|
Whenever Big Joe Turner or Louis Jordan would play Raleigh, young Curley would sneak into the clubs to catch a glimpse of his musical heroes. He resolved to play piano after hearing the boogie-woogie of Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Piano Red. He made Washington DC his home and began absorbing everything he could from the red hot R&B and jazz scene of the area in the 1950’s. He teamed with local musician Frank Motley in 1953, formed the Motley Crew and was the bands’ pianist and vocalist for the next 13 years. During that time he was also active as an arranger and session player and was the man behind the Big Mama Thornton recording of Hound Dog that was the obvious influence for the Elvis recording that came 2 years later. Curley settled in Toronto in 1966 and worked as a session artist and fronted his own bands until moving to Barrie in 1981. There, he concentrated on doing solo gigs, delighting audiences with his mix of jump, jive and down and dirty blues. In 1997 he played the Harbourfront festival in Toronto and was the hit of the weekend. Blues Beat magazine said of his performance, "Every good festival has a pleasant surprise, a revelation who brings down the house and blows you away…Curley Bridges wove a fabulous and entertaining set.” Edmonton’s Labatt Blues Festival is pleased to bring piano player and singer Curley Bridges to Edmonton for the first time. We’re also proud of the fact that every festival has begun with great Canadian talent and this year is no exception. Curley will be joined by veteran Canadian bluesman and Electro-Fi recording artist Chris Whiteley on trumpet, harp and guitar, Victor Bateman on drums and Bucky Berger on bass.
In the early 70’s Clark formed his own band, Southern Feeling, along with Angela Strehli and Denny Freeman. He befriended Stevie Ray Vaughan and had Vaughan sit in with his band on many occasions. After Southern Feeling dissolved, Stevie Ray, who was determined to have W.C. in his band, courted Clark. Clark became the bass player in the Triple Threat Revue along with keyboard player Mike Kindred and vocalist Lou Ann Barton. Kindred and Clark co-wrote one of Vaughan’s biggest hits, “Cold Shot”, during this time and W.C. received a platinum record for his efforts.W.C. has been fronting his own bands since the late 70’s. He won the 1997 Handy Award for “Soul/Blues Album of the Year” and the following year the award as “Artist Most Deserving Wider Recognition”. He won the 2003 Handy Award for “Blues Song of the Year”; and was nominated as “Male Soul performer of the Year” in 2004. W.C. was nominated for 3 Handy Awards this year: “Blues Album of the Year”, “Soul/Blues Album of the Year” and “Soul/Blues Male Artist of the Year.” The Chicago Tribune says of Clark, “W.C. Clark is a Texas Legend…a commanding six-string master, a deep R&B songsmith and a tough, soulful vocalist.” Blues Revue sums up his talent this way, “Funky, red-hot guitar and stunning, shiver up your spine vocals.” W. C. Clark’s first visit to Alberta is long overdue and he’s sure to make fans and friends out of all of us.
Born Cora Walton just outside of Memphis Tennessee, Koko was an orphan by age 11. A love of chocolate earned her the lifelong nickname “Koko”. She developed an early love for music from a mixture of songs she heard in church and on B.B. Kings’ radio show beaming in from Memphis. Her father encouraged her to sing only gospel, but Koko and her siblings would sneak out back with their homemade instruments and play the blues. Big Mama Thornton and Bessie Smith were big influences for young Koko, as were Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. At age 18 she moved to Chicago to look for work. After setting up house on the South Side, the cradle of Chicago blues, Taylor found herself cleaning house for a wealthy couple on the North Side of town. At night and on weekends she would visit the clubs and hear Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Magic Sam, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. Before long she was sitting in with these same performers. Her big break came in 1962, after performer/arranger/producer Willie Dixon heard her. Much to Koko’s astonishment, he told her, “My God, I never heard a woman sing the blues like you sing the blues…That’s what the world needs today, a woman with a voice like yours to sing the blues.” Over the course of her 40 plus year career, Taylor has received just about every award the blues world has to offer and then some. She has won 19 W.C. Handy Awards (more than any other female blues artist). She’s received Grammy nominations for six of her last seven albums and won a Grammy in 1984. In 1993, Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago honoured Taylor with a “Legend of the Year” award and declared “Koko Taylor Day” throughout Chicago in 1998. In 1998, Chicago Magazine named her “Chicagoan of the Year” and in 1999, Taylor was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone calls her “The Great female blues singer of her generation.” You’re invited to an audience with “The Queen”, a legend and the possessor of one of the most recognizable and powerful set of pipes in the blues, backed by one of the hottest bands in the biz, her Blues Machine.
