Lethbridge College student and up-and-coming singer/songwriter Armond Duck Chief will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday at Lethbridge College’s DA Electric Barn. All proceeds from the $10-per-person admission charge will go toward the college’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Services emergency bursaries.
Duck Chief, who is also a successful rodeo cowboy, dancer, drummer, hockey player, and father from Siksika Nation, will be performing with special guest Charles Shade.
The concert comes just a week after Duck Chief won first place at the First Annual OCL Studio’s Battle of the Bands Talent Search in Calgary that included a grand prize of $2,000 and 40 hours of studio time. At the event, which was co-sponsored by the Mount Royal University First Nations Students Association, Duck Chief competed against seven of Alberta’s finest musicians in a variety of genres showcasing “only-original material” sets.
In September, Duck Chief received the 2012 Blackfoot Arts Award in recognition for his contributions to Blackfoot identity, pride and inspiration. This award was presented by the Blackfoot Canadian Cultural Society in Lethbridge.
Duck Chief, who is enrolled in General Studies classes this fall and plans to move into the college’s Business Administration program, started singing country music 10 years ago and writing country music about four years ago. His influences include Crystal Shawanda, George Strait and Chris Ledoux. He says one of his biggest singing accomplishments was the release of his debut album, Country Groove, in November 2011 in Las Vegas during the Indian National Finals Rodeo.