On Sunday, April 12th at Bob Childers Gypsy Cafe, Cody Canada will be honored with the Restless Spirit Award for his contributions to Red Dirt music spanning more than three decades. Canada’s career began in Stillwater as a founding member of Cross Canadian Ragweed in 1994. Inspired by mentors like Bob Childers and The Great Divide, Canada helped define the red dirt genre as a misfit blend of rock, country, and blues that refused to fit the Nashville mold. Ragweed’s success in the late 90s and 2000s helped propel the Oklahoma scene into Texas and beyond, paving the way for artists like Turnpike Troubadours. After Cross Canadian Ragweed broke up in 2010, Canada continued to be a major figure in the scene, forming Cody Canada & The Departed in 2011. Canada performed solo at the inaugural Gypsy Café in 2011, the event that launched Red Dirt Relief Fund, and for many years since.
Fueled by the reunion of Cross Canadian Ragweed in 2025 and the efforts of Shannon and Cody Canada, four Boys from Oklahoma concerts held at Boone Pickens Stadium in April 2025 drew 200,000 music fans to Stillwater from all 50 states, creating an economic impact similar in scope to festivals like Coachella. Last year the band was inducted into Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame alongside other Red Dirt artists including The Great Divide and Jason Boland & The Stragglers. Ragweed also received the T3R Icon of the Year Award at the 15th Annual Texas Regional Radio Music Awards in March 2025.
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Contemporary, friend and front man for The Great Divide, Mike McClure, will present the award to Canada at 6:45pm, which will be followed by a “Cody & Friends” set at 7pm and finally, a Family Jam with all musicians invited to stage at 7:30pm.
The Award, named for Bob Childers’ song with the same name, is given by the Red Dirt Relief Fund in recognition of a musician who has made a notable impact on the Oklahoma Red Dirt music community. Canada joins a prestigious and beloved litany of Restless Spirit Award honorees: Jimmy LaFave (2017), Brandon Jenkins (2018), Randy Crouch (2019), Steve Ripley (2020), Jim Paul Blair (2021), Chad Sullins (2022), Jake Flint (2023) Monica Taylor (2024) and Don Morris (2025).
Cody Canada performing with Parker Millsap at the inaugural Gypsy Cafe in 2011.
Cross Canadian Ragweed with Bob Childers and Drew Winn taken in Stillwater in the 1990s.
