Maple Blues Online - Loose Blues News

Richard Flohil to receive OCFF Estelle Klein Award: Richard Flohil, veteran music publicist, promoter and personality (and a valued member of the TBS Programming Committee), who earlier this year received the Toronto Blues Society's "Blues With A Feeling" lifetime achievement award at the Maple Blues Awards, will receive the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals' 6th annual Estelle Klein Award in honour of more than four decades of service to the folk music community. The award will be presented at a special ceremony during a gala dinner at 20th OCFF conference, in Ottawa, Ontario, October 12-15, 2006. Says Flohil's longtime colleague Holger Petersen of the honour, "I'm absolutely delighted to see Richard receive this reward. His contribution to folk music in Canada goes back to the mid 60s. From personally having worked with him at Stony Plain records, the Edmonton Folk Festival in the mid-eighties, and the Mariposa Folk Festival, I understand his commitment and genuine love for folk music and the people involved in it. One of the things I really admire is his dedication to discovering new artists. More than anyone I know, he just loves to take brand new talent and help them, and does it over and over again. Not just musicians and songwriters but all kinds of people from outside Toronto looking for jobs in the industry. He's always trying to open doors for people." The vast range of musicians he has promoted and nurtured includes k.d. lang, Colin James, Downchild Blues Band, Loreena McKennitt, Serena Ryder, Paul Reddick, Roxanne Potvin, and Justin Rutledge. He has presented concerts with Muddy Waters, Ry Cooder, Miles Davis, Benny Goodman, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits, and The Cheiftans. In addition to Stony Plain Records, he has worked with NorthernBlues and Borealis Records, and continues to present some 20 club shows a year around Toronto.

Rod Phillips Trust Fund Benefit: Accomplished Toronto musician Rod Phillips has been diagnosed with throat cancer. Rod is no stranger to the music scene, having played with Lighthouse, Rita Chiarelli and Morgan Davis among others; and his own bands, Midnite Walk, Sparkjiver, and The Pie Guys. His organ and piano work appear on countless recordings, and over the years he has been a teacher to many. Money is going to be a very important issue over the next few months, as music is his life and livelihood. His friends and family produced a benefit event to help with some of his expenses. More news on future upcoming events, and the recording and release of a new CD, showcasing some of Rod's unreleased original music, to follow. For any information, contact Steve Grisbrook, 416-450-9851, fax:416-255-5551, stevegrisbrook@rogers.com.

Richard Bell: Another prominent local musician, Richard Bell, has been hospitalized, gravely ill with cancer. Bell is a producer and keyboardist whose long history includes The Band, and Colin Linden, as well as scores of others. Cards and other tokens of your thoughts can be sent to L.R. Bell, B Wing, 4th Floor, Room 30, Bed 01, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, M4N 3M5. Although heavily medicated, he's reportedly in good spirits - Family are constantly present, including his 91 year-old mother.

For Billy/Para Billy: There will be a fundraiser at Lula Lounge on August 20 for popular drummer and producer Billy Bryans who's been laid up in a battle with cancer. Billy is best known in the blues community as the producer of the first Downchild album and is the drummer with Parachute Club. Madagascar Slim and numerous others will be performing. For more info visit www.lula.ca.

Back Alley John remembered: Sandy Smith advises that "one of Canada's truest blues men, a man who, for those who knew him, was bigger than life itself, passed away (last month) in Calgary, Alberta. Back Alley John lived for music and nothing else. Music was his life and he lived it hard. His music moved people from a place so deep inside themselves it was as if he spoke directly to their soul, and he could literally change your life. I know he changed mine. I played with Back Alley more, and for longer, some 25 years all told, than any other living musician on the planet and knew him to be perhaps the most devout disciple of music and song that I ever met. He and his music are the stuff of Canadian legend, and he will be truly missed".

Passings: Sam Myers passed away mid-July at home in Dallas, Texas. "Sammy" recorded on Canadian label Electro-Fi for his 2004 disc "Coming From The Old School", a recording he was very pleased with, and it was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award as Traditional Blues Album of the Year. Just before his passing, Living Blues magazine awarded Myers their "Critics Award" as Best Harmonica Player. Electro-Fi Records president Andrew Galloway calls him a "true gentleman and Blues Legend of the first degree. Sam Myers will truly be missed". More details are available at www.sweetsammyers.com. Jessie Mae Hemphill also passed away this month after being admitted to the critical care unit at The Med hospital in Memphis.

Chicago's Diner Dashed: The Steve Payne & Michael Pickett show on July1 at Chicago's Diner on Queen West in Toronto literally shut the house down. The following day, the venue closed for "renovations", but we're advised that the entire building will be rebuilt over the next 9 to 12 months; a bar may or may not reopen in the new structure, and will not likely include live music.