And then there was boogie-woogie. “I’ve been playing boogie-woogie all my life it seems”, says Kindred. As a teenager he founded his first band, Krackerjack, that featured the rhythm section of Tommy Shannon and Uncle John Turner. In Austin that band went through a succession of guitarists including Stevie Ray Vaughan. That association led to the Triple Threat Revue that featured Stevie Ray, Lou Ann Barton, W.C. Clark and Kindred. It was during this time that Kindred and Clark co-wrote the blues classic, “Cold Shot”. These days, you can find Kindred in Austin playing in a duo with drummer Dexter Walker. Their work together features original music by Kindred, along with his incredibly strong left hand, holding down the bottom end along with Walker’s kit. Jeff Calvin of Blues Revue magazine said of the duo’s recording “Hand Stand” that, “It’s a showcase for his two-handed chops…like all great boogie-woogie it teeters as it smokes along, threatening to go off the rails at any moment. It never does, and like all the great ones, Kindred makes it sound easy.” Mike Kindred makes his Alberta debut with drummer Dexter Walker in what will be a real slice of blues piano heaven.
David took up guitar at the age of 5 and by the time he was in his teens the blues had taken hold of him. “Stevie Ray Vaughan made it legit for a young guy to want to play blues guitar in a time when synth pop bands, big hair and tight pants was where everyone was at”, he says. Gogo also had the great fortune to spend some time with the late, great Albert Collins. “I opened for him, worked with him and got to hang around with him. I learned what it took to be in the business…Albert was an incredibly generous man when it came to sharing his music, but he also booked gigs, drove the van and fixed it if it broke down. He was huge for me.” David learned his lessons well. He’s toured the world, opening for the Fabulous Thunderbirds, B.B. King, Otis Rush, Johnny Winter, Little Feat and many others. He’s won “Musician of the Year” honours at the West Coast Music Awards and real Blues Magazine named his recording “Skeleton Key”, the top Blues/Rock CD of the year. He took home the “Blues Guitarist of the Year” award at the Maple Blues Awards in 2003 and 2005 and was also nominated this year as “Entertainer of the Year.” Along the way he’s released 6 critically acclaimed recordings. Ken Mcgrath, writing in Sorted MagAZine in Ireland says, “I doubt there is another blues guitarist that can speak through his instrument quite like David Gogo can. This is music that demands attention and respect…Modern blues at its’ best.” Welcome David Gogo and make your way to the dance floor early, ‘cuz it’s bound to be packed.
The Washington Post said that…“Shannon is the blue’s field’s finest social commentator since the days of Willie Dixon and Percy Mayfield.” Living Blues said, “Shannon should be considered among the foremost blues poets of his generation.” His song, “S.U.V.”, won the Living Blues Critics poll award as “Best Song of the Year” in 2002 and Shannon continues to write original blues songs that cut to the core of contemporary issues with a twist of humour. His fifth album, “I’m From Phunkville”, was released in April on Canada’s Northern Blues record label and showcases his deep soulful voice, smokin’ guitar work and insightful lyrics. In short, he’s got the goods. Shannon has never been to Alberta, but he’s bound to leave a lasting impression on us all.
Mr. Downchild (Donnie Walsh) was inspired to form Downchild by the blues greats of Chicago in the mid-60’s. He created a band that offered audiences exciting music that appeals to hearts, hands and feet with a unique, distinctive sound. Walsh’s slide guitar and harmonica work, Chuck Jackson’s vocals and the horn section of long-time members Pat Carey and Peter Jeffrey spark a sound anchored by the rock-solid rhythm section of Michael Fonfara (keys), Gary Kendall (bass) and Mike Fitzpatrick on bass. Over the years, the band and its members have been honoured with awards and accolades too numerous to list. Highlights include a Juno and no less than a dozen Maple Blues Awards. Jazz Report awards as “Blues Band of the Year” and “Blues Musician of the Year” (Donnie Walsh), a lifetime achievement award from the Windsor/Detroit Blues Festival, and the “Great Canadian Blues Award” for Donnie Walsh from CBC among many others. This year at the Maple Blues Awards, Pat Carey was named “Horn Player of the Year” and Michael Fonfara took home the “Keyboard Player of the Year” trophy. Get ready to “Flip, Flop and Fly”, on your way to the dance floor when Downchild hits the stage for the first time at Edmonton’s Labatt Blues Festival.
