Handsome Ned
Handsome Ned was the stage name of Robin David Masyk (June 4, 1957 – January 10, 1987), a Canadian country singer and songwriter. Although he only released a small number of singles and was never widely known outside of Toronto during his lifetime, he has been credited as the catalyst for an early-1980s country music and roots rock revival in Toronto which paved the way for acts such as Blue Rodeo, Prairie Oyster, Skydiggers and Cowboy Junkies to break through to greater fame, and as one of the key figures in the transformation of the city's Queen Street West district into a cultural hotspot.
Handsome Ned | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robin David Masyk |
| Born | June 4, 1957 Zweibrücken, West Germany |
| Died | January 10, 1987 Toronto, Ontario |
| Genres | alternative country, rockabilly |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1980s |
As well, he received a posthumous Juno Award nomination for Best Male Country Vocalist at the Juno Awards of 1990 after some of his archival recordings were released in 1989 as the album The Ballad of Handsome Ned.