, adopting his great-grandfather's name "Shingoose." His first recording, Native Country in 1975, featured contributions from Bruce Cockburn. He toured extensively across Canada, performing shows in clubs and university campuses and on the folk festival circuit.

Recording under the name "Shingoose" he released the albums Native Country (1975), Ballad Of Norval (1979), Natural Tan (1989), T-Bird In The Lake (2007).

With Don Marks he co-founded Native Multimedia Productions, a television production company which created the First Nations current affairs program Full Circle, later re-titled First Nations Magazine, for CKND-TV, and the 1989 television special Indian Time for CTV which was distributed internationally by Caridi Entertainment. He was the host of the former program, and was one of the performers in the latter which was hosted by Max Gail and Buffy Sainte Marie. He was also a correspondent on First Nations issues for CTV's Canada AM.

In 1991, he hosted a three-part documentary series for CBC Radio on First Nations music. He has also worked in aboriginal programming and policy development for TVOntario, and as director of education for the Canada Arts Foundation.

He served as chair of the Juno Awards committee administering the Juno Award for Aboriginal Album of the Year, and raised funds for an aboriginal cultural center in Winnipeg. His song "Treaty Rights" was adopted as an anthem of the 2007 Aboriginal Day of Action.

In 2012, he suffered a stroke which left him with partial paralysis. His producing partner Don Marks organized a fund raising concert to assist him with medical and living expenses, which featured Eagle & Hawk, Ray St. Germain, Mark Nabess, Dustin Harder, Jesse Green and Don Amero.