There are those in the Canadian music industry who have earned the title of icon. Tom Cochrane – whose 40-plus year career has seen multiple hits, both solo and with Red Rider – has toured the world, and is a face for multiple charitable organizations, is one of those people. With the release of his first album in almost nine years Take It Home Cochrane has embarked on a cross-Canada tour that brings him to the Grey Eagle Casino in Calgary, February 20^th, and the River Cree Resort in Edmonton February 21st.

There are few artists that can claim the longevity of Tom Cochrane. On the phone recently, in advance of the album’s February 10th release, he reflected on how he has been so successful for so long.

"Vitamins," he joked. "I just think you got to want to do it and appreciate what you have. It sounds kind of cliché, but you have got to just have a passion for life, I guess. There is a lot of great music out there so you have to feel like you have something to say that is special. It is a matter of doing it."

Although consistently touring, it has been a long time since Cochrane’s last album: 2006’s No Stranger.

"I don’t think you can just make a record because you think it is time to make one. You have to want to make it. There were a few years between No Stranger and this one, so it was time. It is an instinct, and kind of a pain, and itch that has to be scratched. You aren’t doing it as a question of commerce, or anything of that nature, other than as an artist you have something to say that is relevant. I think some of these songs still explore old terrain, but they do it in a different way. We tried to make a record that sounded natural and organic. I don’t want to sound like a grouchy old dude putting down what other artists are doing, but this is where I feel I excel as a songwriter, mining the soil and the turf of the roots of your terrain. That is where the songs come from: stories from Canada and stories I have gleaned from travelling elsewhere, like the southern United States. As artists we create wonderful hybrids through blues music, blending it with our folk and celtic roots."

Much of the album comes from his experiences, such as the track "Can’t Stay Here", in which Cochrane sings: One more show; one more town; a drifter ‘till I die.

"It is autobiographical; the song touches on a number of things. It’s a metaphor that – as an artist – you have to keep moving. I definitely lived that life. I don’t as much anymore. Because of our dogs, primarily we travel back and fourth between Austin, Texas and Canada, which is still my primary residence. I would live that life in a dream-like mystical sense. We would stop at some of these small towns and, as I made a journey, I think the song was forged out of that. I grew up living in the back of a station wagon and vans in the early part of my career. That is the life. The song talks about musically not staying in one place, perhaps just growing as a human being, and exploring new terrain and ideas. It touches on those things and is a good way to kick off the record. "Back In The Game" is a good way to end it. That song is pure Texas swing blues. I remember walking into the Continental Club and you feel like you are stepping into another era. There was a band setting up, and they were kids, and this one girl comes in and is setting up her piano and played this wonderful boogie woogie blues with one hand, while putting on her makeup with the other hand. Then the drummer starts setting up his drums. We are watching this while nursing our beers and, within an hour, these kids are playing this wonderful music. These are college kids, doing this incredible dancing in front of us; it was the real deal. People gravitate towards stuff that is real, you don’t need to push them there. That song was spawned out of that. As far as lyrically, they touch on the mythical hobo drifter that is part of every singer and songwriter from my era."

Touring the winter is a pretty common Canadian thing to do, even for Cochrane, who spends his winters in the southern U.S. Early on he almost called it quits, but a chance encounter with another future Canadian icon changed his perspective.

"One of the songs on the record touches on it – "The Ones That I’ve Known". It talks about Rosa Parks, who kicked off the civil rights movement in a gesture of supreme courage. The last verse is about Terry Fox, and his struggle for freedom against the disease of cancer, and what he established through his walk – a way of raising money that continues to this day. He is at the top of the list of great Canadian heroes. I had heard about Terry, and we were driving from Winnipeg to Toronto, and woke up one morning and traffic was stopped. I looked out the window and I’d had enough of living in the back of a station wagon; I’d had enough and didn’t want to do it anymore. It was a tough way to tour. I looked out the window and this one-legged boy walks beside the station wagon. It was the last day he ran. I just thought man, how tough can this be making a living playing music? It changed me and the way I looked at things. We kept on from there, and I tried to be more positive about what I did, and the music. As tough as it was back then things got better. You move on to tour busses, and get to fly occasionally. You end up pinching yourself. It is a good way to make a living – making people happy through music. It was tough starting out, and this record touches on the rock and roll hobo existence."