Veteran Finis Tasby is the band’s soulful frontman, with blues roots going back to 1940’s Texas. Tasby excels at both down-home material and modern sounds and has series of his own highly acclaimed CD’s, the most recent being “What My Blues Are All About” on Canada’s Electro-Fi label. Guitarist Kid Ramos is a mainstay on the Southern California blues circuit, bringing together the smooth style of T Bone Walker and West Coast swing and jump. With dozens of recordings under his belt as a leader and sideman, Ramos brings his “A” game every time. Kid was last seen in Edmonton as the guitarist in the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Harmonica ace Johnny Dyer was born in 1938 and spent some time growing up on Stovall Plantation in Mississippi. He took up harmonica as a youngster and was influenced by Little Walter, Muddy Waters, and Big Walter Horton. He moved west to Los Angeles in the 1950’s where he fell in love with the sound of T-Bone Walker, Johnny Otis and Jimmy Witherspoon. The great George “Harmonica” Smith took him under his wing and before long Dyer was working with JB Hutto, Jimmy Reed and Jimmy Rogers. Dyer plays old school blues harp…no gimmicks, just straight-ahead blues from the heart. Guitarist Frank “Paris Slim” Goldwasser’s extensive resume includes stints with legends Lowell Fulson, Homesick James, Jimmy Dawkins and many others. He’s toured the world and has put out a series of CD’s fronting his own band. Pianist Leon Blue has played with a who’s who of blues and R&B legends for over half a century, including lengthy spells with The Ike and Tina Turner Revue, Albert Collins, Albert King and Bobby “Blue” Bland. The hard-swinging rhythm section of drummer June Core and bassist Ronnie James Weber anchors them. Between them have provided support behind the biggest names in the blues including Charlie Musselwhite, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Kim Wilson, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Robert Jr. Lockwood and countless others. Don’t miss your chance to catch one of the hottest traditional blues bands on the planet, as The Mannish Boys make their Alberta debut at Edmonton’s Labatt Blues Festival.
Mary began her performing career as a high school student growing up in Indiana. After moving to Denver in the early 70’s she joined singing partner Katy Moffatt to tour the National College Coffehouse Circuit, then settled down to a local career as a favourite in Colorado. Two kids and twenty years later, she took to the road and gained national prominence. The turning point was her appointment in 1993 as a visiting guest artist during blues week at Augusta Heritage Center in West Virginia. She’s been back nearly every year since. She is a virtuoso of Piedmont style finger picking guitar and lap style slide guitar. She has a strong, clear, unaffected singing voice and writes refreshing contemporary blues songs. Mary performs regularly at blues festivals and concerts throughout North America and Europe. She was a prizewinner at the National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship in 2000, the second woman in 27 years to place in the top 3. She’s acted as a panelist at the W.C. Handy Awards in Memphis and is active in Blues in the Schools workshops for elementary and high school students. She has 5 critically acclaimed CD’s to her credit along with a pair of instructional videos on finger style blues. All Music Guide to the Blues has said, “Flower has been around as long as Bonnie Raitt, only without the major label contracts, the arena and the Grammy. She deserves to be known by at least as many people.” Meet Mary Flower when she brings her love of the blues, and her talent to share that passion, to Alberta audiences for the first time.
Horton’s musical inspiration came from his family while growing up in Conway, Arkansas. His grandmother played guitar in church and introduced him to the instrument when he was a child. At 14, his grandfather gave him his first guitar. Early inspirations included Johnny Ace, Ray Charles, Willie Dixon, T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton and B.B. King. In the late 50’s he played in Little Walter’s band and was a touring member of The Dells. He was also part of the Chicago music scene at the time, opening the Golden Dolphin Club while a member of both the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands. He’s spent most of his career as a sideman but that all changed in 2001 with the release of “In My Spirit”, his debut disc as a bandleader. Living Blues Magazine awarded the recording “Best Debut Album” in 2001 and Real Blues magazine saluted him with the “Patience is a Virtue” award that same year. Tom Hyslop, writing in Blues Review, said, “Horton’s a natural- a tremendous singer, biting guitar player and talented writer.” The Bay Area Blues Society named Horton the “2004 guitar player of the Year” and named his band the “2004 Band of the Year”, while Real Blues Magazine named him the “Top West Coast Live Performer” in 2003. Yes, it’s “the blues and nothin’ but the blues” when Craig Horton and his band hit the stage.
