Women's Blues Revue 2004 - Featured Vocalists

  [The WBR Band]  [About This Event]  [Ticket Information]  [Past Participants]

Rita Chiarelli has been performing since the age of fifteen. Even at this early age, it soon became apparent that her husky three octave voice seemed destined for stardom.

One of the first to recognize this talent was Ronnie Hawkins, and Rita was asked to join his band. During the 1980's, Italy beckoned. Years of studio work finally led to frustration and then, another talent emerged... songwriting. Returning to Canada, Rita's independent single "Have You Seen My Shoes" was included in the soundtrack of Bruce McDonald's 1989 film , Roadkill, now a cult classic. The 1990's followed... Tours of Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Belgium now became a yearly adventure, garnering more and more fans each time.

1992: Rita released her first album on Stony Plain Records. ROAD ROCKETS now brought Rita to the attention of the Canadian Music scene.

1995: A second album "JUST GETTING STARTED " (Stony Plain Records ) was released earning Rita her first Juno nomination.

1997, while touring Germany, a live album "WHAT A NIGHT-LIVE" ( Stony Plain Records ) was released. This album still is one of the most sought after albums in Germany.

During 1997-2000, Rita earned numerous Maple Blues awards as Best Female Vocalist and constantly toured back and forth across Canada establishing new fans, while writing songs for her next album.

In the spring of 2001, "BREAKFAST AT MIDNIGHT " (Northern Blues Records ) was born. This collection of personal, soul baring songs, spanning Blues, Rock, Rockabilly, Country, Cajun and Jazz was highly acclaimed, in Canada and in the United States. The reviews were astounding… and earned another Juno nomination for Best Blues Album.

In 2002, Rita was honoured by the Canadian fans, receiving the "Great Canadian Blues Award" which is awarded by CBC Radio every year, to an artist who has made a lifetime contribution to the blues.

Now firmly established as the "Goddess of Canadian Blues" (Shelagh Rogers, CBC Radio.) and "The female voice of Canadian Blues" (Kitimat Concert Association), the past two years have seen Rita develop into one of Canada's top entertainers, headlining many theatre tours and festivals throughout Canada and the United States.

In March 2004, Rita's 5th album will be released. "NO-ONE TO BLAME" is Rita's personal tribute to the blues masters of the 50's and 60's', reviving the soul of an era gone by.

Sue Foley

Sue Foley is considered to be one of the finest blues/roots artists working today. She is internationally regarded as one of the best and most original artists working in her field. She is an accomplished guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. Although she is only in her mid-thirties, she has been writing and playing for over twenty years. Sue has recorded seven full-length albums: five for Austin, TX - based Antone's Records, and three for NJ - based Shanachie Records. Sue has spent over fourteen years on the road as bandleader, lead vocalist, guitarist and manager of her own band. In addition to her own touring, she has also shared the stage with many of the premiere blues performers of our generation including BB King, Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker.

In 2000, she was honored with her first Juno Award for her recording "Love Comin' Down". Since 1999 she has received a record setting fourteen Maple Blues Awards. Two each for Songwriter of the Year and Recording of the Year in 2000 and 2002, as well as two for Guitarist of the Year in 2000 and 2001. Additionally, she has been named Entertainer of the Year, for the last three consecutive years and Female Vocalist of the Year for four years running. Her most recent CD "Where the Action Is", received the first-ever nomination for a Canadian female artist in the prestigious W.C. Handy Awards in the US. She is also the recipient of two international awards for musical excellence in the blues, both from France.

Since the start of the year, Sue has been focusing all her energies into her next release, tentatively entitled "Absolution", which will reveal her dedication to the roots/blues style of music she is internationally so well-known for.

When Sue is not honing her craft, she is busy pursuing artistic and financial independence. She had started her own company, Guitar Woman Inc., and has plans to form her own record label. Sue is also working on Guitar Woman - a project involving a book and a documentary that will be a historical and biographical account of women guitarists throughout the world.

Ndidi Onukwulu

Singer and songwriter Ndidi Onukwulu, who is new to Toronto's blues scene, recently embarked on a musical collaboration with Madagascar Slim. Both artists bring the contemporary rhythms of Africa to the blues. Slim's musical roots are in the Malagasy music of his birthplace, Madagascar, while Onukwulu, who was born in British Columbia, grew up listening to her Nigerian-born father play drums. Slim, who is critical when it comes to assessing vocal ability, says Onukwulu's voice is outstanding. "I really got excited the first time I heard it," Slim says. "That doesn't happen to me often with people's voices. She really does have something special." Ndidi (pronounced In-dee-dee) and Slim, a two-time Juno Award winner, are in the process of building a repertoire of traditional blues, combined with Malagasy and Nigerian music. "It's a new form of African blues," she says.

Onukwulu  left home at an early age and wound up in New York City to pursue her singing career. She started out on the city's open mic circuit, singing a cappella, then met up with some hip hop and blues players. "I started singing on their albums and in return they would work on my songs," she says. Onukwulu is an eclectic performer who hasn't confined herself to blues or blues-related music, or to African-based music. After leaving New York for Toronto, she sang in a rock band, then she became the vocalist of an electronic band, Bank Machine.

Jackie

She grew up in Richmond Hill which she still considers her hometown. Jackie began singing in her church choir at seven and her successful musical career started at the age of sixteen when she joined a local quartet called "The Tiaras" . She later performed at the Canadian Forces bases across Canada, the South Pacific and the Far East. 

