Louie Goose 2, April, 2025

Louie at L&M, Edmonton, 2022. (photo courtesy David Stewart)

I have known of Louie Goose for almost my whole life but only met him maybe a handful of times at shows or festivals. I finally got to know him in the summer of 2018 when I interviewed Louie for the first time for MMS where he graciously shared epic tales of his ancestry and his youth. Louie is an example of how and why the oral tradition is still very much alive among the indigenous cultures of the north. Over decades, he has gathered and shared not only his own family story but also documented the stories of the elder’s, the traditional knowledge holders of the Inuvialuit. The fortuitous and tragic circumstances of the lives of Louie’s ancestors from 150 years ago to the present, set the stage for this iconic musician.

We didn’t have much time that warm, July day in 2018 as Louie was scheduled to play a midafternoon set at the local Folk on the Rocks festival. 2 hours into the interview, he made it to the point when he started to play music in the 1960s but we had to cut the interview short so he could perform his set.

So, I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to interview Louie once more in April of 2025. He picks up his own musical story from getting his first “bootleg” guitar at 8 years old, to forming and/or playing with the bands, The Deltanaires, The Mackenzie Delta Band and The Chordells, to his years long residencies in house bands at the Zoo in the Mackenzie Hotel and The Mad Trapper in Inuvik.

In this interview, Louie continues to bring a cultural context to his own musical life story, with all of the characters and mentors who influenced him along the way, with the oil boom and bust cycles and with the roles the church and the military played as Inuvik defined itself as a community. Louie has witnessed and played music through it all and continues to enjoy a rich and varied life as a performing musician.

As of this writing, Louie’s son, Darryl may be researching classic country and rock songs for yet another party at the long term care (LTC). The songs collected (from the old days) bring back happy memories for those who are “shut ins”. Hospital workers report a “happy” environment at the LTC days following a performance. Hello and Love to all elders!