Maple Blues Online - Loose Blues News

Calvin Cook (right) is one of the true innovators of the 10-string pedal steel guitar and a pioneer of the "Sacred Steel" sound. He was one of Detroit's best kept secrets even though he's been performing at the House of God on the city's eastside for 45 years. His new CD is produced by his longtime protege, Robert Randolph. He will be appearing in our area on Sunday March 4, first with Ken Whiteley at Hugh's Room in Toronto for a 2pm show and later that night at the Heartwood Blues Benefit at the Stampede Corral in Kitchener

Jeff Healey Recovering from Surgery: Toronto guitarist, singer, bandleader, musicologist and radio host Jeff Healey is recovering well from major surgery to remove cancerous tissue from both lungs. Healey is no stranger to the disease, having gone under the knife no less than four times for cancer - first in his eyes as a child, in his left leg twice in the past 18 months, and now in his lungs. The disease was caught early as a result of diligent and regular testing. Healey is expected to make a full recovery and will be back hosting his radio show on Monday nights at 91.1 Jazz FM in Toronto again in February. He also plans to get back on stage at his live music club, Jeff Healey's Roadhouse, which moved in mid-December to 56 Blue Jays Way. The internationally known musician has surprised doctors with his tenacity and speed of recovery after previous operations and fully intends to do so this time. "I'm stretching the definition of the word "indestructible," quipped Jeff from his hospital bed three days after the operation.

Fight Malaria Tour Coming to Toronto: Vieux Farka Toure's February 2 CD release party at Pacha, NYC marks the launch of Vieux's "Fight Malaria" North American tour. Carrying on the legacy of his late father, Ali Farka Toure, who incorporated blues forms into his style of composing, Vieux is scheduled to perform at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre on February 10. On February 16 he'll be playing at the Aeolian Hall Performing Arts Centre in London. Malaria awareness and relief are major driving forces behind the tour with ten per cent of proceeds from album sales being donated to the UNICEF-affiliated Fight Malaria campaign in Mali. www.vieuxfarkatcoure.com

Silver Blues now in DVD: Jack de Keyzer's Silver Blues DVD, a blend of rhythm & blues laced with jazz, funk, soul and swing, was launched this December, while the CD version turned up on several Top 20 Blues CD's of the Year. De Keyzer is currently in the studio mixing a new CD, Blues Thing, which he hopes to have out by April. A lo-fi video clip from the Silver Blues DVD on You Tube can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meXt-CekvHE To order the Silver Blues CD or DVD go to www.jackdekeyzer.com

Guitar Legend Returns to Town: Legendary Blues Guitarist Johnny Winter is playing at the Phoenix Concert Theatre Monday, March 26 with special guest The Scott Holt Band. Since his first appearance on the pages of Rolling Stone in 1968, Winter has epitomized the fiery and flamboyant rock and roll guitar hero. He carries on the Texas tradition of a long line of guitarists from T-Bone Walker to Freddy King. He brings a raw, contemporary edge to the blues with his powerful guitar playing and raspy vocals on hits like "Rock and Roll Hoochie Coo," "Still Alive and Well" and his sizzling interpretation of Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisted." A multi Grammy-nominated guitarist, Winter's storied career began when he was 14. With his keyboard-wizard brother Edgar Winter, he formed Johnny and the Jammers in their hometown of Beaumont, Texas. The Jammers' supercharged blues-rock became a regional phenomenon. As word spread, Muddy Waters and B.B. King invited Winter to join them on stage when they were passing through town. Tickets are $36.50 in advance at Ticketmaster, www.ticketmaster.ca, Rotate This, Soundscapes, and by phone at 416 870-8000.

20th Anniversay Bash: Special guests will help celebrate C'est What's 20th anniversary on Tuesday, February 13 from 7 to 9 pm at 67 Front Street East. Many of today's leading independent musicians, such as Barenaked Ladies, Hawksley Workman, Sarah Harmer, and Jewel, first got their road legs on the stage at C'est What. Toronto's first venue to stream all its live shows online, C'est What hopes to make the next 20 years of breakthrough performances available without the constraints of traditional music consumption. "Traditional radio is a one-way monologue," says Music Director Crispin Giles. "Internet streaming allows for a dialogue without interrupting the most important thing- the music." Performances will be archived to help support artists with web space. To watch the next generation of stars, log into www.whatsnext.ca or connect iTunes directly at http://70.87.39.60:8015. To rsvp for the anniversary bash go to www.cestwhat.com/whatsnext/default2.asp

Changes Coming to CBC Radio's Music Programming: Starting March 19, CBC Radio's classical music station Radio Two is adding jazz and contemporary programming to its lineup. At the same time, its sister station Radio One is aiming for more talk and drama and less music. Of special note to blues fans is the move of Holger Petersen's Saturday Night Blues from 11 to 10 pm on Radio One. And on Radio Two, a new jazz show will begin everyday from 6 to 8 p.m. Weekday anchor will be current Jazz Beat host Katie Malloch, while jazz musician and broadcaster Tim Tamashiro will host on weekends. As well on Radio Two, a new live performance show will be starting up from 8 to 10 pm everyday, bringing the best of regional music to a national stage. The weekday edition will be hosted nationally by Matt Galloway.

