Tragically Hip, referred to as “The Hip” by fans is a rock group from Kingston, Ontario. Their name was inspired by a skit in the movie Elephant Parts, by Michael Nesmith. The group consists of Gordon Downie (vocals), Johnny Fay (drums), Robert Baker (guitar), Paul Langlois (guitar) and Gord Sinclair (bass guitarist).

At the beginning Tragically Hip was doing concerts in bars. At one of these shows in Toronto, they were discovered by the president of MCA Records, Bruce Dickinson. They signed a recording contract with MCA and released the self-titled album, The Tragically Hip, but they remained unknown until their 1989 album Up to Here. The singles
Blow at High Dough and New Orleans Is Sinking became big hits.

In 1990, The Hip won a Juno award for Most Promising Group of the Year. The following year the album Road Apples was released and Tragically Hip was named Canadian Artist of the Year by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). The singles Little Bones, Twist My Arm and Cordelia were very successful.

The third album for The Hip, Fully Completely, was released in 1992, and was very popular in the United States notably with songs such as Courage and Wheat Kings. It was directed by Hugh Padgham (Genesis, The Police). The album won many awards including six Junos and two Much Music Video Awards. 

In 1995, the group went on tour with Spirit of the West and Ziggy Marley. Their new album Day for Night was an attempt at seducing the American audience. It included the track Nautical Disaster, which was one of their greatest hits.

In 1996, Tragically Hip was signed under the label Atlantic Records for Trouble at the Henhouse. The group wanted to make themselves well-known around the world. They started another tour where they recorded another album in Detroit entitled Live Between Us.

In 1997, the album Trouble at the Henhouse, earned the Juno award for Album of the Year and North Star Rock Album of the Year. The group also won for Group of the Year.

The album Phantom Power was released in 1998, and in 1999 won for Best Rock Album of the Year. The single Bobcaygeon won for Best Single in 2000. The band was then signed under the label Sire, a division of Warner Music. The Hip was part of the Woodstock Festival in 1999, and released their ninth album Music@Work in 2000. It won a Juno for Best Rock Album in 2001.

The Tragically Hip performed at the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City in 2002. The same year they released the album In Violet Light. In 2002, they also did the soundtrack for the movie Men with Brooms, and made an appearance in the movie. In 2004, the album In Between Evolution, which was produced by Adam Kaspar (Nirvana, Pearl Jam), was released with the hope that it would penetrate the international market.

In April 2005, the Tragically Hip was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Seven months later, the group released Yer Favourites, a compilation of their greatest hits selected by fans. The same year the band had a part in the television series Corner Gas.

In October 2006, the group released the album World Container. The group did concerts in North America and Europe.