Owen Riegling Celebrates The Tragically Hip's 40th Anniversary With "Bobcaygeon" Cover

One of Canada's best-loved bands is turning 40, and rising country star Owen Riegling is celebrating with a new tribute.

The Mildmay, Ontario singer has released a cover via Amazon Music of The Tragically Hip's "Bobcaygeon," celebrating the band's 40th anniversary.

Riegling, who was named an Amazon Music Breakthrough Artist To Watch for 2024, got his start playing covers in small town Ontario bars, and "Bobcaygeon" was one of his favourites to perform. The cottage campfire classic is one of The Hip's most famous, coming from their 1999 album Phantom Power.

Alongside the song, which is exclusively available on Amazon Music, Riegling has released a behind-the-scenes video of the recording process, where Riegling also describes his own songwriting process and what he loves about The Tragically Hip.

"I just try to write songs that are honest and true to my experiences growing up, and I think that is exactly what Gord [Downie, the late lead singer of The Tragically Hip] was doing as well, writing what he knows, and a lot of that is small town Canada, small town Ontario," Riegling says. "That's where the majority of the hardest working people in this country come from."

"Bobcaygeon" is named after the 3,500-person town of the same name, and sung from the perspective of a police officer falling in love, dreaming of quitting his job and reflecting on a white supremacist riot.

Riegling, who earlier this summer undertook a tour of Canadian small towns, will perform the cover live next week at Cavendish Festival in Prince Edward Island.

The Tragically Hip, meanwhile, have been celebrating their 40th anniversary in style this year as Record Store Day Canada ambassadors, releasing a live album of original recordings from 1993 as well as an upcoming deluxe edition of their breakthrough album, Up To Here.

Riegling's "Bobcaygeon" is available to listen on Amazon Music.