Canadian blues
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| Canadian blues | |
| Stylistic origins |
African American folk music
|
|---|---|
| Cultural origins |
southern United States
|
| Typical instruments | |
| Mainstream popularity | Blues chord progressions and "blue notes" are widely used in most popular music styles of the 20th century United States; an influential music genre |
| Derivative forms | jazz, R&B, rock |
| Subgenres | |
| Classic female blues - Country blues - Delta blues - Jazz blues - Jump blues - Piano blues - Boogie-woogie | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Blues-rock - Soul blues - Jazz blues | |
| Regional scenes | |
| African blues - Atlanta blues - British blues - Canadian blues - Chicago blues - Detroit blues - East Coast blues - Kansas City blues - Louisiana blues - Memphis blues - New Orleans blues - Piedmont blues - St. Louis blues - Swamp blues - Texas blues - West Coast blues | |
| Other topics | |
| Genres - Musicians - Origins - Blues scale | |
"Canadian blues" refers to the blues and blues-related music performed by blues bands and performers in Canada. In Canada, there are hundreds of local and regionally-based Canadian blues bands and performers. As well, there is a smaller number of bands or performers that have achieved national or international prominence. These bands and performers are part of a broader Canadian "blues scene" that also includes city or regional blues societies, blues radio shows, and blues festivals.
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[edit] Nationally or internationally-prominent artists
A small number of Canadian blues bands and artists have achieved national or international prominence by touring across Canada, the US, or Europe, and releasing recordings that have received critical or audience acclaim in Canada and abroad. The performers below are listed according to the decade during which they first achieved national or international prominence.
In late 1950s, US-born rockabilly pioneer Ronnie Hawkins (born 1935) came to Canada, where he became a key player in the 1960s rock and blues scene in Toronto. 4 October 2002 was declared "Ronnie Hawkins Day" by the city of Toronto when Hawkins was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame, and he was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame at the Canadian Music Industry Awards in 2004. His pioneering contribution to rockabilly has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. His 1984 LP, 'Making It Again', earned him the Canadian Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy) for Country Male Vocalist.
In the 1970s, the Downchild Blues Band was formed in Toronto by Donnie Walsh. The band has released fourteen albums and performed in thousands of venues over three decades of continual cross-Canada touring. The Downchild Blues Band still performs regularly. Another important Canadian bluesman who became notable during the 1970s was Norman "Dutch" Mason (born February 19, 1938 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, died December 23, 2006 in Truro, Nova Scotia). Mason was a Canadian singer, guitarist, and pianist who was nicknamed the "Prime Minister of the Blues" in the 1970s for his prominent role in the Canadian blues scene. His albums included Dutch Mason Trio at the Candlelight from 1971 (Paragon ALS-263) and Janitor of the Blues from 1977 (Solar SAR-2020). In 1991 he released I'm Back (Stony Plain SPCD-1169). He was inducted into the Canadian Jazz and Blues Hall of Fame, and in 2005, he became a Member of the Order of Canada. That same year, son, Garrett Mason, won a Juno Award for Best Blues album.
In 1980, the Powder Blues, led by Tom Lavin, had double platinum sales for their debut album ‘Uncut’, which also had four top ten songs. The band won a Juno for ‘Best New Group’. The second album, Thirsty Ears, released on Capital Records had platinum sales, and a top 5 single. In 1983, Powder Blues played at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland. In 1986, the band won the W.C. Handy Award for blues in Memphis, Tennessee for ‘Best Foreign Blues Band’. Studio albums and touring continued from the 1990s until the present day. In the early 1980s, David Wilcox became a well-known songwriter, singer, and guitar player in the blues and roots scene. His many years of performing have given him five gold albums and numerous awards. Wilcox played the college campus circuit in the early 1980s, then signed a recording contract with EMI Music Canada. Five of his albums with EMI achieved Gold status.
