Carole Pope
Carole Pope is a provocative Canadian rock icon and LGBTQ trailblazer, known for her boundary-pushing performances with Rough Trade and influential solo work.
Pope met her longtime musical partner Kevan Staples at a band audition in Scarborough. In 1968, they began performing together as a duo in Yorkville, which was Toronto’s live music and arts district at the time. In 1970, they adopted the name O, changing it to The Bullwhip Brothers the following year.
In 1975, Pope and Staples recruited several backup musicians and formed the band Rough Trade. Pope often performed in black leather pants and bondage attire. The band’s first album, Rough Trade Live, was produced by Jack Richardson. Rough Trade released their first studio album, Avoid Freud, and in 1980, also made an appearance in the Canadian horror film, Deadline. They would win a Genie Award and four gold and two platinum records as the decade progressed.
Although the band did not record or perform extensively after its final Deep Six in ‘86 tour, they did not officially break up until Since breaking up, the band has had numerous reunions, and in 2022, Rough Trade – The Musical, a musical based on the band’s music (and the life of Pope’s late brother, Howard).
In 2000, Random House published Pope’s autobiography, Anti Diva. The book included Pope’s first public acknowledgement that she had been in a relationship with British singer Dusty Springfield in the early 1980s. That year she and Staples contributed a track to the Dusty Springfield tribute album Forever Dusty: Homage to an Icon.
Pope is an agent provocateur pushing the boundaries of sexuality, sexual politics, and the status quo. Her work has been recognized with three Juno Awards, multiple independent music awards, a Genie Award. 4 gold, 1 platinum and 1 double platinum album. Her latest single, Speaking In Code, with Clara Venice is available everywhere. Her latest EP Music for Lesbians explores the funny tragic things about being a lesbian.
Rough Trade was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and the Canadian Music Week Indy Hall of Fame in 2007.