Bama Bound: Find out about Canadian singer/songwriter Danny Brooks' meeting with legendary Capricorn Records producer Johnny Sandlin. The full story on www.dannybrooksmusic.com/bamabound.asp chronicles, first and second meetings in Decatur, Alabama which led to a record with famed Muscle Shoal, Alabama luminaries David Hood, Spooner Oldham, Bill Stewart, Scott Boyer, and Kelvin Holly. A heartfelt insight on the trip down to work with these musicians and the sessions at Johnny Sandlin's Ducktape Studio, a shrine to all things Southern Soul.

Grand River CD Release Party: The Grand River Blues Society is releasing Got Mojo at Kitchener's The Boathouse on Sunday, February 25, 2007. Featured artists on the CD, including Mel Brown, Shawn Kellerman, Charity Brown, and Daddy Long Legs, will perform at the release party. Starting at 3 pm, admission is free. www.grandriverblues.org

New Release by Whiteboy Slim: Desmond and Hodi Records announce the release of the new CD by Whiteboy Slim, aptly named aka Whiteboy Slim. Featuring an international cast highlighted by Australian Blues great Henry Correy on bass, the CD hit the streets in late November. The recording has ten original tracks plus four blues classics. It manages to incorporate jazz, funk, hiphop, and electronica into a soul stew that still remains undeniably blues. Available at retail outlets as well as online at CDbaby.com, fatbluescat.com, and bullfrogmusic.com.

New Blues E-Zine: Check out the new Hardlineblues e-zine, which contains interviews with blues stars, a roving calendar of events across North America, and CD reviews. An offshoot of the Edmonton-based Hardline Blues Band, the e-zine also includes links to blues societies in North America and beyond. It is updated every Monday. www.hardlineblues.com

Blind Lemon Top 20 Canadian Blues Albums: John Campbelljohn's "The Weight of the World" has come in at number one on the Blind Lemon Top 20 Canadian Blues Albums of 2006. http://www.geocities.com/chmrshows/blindlemon.html. Blind Lemon Blues airs every Monday from 9 to 10 pm on 93.5 CHMR-FM in St. John's Newfoundland. It can also be heard on the web via MP3 Stream or Real Audio at www.mun.ca/chmr.

Musicians Take Note: Send your listings to listings@torontobluessociety.com and make sure the text "Maple Blues" and the name of your venue or band appears in the subject line of all your listings submissions. The 18th of the previous month is the deadline. Do not send attachments, jpgs or HTML (styled text) messages with your listings and provide all the essential information (preferably in this order): Venue Name, Venue Address, Venue Phone. Date, Artist.

Tate's Vintage Gallery

Here is another in our ongoing series of revealing portraits of relatively obscure artists who dared to be different written by Blues aficionado and reporter Gary Tate. Gary welcomes your comments at gmtgt@yahoo.com.

Ted Hawkins: Grizzled busker Ted Hawkins was a mainstay at Venice Beach, California along with his ever-present guitar and milk crate for a stool. Enchanting both locals and vacationers with wonderful renditions of Sam Cooke, Brook Benton, and Curtis Mayfield songs, the attentive also heard sensitive compositions that reflected the man's inner soul. That weathered, yet uplifting voice, stopped listeners dead in their tracks.

Although Hawkins was "discovered" by Bruce Bromberg of Hitone Records, it would take another 20 years before he went "legit" and discontinued sidewalk serenading. Those decades as a soul-drenched Folk artist singing on boardwalks added a "one-of-a-kind" dimension to your typical singer/songwriter profile.

"Songs from Venice Beach" from 1986 served as his introduction, but "The Next Hundred Years" released in 1994" put him firmly on a wider audience map.

Hawkin's life is proof that timeless music is often the product of the most dire circumstances, given he surmounted grinding poverty, jail, maternal abandonment, and years of aimlessly drifting across the United States.

Thankfully, before he passed on New Year's Day 1995, Hawkins experienced the joys of success, performing in clubs like the Bottom Line and CBGB's in New York, The Fillmore in San Francisco, and overseas in places like Dublin, Amsterdam, and Hamburg. Ted Hawkins made our lives much richer.

Get involved! The TBS is looking for volunteers for its upcoming events. Volunteers receive free admission to events and other perks. To find out how, call the office now!

Members, please send us your current email address to ensure that you receive all the latest blues news including information about very special deals for TBS members. Email to: info@torontobluessociety.com

TBS MERCH AVAILABLE ONLINE

To make it easier for you to own a new TBS T-Shirt or other merchandise, we have added secure transactions on our website to allow you to buy merchandise over the Internet.
Visit our merch page.

You may also take advantage of our Secure On-line Processing to renew your membership with a VISA card at our join up page.

NEW! WBR LIVE CD!

20 YEARS DOUBLE CD STILL AVAILABLE!