In the mid-1980s, singer and blues guitarist Jeff Healey caught the public's attention with his unconventional lap-top style of playing electric guitar. Healey, who lost his sight to a form of cancer called retinoblastoma, was praised by B.B. King for “his virtuoso technique” and by Stevie Ray Vaughan, who said that Healey would “revolutionize guitar playing.” The Jeff Healey Band was formed in 1985, and released a debut album that achieved platinum sales in the US, in part due to the hit single Angel Eyes. The Jeff Healey Band won a Juno Award for Canadian Entertainer of the Year and two Grammy nominations. Healey was a jazz radio host for the CBC and CJRT-FM, a blues club owner, and performer (acoustic guitar and trumpet) in traditional jazz groups. Healey passed away on March 2 2008 due to cancer.
Beginning in the late 1980s, vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Colin James (whose full name is Colin James Munn) (born in 1964) attracted attention with his blues-rock songs. He has released nine studio albums that blend the blues, rock, and swing genres. As well, he has won six Juno Awards: 1989 - Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year; 1991 - Single of the Year ("Just Came Back"); 1991 and 1996 - Male Vocalist of the Year; 1998 - "Best Blues Album" for National Steel; and 1999 - Best Producer. He was also a guest on the JW-Jones Blues Band album "My Kind of Evil" produced by Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
In the 2000s, Canadian blues performers with international blues careers included singer-guitarists Jack de Keyzer, Sue Foley, and JW-Jones. Jack de Keyzer is a blues guitarist, singer and songwriter who has performed at many major blues festivals and is a winner of Canada’s Juno award in 2003 for his album "6 String Lover". His band has toured throughout Canada, the US, Mexico and Europe including events such as the BB King Blues Festival. Other awards include a 2001 award from Jazz Report magazine; a "Live Act of the Year" award in 2001 from Real Blues magazine; and Guitarist of the Year awards in 1999 & 2002.
Sue Foley is a blues/roots rock guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. She has ten studio CDs, five from Austin-based blues label Antone’s, three from the New York independent Shanachie and a live CD on Ruf Records from Germany and Justin Time in Canada. In 2000 she won a Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent to the Grammy for Best Blues Album for her CD “Love Comin’ Down”, and in 2002 she was the SOCAN songwriter of the year. In addition, she was awarded the Trophée de blues de France in 2000 (Best female Guitarist), 2001 (Best Female Guitarist), and 2003(Best Female Guitarist).
JW-Jones is a blues guitarist, singer, and bandleader born in 1980 who is signed to the Canadian NorthernBlues Music label. His band, the JW-Jones Blues Band [1] has recorded four albums. He has played at blues festivals and clubs in Canada, the US, Europe (France, Germany, etc.), Australia, and Brazil. His band's third album, My Kind Of Evil (2004), was produced by multi-Grammy nominee Kim Wilson (singer for The Fabulous Thunderbirds), and features Colin James on two tracks. In 2006, the band had their fourth release with NorthernBlues Music, Kissing in 29 Days.
Several other performers who garnered attention in the 2000s are David Rotundo a Toronto-based blues vocalist, songwriter and harmonica player who the CBC/Galaxie "Rising Star" award from Canada's national public broadcaster for his second CD, "Blues Ignited"; and Richard Carr, a French-Canadian singer-guitarist who has performed at a number of Quebec blues festivals and blues venues.
[edit] Canadian Blues Labels
Canadian blues records have been made on a number of labels, including mainstream labels that are mainly associated with pop or jazz music, and smaller independent labels that specialize in acoustic or roots music. One of the oldest Canadian labels which specializes in blues and related musics is Stony Plain Records, a record company based in Edmonton, Alberta which was established in 1976 by Holger Petersen. The label has released over 300 albums of “roots” music styles, such as blues, classic R&B, folk, country, bluegrass, and rock and roll. Jerry Wexler, one of the founders of Atlantic Records, states that “Stony Plain, as an independent company, is an endangered species in a dangerous world – and a source of wonderful music.” [1].