Cochrane is also known for his charitable contributions. He played in the 2013 Calgary Flood Relief Concert, has donned skates for the annual Juno Cup hockey fundraiser, and has been a spokesperson for World Vision.

"I think these things choose us. We choose to acknowledge them, or we don’t. If I searched my conscience, and it was something that felt good to me, I do it. In the long run, I have felt I got more out of it then I put into it, because it has kind of fueled my soul. I haven’t been remunerated for doing it, but you get a lot of satisfaction from doing these things. What it ends up doing is fueling the music and what you do. You can’t isolate yourself from the world and, as a singer-songwriter, these are all things we touch upon when we write. I try to delve into, and mine from this, as a songwriter. The World Vision thing has gone on for a long time, and I have developed a lot of relationships through the organization through (WV president) Dave Toycen, who is just a wonderful human being filled with love. I see how hard he works to save lives and it can’t help but galvanize you to support the cause. Plus you end up going to a lot of these places where people are just struggling to survive. You are treated with so much joy; it gives you a lot of satisfaction to know that you have helped out, and have them be so grateful that you are there and helping. That spills back into who you are as a human being, and also back into the work."

So it is on the road again for Cochrane who, at 61, still brings a level of intensity to his live shows that acts decades younger often lack. With such a long list of hits it has become a challenge to pick a set list. In fact, Cochrane asked for suggestions on his official Facebook Page.

"It is tough. We have 10 or 12 non-negotiable songs that we have to play for people and want to play for them. I enjoy the energy and goodwill that those songs create with people. Those are obviously songs people are going to come out to hear. Then it is a matter of figuring out the new songs. One of the things my co-producer and I set out to do was a record where a lot of the songs could be played live, and introduced to an audience quickly, without needing exposure on the radio. If I go to see somebody, and they didn’t play some of the tunes that you want to hear, I know I would be disappointed. It is great to see the audience get off on songs like "Life is a Highway" or "Lunatic Fringe" which is, unfortunately, still as topical now as it was 30 years ago. I am excited to introduce some of these new songs; they are going to be a lot of fun to play live for sure. It is going to be a lot of joy and energy. Some of these songs are just made to play live and there will be a few acoustic memos. There will be a lot of energy in this show – that is what we do."

It has been 24 years since "Life is a Highway" captured the music scene. For some artists, having to play a massive hit can become repetitive. For Cochrane, songs like "I Wish You Well", "Boy Inside The Man", and "Big Leagues" mean just as much to him now as they did before.

"Songwriting is a funny thing. It is therapeutic. I wrote "Life is a Highway" after my first trip to Africa with World Vision. I was going through a lot of soul searching – we had been to war zones and seen people die in front of us. We saw a lot of joy as well, but mostly some tough things on that trip to eight or nine countries. I got home and I was exhausted mentally and physically. It occurred to me one day that I needed a song to act as a pep talk, to get me out of it, and that was the song. The whole idea is that you can’t change the world all by yourself – you keep your eye on the road ahead of you and try and spread love, and do some good along the way. That is the metaphor of the song, and it became a pep talk for myself, as well as millions of other people. It is great to be able to play that and it feels just as vital as it did back then. When I set out to do this as a career – and as an artist – if I had one thing in mind when I started out back in ’79, was I wanted to make music that was timeless. I haven’t always achieved that but I try my best to do that every step of the way. Every one or two songs out of ten may be hits, and is a song that stands the test of time. "Life is a Highway" is one of those songs. "White Hot", "Lunatic Fringe", "Human Race" – there are a number of them. I feel blessed to be able to continue to make music, and having people show up at the shows. It is a good place to be."