The Bayou Bye-Bye: A similar fate has succumbed the Bayou in Ottawa, a most blues-friendly venue that has also closed its doors. Our regards to Jed for his support of the music.

In happier news: Last month, Toronto guitarist, trumpet player and bandleader Jeff Healey marked the 5th anniversary of the busy downtown Toronto club that bears his name. He hosted a celebration featuring special guest Ray Benson, the leader of Asleep at the Wheel. Benson, who has fronted the Texas-based Western Swing band for more than 35 years, is a huge admirer of Healey's playing, and this marks his second visit to Toronto to play for his friend. Healey returned the favour three months prior, when he flew to Austin to play at Benson's 60th birthday party. Benson also brought his band's fiddle player and guitarist, Jason Roberts. www.jeffhealey.co.

Canadian Music Week are now accepting applications for showcase spots at the 2007 Rogers Wireless Canadian Music Week Festival, running March 7 to March 10, 2007 at selected venues throughout downtown Toronto. The deadline for applications is October 15, 2006. This year's submissions will be taken exclusively through Sonicbids at www.sonicbids.com/cmw2007. All entrants for 2007 will receive a free year's subscription to Canadian Musician magazine. As well, all applicant artists/bands, whether chosen or not to perform, will receive one complimentary delegate pass to the TUNEUP 2007 Conference courtesy of Rogers Media. For additional information, visit www.cmw.net.

"Singin' the Blues" Finalist in Two TV Cogeco Star Award categories: The Highlight Show from "Singin' The Blues" - a 10 episode Series on the 2005 Smiths Falls Blues Festival produced by TVCOGECO Smiths Falls - was a finalist in two categories - Best Entertainment Program and Best Event Coverage - at the recent TVCOGECO Star Awards in Burlington. The Show competed against entries from other systems in the TVCOGECO Ontario network. "Singin' The Blues" was produced by Ron Harrison and Shaun Wright of TVCOGECO Smiths Falls, with sound edited, mixed and mastered by local Producer Tim Greencorn. The Series features some of Canada's best blues artists performing live at last summer's Festival including Downchild Blues Band, Jack de Keyzer, Mel Brown, Paul Reddick, Rick Fines, Suzie Vinnick, Paul James, Roxanne Potvin, The Bebop Cowboys, and the one hour Grande Finale Highlight Show. The Series ran on the Smiths Falls/Brockville TVCOGECO Community Cable channel one show per week from February through April 2006, and is currently being re-broadcast every Friday night at 10 pm. "Singin' The Blues" was very well received at the Star Award Ceremony and will soon be available through Video On Demand (VOD) free of charge to all Cogeco digital customers in Ontario and Quebec. Other TVCOGECO channels in Ontario have shown interest in broadcasting the Series. In total TVCOGECO reaches over 591,000 cable households in Ontario.

5th Annual Taj Mahal Fishin' Tournament: Music Maker proudly announces the 5th Annual Taj Mahal Fishin' Blues Tournament, February 4 to 10, 2007 in Playa Zancudo, Costa Rica. www.musicmaker.org. "Your cure for the Winter Blues - this event brings together Taj Mahal's two great passions - Blues and Billfishing - in support of his favorite cause, the Music Maker Relief Foundation. Roy's Zancudo Lodge is home to over 50 world records, and provides amazing sport fishing off the Pacific coast of gorgeous Costa Rica. The lodge overlooks the stunning beaches of Playa Zancudo and will be exclusively ours for the week. The event features three days of off-shore fishing aboard one of Roy's state-of-the-art, dual-powered 28-foot center console fishing machines. We fish two anglers to a boat in this all-release tournament.

To promote conservation, we use nothing but circle hooks and release all billfish. In the past years anglers have caught big blue marlin, monster back marlin and scores of sailfish. We also land a mixed bag of dorado (mahi-mahi), wahoo and yellow fin tuna for some fresh fillets. We'll fish by day and groove to the blues by night. Our last day in Zancudo we'll have a bit of relaxation and then invite the whole island down for a big concert.

This event is limited to 30 lucky anglers. So, bring your friends, bring your kid (if they are over 16), but sign up today so you don't miss out on the fun! We are also holding a Fishin' Raffle - tickets are $100 and we'll only sell 110 tickets. The winner gets entrance to the tournament for 2 ^ an $11,000 value. The entrance fee for this year's tournament is $5,500 per person (this fee includes a $2,500 tax deductible donation). This includes all travel, transfers, accommodations (double occupancy), fishin' fees, food and drink in Zancudo from Miami or Atlanta (additional travel fees may apply from other cities of origin).

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Electro-Fi recording artist Mark Hummel (top left) brings his Harmonica Blowout Tour featuring fellow harp legends Magic Dick (from J. Geils Band), Jerry Portnoy (Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton) and Lee Oskar to the Silver Dollar on Monday August 21st (8pm start). Mark will also be celebrating the release of his new CD Ain't Easy No More.