John’s Blues Pick November 2017 – Various Artists
In a first for this label, we get a fabulous collection of modern day harp performances from Electro-Fi’s back catalogue. In an era where it seems only guitar players get noticed, this collection is a...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Pick November 2017 – Little Miss Higgins
My Home, My Heart arrives after a little bit of a hiatus from recording for Jolene ‘Little Miss’ Higgins, brought about by her new arrival and that new son is the subject of several of the songs here....
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Pick November 2017 – Jackie Shane
You may have seen the stories in the papers recently about this hugely important and influential performer active here in the 60’s and who then disappeared. Jackie Shane was a transgender star in an...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Pick November 2017 – Jim Byrnes
Jim Byrnes has found a modus operandi that continues to pay large dividends for him: songs he remembers from his formative years in St. Louis MO, newly written originals and new interpretations of...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Pick November 2017 – Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters
Ronnie Earl’s Broadcasters have had one of the most consistent lineups over the years. As each new album arrived, Dave Limina was on B3, Lorne Entress, drums and Jim Mouradian was on bass. But after a...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks December 2017 – André Bisson
This Hamilton artist was part of the Toronto Blues Society presentation at the Hot & Spicy Festival at Harbourfront Centre this past Labour Day Weekend, making it one of the very few opportunities...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Pick December 2017 – Cootes Paradise
Named after a conservation area around Dundas ON, this new grouping of like-minded individuals was created at Lily’s Pad. Lily Sazz, the keyboard player in the Women’s Blues Revue Band lives nearby and...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks December 2017 – Mike “Mudfoot” McDonald
Mike “Mudfoot” McDonald has lived in Kitchener for quite a while now but he was a fixture of our scene before that. He played guitar in many of the bands you remember and occasionally led his own with...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Pick December 2017 – Layla Zoe
Born in Nanaimo and starting her career in BC, Layla Zoe moved here for a time and then on to Montreal. She found so much work in Europe that she moved there and now lives in Germany where she is also...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Pick December 2017 – Emily Burgess
The lead guitarist for the Women’s Blues Revue Band and formerly filling that role for the now-defunct 24th Street Wailers, Emily Burgess has been working recently with Peterborough’s Weber Brothers....
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks January 2018 – Crystal Shawanda
After the hard rocking Fish Out Of Water last year, Crystal Shawanda returns to the blues with Voodoo Woman. She’s Ojibwe and this time out she’s paying tribute to the blues women she grew up listening...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks January 2018 – Billy Joe Green
Billy Joe Green, Osawi Kinew (Brown Eagle) of the Mahkwa Dotem (Bear Clan) is from the Anishnaabe Aki-ing Territory. His escape from residential school was through his guitar. The Winnipeg nightclub...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks January 2018 – Vincent Beaulne
Vincent Beaulne is the lead singer and guitarist for the Montreal group Blues Delight. So that’s one way to interpret the CD title. We can also look at it as making a statement through his songs. They...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks January 2018 – Al Wood & The Woodsmen
Ottawa’s Al Wood is the vocalist, songwriter, harp player and guitarist and The Woodsmen are Lindsay Pugh on lead guitar, Frank Deresti on bass and Simon Meilleur on drums. Together they’ve released...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks January 2018 – Shirley Jackson & Her Good Rockin’ Daddys
This is a Halifax horn band: two saxes & trumpet carry the load. MBA winner Shirley Jackson leads on tenor & vocals, Dawn Hatfield on baritone and Dave Harrison on trumpet. There are two...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks January 2018 – Wes Mackey
Wes Mackey is a Vancouver bluesman, now 75 years old, with roots that go back to South Carolina. He worked as a sideman in blues bands in the US before ending up in Vancouver, where he eventually...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks February 2018 – Angel Forrest
Our re-elected Female Vocalist Of The Year brought along a new album to the Awards evening. Back in 2014 we got Live Love, a two-disc set that presented her live show in an acoustic setting. Since that...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks February 2018 – Stan Grizzel and Canadian Bluez
Stan Grizzel now resides in Strathroy but has quite a career behind him. According to his website, he’s a descendant of a family that arrived here on the Underground Railroad. He was a child actor for...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks February 2018 – Jay Kipps Band
The Jay Kipps Band hail from Mono, ON with Jay Kipps on vocals, harmonica & guitar; Chad Burford on lead guitar; Cory Bruyea on drums and Chris Lubker, bass. Strawberry Sunset aka Maddie Ball adds...
View ArticleJohn’s Blues Picks February 2018 – Tinsley Ellis
Atlanta-born guitarist Tinsley Ellis begins his third stint on Alligator Records with a blistering bluesrock disc. The hard-touring Ellis debuted album #19 for us at the Cadillac Lounge on Jan. 29, I...
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