How do you chronicle a life, especially as a widely acclaimed musician with a thousand hair-raising stories to tell, while simultaneously and simply documenting the present moment? And why would anyone assign themselves such a task?

As Jim Cuddy discovered making his dazzling new album, All The World Fades Away, that particular songwriting mission was less an option than an imperative, one that came for the Blue Rodeo co-founder out of a rare abundance of time to reflect, tinker, and create. Sure, most rootsy singer-songwriter albums detail what the artist sees looking up, down, and around. But All The World Fades Away goes deeper, its windscreen is wider, maybe because Cuddy is that rare musician with decades to draw from and whose story is very much an arc in progress.

As a solo artist and as one of the creative forces in Blue Rodeo, Jim Cuddy has received nearly every accolade Canada can bestow upon a musician including 15 JUNO Awards, and The Order of Canada. Along with his bandmates in Blue Rodeo, Jim has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, received the Governor General Performing Arts Award and a Star on the Walk of Fame.