A veteran of the stage and the small and large screens, Jackie forged a very successful acting career with roles in "No! No! Nanette Anything Goes"; "Hello Dolly!"; and “Raisin in the Sun". She became well known for her part in "Ain't Misbehaving" , which earned her a Dora Award. With her glorious voice, it's not surprising that she is in demand. Over the years, she has performed and/or recorded with, among others, Rita Chiarelli, Morgan Davis, Anne Murray, Alannah Myles, Joe Sealy, Ken Whiteley, Kingsley Etienne, Jeff Jones and Michelle Wright. 's own CD, A Woman's View: Child Eyes, which is mainly contemporary jazz, is currently available in music stores. 

In September of 1992, she helped to promote the James Robinson Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies, a worthwhile cause that benefits African Canadians in the field of higher education, history, culture and research.

A dazzling performer, has a powerful and supple voice - it sounds as if it could almost soar to the heavens - and a warm, vibrant stage presence. The music of Jackie is an experience of soul, a profoundly personal synthesis of the remarkable gospel, blues and jazz women she has embodied on stage and screen. It is also a portrait of self - not the showcase of a showboat but a demonstration of songmanship in the service of spirit.

2004 Dora Mavor Moore Winner for Best Female Principal Role in a Musical for Cookin’ at the Cookery: The Music & Times of Alberta Hunter, Ms. has received Gemini, Dora, Juno, Jessie, Betty, Toronto Blues Society and NAACP Award Nominations. 

Serena Ryder

Serena Ryder has been knocking people out on the concert and festival circuit since she burst onto the scene a year ago. Just 21 years old, this Peterborough native has a huge vocal range, a remarkable collection of original tunes, and a fearless approach to performing. 

Like many young musicians, Serena is from a performing family; her mom was a touring back-up singer, while her father, originally from Trinidad, was a working percussionist. Serena carries on this musical tradition in her own way; her rootsy music is diverse, including elements of folk, rock, pop, jazz, blues, and country. 

Serena's 3-octave voice growls, struts, scat, and demands like nothing you would expect from anyone but a seasoned pro. She backs up her strong vocals with catchy acoustic guitar and expert songwriting. Serena also plays the mandolin and harmonica. No one would guess by her voice, musicianship or stage presence, that Serena is just 21 years old. Her casualness and sincerity give audiences a taste of her compassionate and grounded personality. 

To date, Serena has released 4 independent solo albums. She is currently working on writing and recording her next release -- her North American debut -"Unlikely Emergency'" due out in early summer 2004. 

"Like listening to the teenaged Aretha Franklin, it's impossible not to be physically shaken when this 20-year-old from Peterborough, Ont., sings.." Elle, October 2003 

"Ryder...strikes one...as a combination of Patsy Cline and Janis Joplin. Add a little Tracy Chapman and Etta James and you've got the picture. Pipes. Presence. Potential." No Depression 

"Serena Ryder...a label deal and the production smarts of Hawksley Workman, help bring a sensational voice to the rest of the world" Applaud 2004 

Dawn Tyler Watson

Dawn Tyler Watson was born in Manchester England, and raised in Ontario where she began singing in the church at the age of 5. By the age of ten she had picked up the violin, and by thirteen, the guitar. She began her professional career while studying Jazz at Concordia University in Montreal. She studied acting as well, which landed her some work in stage and film.

By the time Dawn graduated with her a degree in 94, she was already a seasoned performer and a master of many styles. She had begun performing in local clubs singing Rhythm & Blues, while singing with a well known gospel choir during her spare time. Dawns love for gospel prompted her to form Sister Spirit. The 4-girl a-capella group took the Montreal Gospel scene by storm. Since then, she has developed a unique sound all her own. A sound that crosses the boundaries of many musical styles from Roots and Blues to Jazz, from swing to Rock n Roll.

Dawn began playing guitar and writing original music as an adolescent. She never took her songs very seriously until in November 1997, she was approached by Preservation Records and asked to record something for a the Preservation Blues Review, a compilation they were putting together. Dawn wrote two songs, You Cant Be True and Shoot the Devil practically overnight, which the label eagerly accepted. The tracks, along with a third, an adapted version of the Leadbelly classic Sylvie , went on to receive rave reviews, and Dawnsblues career was launched. 

The band she used in the studio went on to form the Dawn Tyler Blues Project, and within six months after their inception, had opened for the likes of Chris Duarte and Colin James, and had played to over 8000 eager blues fans at the second biggest Jazz festival in the world. 

Four years later, Dawn is still a festival favorite, and has toured extensively with her group, as well as en duo with veteran Quebec rocker, John McGale of Offenbach fame. She has become a major force on the Canadian and International blues scenes.

A vibrant and versatile performer, Dawn keeps herself busy with her various projects. Weather performing to a crowd of 1500 at a Milan discotheque, getting funky with her band The Jamm at one of Montreals hotspots, or singing standards with some of Canadas finest at Biddles Jazz club, Dawn is at home on stage.

Already an accomplished performer and a force on the Canadian Blues scene with the Dawn Tyler Blues Project, this singer/songwriter has a style that incorporates her many influences into a fresh new sound. She has just finished her debut album entitled: Ten Dollar Dress. The long awaited effort is chock full of personality, just like the artist herself. For although she has been dubbed the Princess of the Blues, her approach to singing that music is much more than the old My Mama done told me.