The Tragically Hip gets a street named after them in Kingston, Ontario

Grace Stanisci

The Tragically Hip can now officially be "Ahead By A Century."

The Canadian rockers will soon be immortalized in their hometown of Kingston, Ont., after a portion of a street in front of the K-Rock centre is renamed "Tragically Hip Way" in their honour.

The decision to rename one of the city's most notable military streets, Barrack St., wasn't an easy one and split the Kingston City councillors down to a 7-6 vote.

Councillor Kevin George was in favour of renaming the street as a tribute to the band, recognizing the major impact they have had on the Canadian music scene, especially in Kingston. "The concerts they've put on here locally, they haven't taken a penny for anything that they've done,'' George said during an interview with Postmedia News. "Everything that they've raised has gone right back into the community, and in some cases, it has gone back into helping families with the military base.''

In order to honour The Hip and keep the military heritage of the street intact, the council also voted that a bronze plaque be installed on the facade of the K-Rock Centre as a memorial.

Upon hearing the news that a street would be renamed after the band, bassist Gord Sinclair told CBC News, "We are humbled and flattered by the efforts of those who undertook this initiative and those who supported it throughout this process."

In addition to renaming the street, the city of Kingston also voted to create a Walk of Fame to honour the band and future Kingstonian celebrities. Sinclair is grateful for this tribute and also told the CBC, "It is our hope that the creation of the Tragically Hip Way and a Walk of Fame celebrating our fellow Kingstonians will serve to strengthen and unify our community in the years to come. We would like to thank the mayor and council for this recognition and offer our sincere hope that any divisiveness this issue may have caused will not impede the progress of the city's business."

The Tragically Hip have certainly made their mark on Canadian music and have a total of 14 Juno Awards, a spot on Canada's Walk of Fame and were inducted to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2005.


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