Hell or High Water: Alberta flooding inspires musical tributes to resilience

Hell and high water can't drown Calgary's resilience or its annual Stampede, came the message from authorities last week, and now the old cliché has inspired Canadian musicians to write songs about the worst flood in the province's history.

Canadian musician Marc Martel wrote the song Hell or High Water after the Calgary Stampede president uttered those words when asked if the rodeo would go on.

Social media users adopted the phrase and the Stampede began to sell T-Shirts bearing the slogan to support flood relief. Martel recorded Hell or High Water with The Young Canadians and is offering it as a free download online.

He told the Canadian Press he hopes the song and the Stampede help Calgary residents stay strong as they rebuild.

Martel isn't the only artist using music as a remedy. Blake Reid, a country musician from Cremona, Alta., also wrote a song entitled Hell or High Water that's received some attention since he posted it online last week. Naheed Nenshi retweeted a link to the video over the weekend.

Reid told Metro news he had a friend in High River who was struggling with flood damage, and he wrote the song in the hopes of encouraging more donations to relief efforts.