While in his teens Harmon worked as a guitarist for the likes of Z.Z. Hill, Dorothy Moore, King Floyd and Sam Myers. After relocating to Los Angeles in the early Eighties he turned his attention to working as a studio musician and then as a writer and producer with a varied list of recording artists including Evelyn “Champagne” King, Brian Wilson and The O’Jays. While composing music for a movie score Harmon felt compelled to pursue his longtime dream to return to his roots and record his first blues project as a bandleader. In 2002 he released “Live at Babe and Ricky’s Inn”, his personal testimonial to the Mississippi blues. In January 2004 Zac and his Mid South Blues Revue won the
prestigious International Blues Challenge as the “Best Unsigned
Blues Band”. After winning the IBC title the band started
performing across the United States at festivals, concert
halls, clubs and on the legendary “Blues Cruise” winning
fans with a combination of well-crafted original songs,
musicianship, Harmon’s signature vocal delivery and a
liberal dash of humour.
“The Blues According to Zacariah” is Harmon’s latest recording,
released in April of this year. It marks Harmon’s commitment
to the blues and to keeping it real, as he works musical territory
ranging from the juke joint to the pulpit.
Zac Harmon and his Mid-South Blues Revue are going to make
believers of us all when they come to Alberta, and Edmonton,
for the first time.
“Steady Rollin” Bob Margolin was schooled in the blues
by the best of the first generation of electric bluesmen,
especially Muddy Waters. From 1973 through 1980 Margolin
played guitar with the Muddy Waters Blues Band. During
his tenure with Muddy, Margolin forged his own blues
identity, while absorbing lessons from the master.
He won four Grammy Awards while recording 10 albums
with Muddy. Since then he’s appeared on no less than
two dozen albums as a guest musician and released six
solo recordings. Margolin tours non-stop, bringing his
own brand of Chicago blues, jump blues and swing to
hundreds of thousands of blues lovers around the
world and is regular contributor to Blues Revue Magazine. It’s a rare “Threefer” not to be missed at Edmonton’s
Labatt Blues Festival.
Delbert was born in Lubbock Texas in 1940 and moved to
Fort Worth at age 12. He still remembers his first brush
with the blues as a teenager. “I was coming back from
squirrel hunting and there was this old black barbecue
place and I heard Joe Turner’s “Honey Hush”. The closer
I got, the more excited I got. My heart went to pounding
and I said, “Who is that and what is it?” I’ll never forget
that. There’s no way I can explain it. I just went nuts.
That stuff still does it to me.” Delbert began to immerse
himself in the local R&B scene, staying up late to
listen to Ft. Worth’s R&B station.
It was while playing in The Straightjackets, the house
band for an all black blues club south of Ft. Worth,
that Delbert got to meet and play with the legends he
had heard on radio. Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf,
Jimmy Reed, Bobby “Blue” Bland, he backed
them all.
By the late 50’s Delbert was making a name for himself
around Ft. Worth. He made his first recording in 1960,
a cover of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Wake up Baby” and he
played harmonica on Bruce Channel’s 1962 hit “Hey Baby”,
which soared to the top of the pop charts and spawned
an English tour.
Delbert began honing his chops as a songwriter in the
1970’s, with his songs recorded by Emmylou Harris,
Waylon Jennings and Doug Sahm. “B Movie Boxcar Blues”
was used in the Blues Brothers movie. He’s had
two #1 Blues Albums with two others charting in the
top 10. He’s also won 2 Grammy Awards. The first in
1991 for his duet with Bonnie Raitt; and in 2001
“Nothing Personal” won the Grammy as “Best
Contemporary Blues Album.”
But, it’s as performing artist that Delbert has
really made his mark. He began by playing roadhouses
all over Texas and has since made his way around the
world as a bona fide headliner at major festivals.
It’s been nearly 15 years since Delbert has mesmerized
Edmonton audiences with his singing, harp playing and
crack six-piece band. It’s definitely time to renew our
acquaintance with one of the most dynamic performers on the scene.
Please Note: the Festival is a cash only event, there
is an ATM on-site
for your convenience. [Contact
Us] [Blues Links] [Past
Festivals] [Sponsors]
[Home]
|
She is the undisputed “Queen of the Blues”. “Blues is my roots”,
says Koko Taylor, “It’s a true feeling that comes from the heart,
not something that just comes out of my mouth. Blues is what I
love, and blues is what I always do.”
