It's a retrospective that goes beyond CanCon and honours some of the best artists who made it big in the Great White North. It's called "Retro - Popular Music In Canada From The 60s, 70s, and 80s."

If you're already in the Nation's Capital region, you can see it now. But if you're planning a trip within Canada this summer, this could be one reason to head to Ottawa. The show is taking place at the Canadian Museum of History there and opened on Friday. 

So what's on display? From their press release:

"It features more than 160 objects, more than 100 song clips, a rich variety of photographs, 8 interactive elements, and nearly 40 audiovisual components, including multimedia productions.

Iconic objects include Robbie Robertson’s Gibson guitar, Céline Dion’s Eurovision outfit, Randy Bachman’s handmade guitar, Geddy Lee’s Rickenbacker doubleneck guitar, and the wedding dress worn by k.d. lang at the 1985 JUNO Awards.

Visitors will also discover handwritten lyrics by Bruce Cockburn, a typewriter used by Leonard Cohen in the 1980s, a drumskin hand-painted by the Cowboy Junkies, and a self-portrait by Joni Mitchell. Striking visuals, photographs, memorabilia, and a few surprises — such as notepaper from John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-In for Peace — complement stories of artistry and collaboration.

More than 100 influential artists are featured, including Neil Young, Robert Charlebois, Harmonium, BTO, Rush, and Daniel Lanois.

I just hope it also includes the playing of the actual music!

It runs until January 18, of 2026. 

Read more here.