Watch a young Molly Johnson talk about wanting to be rich — so she could help other artists

In 1987, Canadian singer-songwriter Molly Johnson shared her dream of becoming a philanthropist so that she could help other artists. Knowing firsthand how hard a career in the arts can be, she talked about wanting to be rich so she could support her peers.

"What's in it for me as a musician? You have to look pretty far to find someone who's got it worse off than you," Johnson says in the above video from the CBC Archives. "You know, you really have to look, because it's excruciating to be a musician at times."

Johnson concludes: "I'm gonna be a rich guy! No, it's a motivation to be rich. It's not that I wanna be rich — it's that I wanna be rich so that I can do things."

Tomorrow, we celebrate Molly's 58th birthday. For this homegrown talent — whose philanthropic efforts include work with the Stephen Lewis Foundation and her role as a board member for the arts non-profit Culchahworks — it's clear she's made it a priority to support not only her fellow artists but the wider community as well. Happy birthday, Molly!

For more throwbacks like this one, visit the CBC Digital Archives.