In 1997, Andrew Galloway launched Electro-Fi Records, which has both international blues performers such as Mel Brown, Mark Hummel, Harmonica Shah, Fruteland Jackson, and Snooky Pryor; and Canadian musicians such as Julian Fauth,Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley, Harrison Kennedy and Juno Award-winner Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne." Juke Blues Magazine from the UK called Electro-Fi "Canada's Top Blues Outlet" in 2005. [2] The most recent addition to the family of Canadian blues labels is NorthernBlues Music, a blues label that was launched in 2001 by Fred Litwin, who aims to "add substantially to the blues repertoire" with interesting, original music.[3]
[edit] Canadian Blues Societies
Canadian blues societies help to promote the appreciation and performance of blues music. Blues societies are often involved in the organization or promotion of local blues festivals and educational activities. Blues society educational activities include presentations on blues history, elementary school "outreach" activities, and workshops. Some blues societies organize awards for blues musicians. For example, the Toronto Blues Society has organized the Maple Blues Awards, an awards show for all Canadian blues musicians that has an annual gala.
Blues societies such as the Loyal Blues Fellowshipin Belleville, east of Toronto, encourage local blues musicians, run educational programs, and organize blues events. The Loyal Blues Fellowship also collaborates with the Loyalist College's Hospitality and Tourism program to give students practical work experience with the running of the Fellowship's annual blues festival. East coast-area blues societies include the East Coast Blues Society and the/ Tantramarsh Blues Society from New Brunswick.
Central Canadian blues societies include the Ottawa Blues Society, the Toronto Blues Society, and the Canada South Blues Society, which has members from a large area of Southern Ontario. Western Canadian blues societies include the / Saskatoon Blues Society, the Prince George Chapter of the "Blues Underground Network", and the Nanaimo Blues Society. For more information on Canadian blues organizations, see the List of Canadian Blues societies article.
[edit] Canadian blues venues
Canada has a number of blues festivals, ranging from small, community-based festivals that feature mostly local performers to major corporate-sponsored festivals that draw nationally- and internationally-prominent blues bands and huge crowds. Some of the large festivals include the Ottawa Bluesfest, the /Fredericton Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in New Brunswick and the Edmonton's Labatt Blues Festival.
In addition to blues festivals, Canadian blues bands also appear at a range of other venues, including bars, taverns, lounges, and community centre concert series'. Only a small number of these venues specialize in blues music; in most cases, venues will have a "blues night" or an occasional blues series. Some of the best-known blues venues in Toronto are Healey's (named for former owner, the late Canadian blues guitarist Jeff Healey) and The Silver Dollar Room. Other well-known Canadian blues venues include "Café Campus" in Montreal, Blues at the Bow Live in Alberta, "Blues On Whyte" in Edmonton, "The Shamrock Hotel" in Calgary, and "The Yale" in Vancouver. For more information on Canadian blues performance locations, see the List of Canadian Blues festivals and venues.
[edit] Blues Radio Shows
A number of Canadian radio stations, including public, commercial, and community/campus stations, have blues radio shows. Some Canadian blues radio shows include CBC Radio One's Saturday Night Blues, with Holger Petersen and Toronto's JAZZ.FM (91.1) has a blues show entitled Bluz FM. The community radio station CKUA radio network (throughout Alberta on AM and FM and is available in the internet at www.ckua.org/) has two blues programs: The Friday Night Blues Party hosted by Cam Hayden on Friday nights from 9:00 to midnight and Natch'l Blues has been hosted by Holger Petersen for over 30 years and plays Saturdays from 3:30 to 5:30. CJAI Amherst Island Public Radio (93.7FM and with streaming audio at http://amherstisland.on.ca/air ) hosts "Uncle Barry's Blues Hour", which runs 2 hours Monday through Thursday at 8 to 10PM local time (EST/EDT). In British Columbia's Vancouver Island town of Nanaimo, CHLY, 101.7FM (www.chly.ca) has a "Blue Plate Special", hosted by "billieboy" Lucas, airing Thursday from 8 to 10pm
[edit] See also
Canadian blues site listing musicians, pictures, sound clips, and feature stories on dozens of Canadian blues musicians and bands. Plus listings of blues festivals and events, blues radio programs, clubs with live blues, and blues-related industry resources.
[edit] References
- ^ Stony Plain Records: Canada's Roots, Rock, Country, Folk & Blues Label
- ^ www.electrofi.com
- ^ NorthernBlues Music - About
[edit] External links
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