[Cover photo credit to Daniel Keebler]
Canadian artist Bruce Cockburn has spent more than five decades writing enduring songs, and on his recently announced album, The Blood of Others, arriving on October 16th, 2026, through Sunset Boulevard Records, he turns his attention to the songs that shaped him.
The album gathers material written by others, from the Gospel and Blues records he heard as a child in Ottawa, to the Folk clubs and coffeehouses where he first began performing.
Cockburn explains:
What began back in the eighties as a vague notion grew over time into a strong desire to put together a collection of material, written by others, that I found sticking to the edges of my musical landscape. The accumulation of these songs started in the sixties, before I’d even begun to try to create my own.
The album’s title comes from a literary source, Simone de Beauvoir’s novel of the same name, written during the Nazi occupation of France.
Cockburn adds about the novel:
Among other things it deals with personal responsibility in the face of scary oppression, and the kinds of choices people make. I have borrowed the title because it seems perfect for an album of songs I didn’t write.
The Blood of Others opens with “Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down,” a Robert Wilkins Gospel song Cockburn first encountered on an early ‘70s compilation. He also takes on “As Time Goes By,” the Herman Hupfeld song known for its role in the Casablanca film. The album also traces Cockburn’s early fascination with Jazz and Ragtime, as well as Elvis’ work.
With Cockburn’s previous studio release, O Sun O Moon, recorded in Nashville with longtime producer Colin Linden, he expressed a desire never to do the same thing twice. With his new record, he proves that philosophy extends even to the songs he didn’t write himself, each one chosen and reshaped with care.
Cockburn will bring these songs to audiences across North America on an extensive run of tour dates.
TOUR DATES:
Aug 7 — Los Angeles, CA — Ford Theatre **
Aug 26 — Iowa City, IA — Englert Theatre **
Aug 27 — Des Moines, IA — Hoyt Sherman Place **
Sep 8 — Omaha, NE — Astro Theater **
Sep 9 — Lawrence, KS — Liberty Hall **
Oct 3 — Eugene, OR — McDonald Theatre **
Oct 15 — Kitchener, ON — Centre in the Square
Oct 16 — Ottawa, ON — National Arts Centre
Oct 17 — Toronto, ON — Massey Hall
Oct 18 — Montréal, QC — Gesù Salle
Oct 20 — Plymouth, NH — Flying Monkey&
Oct 21 — Portland, ME — State Theatre&
Oct 23 — Boston, MA — Chevalier Theatre&
Oct 24 — New York, NY — Town Hall&
Oct 25 — Philadelphia, PA — Keswick Theatre&
Oct 27 — Washington, DC — Warner Theatre&
Oct 29 — Durham, NC — Fletcher Hall&
Oct 30 — Charlotte, NC — Carolina Theatre&
Nov 1 — Nashville, TN — CMA Theatre&
Nov 2 — Knoxville, TN — Bijou Theatre&
Nov 4 — Atlanta, GA — Variety Playhouse&
Nov 6 — Ponte Vedra, FL — Ponte Vedra Concert Hall&
Nov 7 — Fort Lauderdale, FL — Amaturo Theatre&
Nov 8 — Key West, FL — Key West Theatre&
** With Judy Collins
& With Livingston Taylor
