Stan Rogers

His song "Northwest Passage" is considered by many Canadians to be an "alternate national anthem".
Listen to it here.
Stan Rogers was one of Canada's great folksingers and songwriters.
He was only 33 when he died in 1983 in an airplane fire on the runway in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In less than ten years, on four albums (and six others released posthumously),
Rogers left a legacy of well-crafted songs that continue to grow in popularity and influence.

Born in Ontario in 1949, both his parents were Nova Scotians who had moved to Ontario to find work.
Growing up, many of his summers were spent with extended family in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia.
After dabbling in rock music, Rogers turned to folk in his early 20s, travelling extensively in Canada and the USA.

His song "Lies" is one of my favorites. (Listen here.)
Good Wikipedia article here.
His website here.