Events / Press
Releases / MapleBlues
Magazine / Join TBS / Contact Info
BluesBook
Online / TBS Listserv / Links
/ Live Blues / Background
/ Marketplace
Mel Brown
at the MBA's
Mel Brown
will be our very special guest at the Maple Blues Awards on January 17th at the Phoenix Concert Hall. Other musical guests are
Suzie Vinnick and Jim Byrnes
from Vancouver, BC. They will be backed up by the all-star Maple Blues Band with
Gary Kendall at the helm. Photo by Gary Collver
Some may call him seasoned, a veteran, or just simply a 'lifer'. But the fact that Mel Brown is one of the hardest working musicians in the Blues community is indisputable. Having worked steadily for close to 50 years, Mel has been able to put his name and his distinct sound on the Blues map. He has worked with a legion of artists including T-Bone Walker, Sonny Boy Williamson, Etta James, John Lee Hooker and many more.
In the late 1960's and early 1970's Mel released 6 LP's between 1967 and 1973 (5 LP's and 1 "best of LP"). They were all on either ABC Impulse or ABC Bluesway. He also holds the precedent of being the only guitarist ever signed to the A.B.C. records Impulse jazz label. Mel has also performed on television including The Steve Allen Show, The Bill Cosby Show and the long running Jerry Lewis Telethon. During the 1980's Mel was a member of the house band at Antone's night club, in Austin, Texas. He also toured with The Silent Partners. The Silent Partners recorded one album, which is available from Antones Records. Mel Brown and the Homewreckers released their first album "Live at Wally's" in 1998, which was at long last re-released on the Electro-Fi label in 2002. In 2001, Mel Brown and the Homewreckers released the highly acclaimed album "Neck Bones & Caviar", which was subsequently awarded the W.C. Handy Award for the "Best Comeback Album of the Year" and was also nominated for a Juno award for "Best Blues Album of the Year" in Canada.
Despite his ongoing health issues, 2004 was a busy year for Mel Brown. In January he was awarded the Maple Blues "Blues with a Feeling" Award (Toronto Blues Society Lifetime Achievement). He both played on and co-produced "Coming From The Old School" by his friend Sam Myers, which was recently nominated for a W.C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. Mr. Brown also produced Electro-Fi Records soon to be released "That's the Way I Tumble" by his partner and fellow Blues belter, Miss Angel. His phenomenal 1967 debut "Chicken Fat" was re-issued on CD for the first time and earned a 5 star review in Rolling Stone magazine. A very impressive resume indeed.
2005 will prove to be another stellar year for our Mel. He will be off to a good start in January as he joins the Maple Blues Band as part of the Maple Blues Awards gala. The Maple Blues Awards is Canada's national Blues awards program. Its goal is to promote Blues music across Canada, and to recognize outstanding achievement in the field. The nominees are selected by a distinguished panel of Blues DJs and journalists from across Canada. The evening will feature great music by the Maple Blues Band, comprised entirely of Maple Blues Awards winners and nominees. Joining the band on stage this year alongside Mel will be special guests Jim Byrnes (nominee for Recording of the Year, Male Vocalist of! the Year), Suzie Vinnick (nominee and past winner, Female Vocalist of the Year). The Maple Blues Awards will be held on January 17 at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto. For a complete listing of MBA nominees, visit www.torontobluessociety.com/mba. General admission tickets for the awards gala can be purchased from Ticketmaster.
- Sarah French