City and Colour
A post-hardcore guitarist who found a massive audience by turning inward with haunting, acoustic-driven songs of fragility and hope.
Born 1980 (age 46)·Canadian musician·Birthday: September 29·Generation X
Biography
Dallas Green's musical identity is a study in compelling contrast. He first gained attention as the co-founder and melodic counterpoint in the aggressive Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, where his clean vocals cut through the sonic fury. Alongside that, he began quietly writing spare, folk-influenced songs under the alias City and Colour—a play on his name (Dallas is a city, Green a colour). What started as a bedroom project unexpectedly resonated, with his 2005 debut 'Sometimes' achieving platinum status in Canada. Green mastered the art of the hushed, devastating ballad, his warm, soulful voice delivering lyrics of heartbreak and introspection to arena-sized audiences. This dual career, balancing the cathartic scream of a band with the intimate whisper of a solo act, has defined him as one of Canada's most versatile and emotionally direct songwriters.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
City was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When City Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
City's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Achieved platinum certification in Canada for his debut solo album 'Sometimes' (2005) as City and Colour.
- Won a Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year in 2012 for his work on the album 'Little Hell.'
- Scored a number-one album on the Canadian charts with 'The Hurry and the Harm' (2013).
- Co-founded the influential post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, whose 2006 album 'Crisis' also went platinum in Canada.
Did You Know?
He chose the name City and Colour so he could perform his personal songs without the expectations associated with his Alexisonfire persona.
Green is a huge fan of baseball and has thrown the ceremonial first pitch at a Toronto Blue Jays game.
He married fellow Canadian musician Leah Miller in 2008.
He has a large, distinctive tattoo of a tree covering much of his left arm and chest.
“I write songs to make myself feel better. And if they make other people feel better, then that's just a bonus.”
