September 2022 – Bywater Call
Published August 30, 2022 in John's Blues Picks
Bywater Call Remain Gypsy Soul
John’s Blues Picks is the monthly album review column originally launched by the late Toronto-based blues historian and broadcaster, John Valenteyn. Submission can be sent to the TBS office for consideration and will be circulated to a pool of journalists and others for review in the monthly Maple Blues newsletter and placed at the Spotify playlist.
September 2022 – Charlie Musselwhite
Published August 30, 2022 in John's Blues Picks
Charlie Musselwhite Mississippi Son
September 2022 – Lyle Odjick & the Northern Steam
Published August 30, 2022 in John's Blues Picks
Lyle Odjick & the Northern Steam Through The Rain
September 2022 – Shemekia Copeland
Published August 30, 2022 in John's Blues Picks
Shemekia Copeland Done Come Too Far Alligator
August 2022 – Jay Douglas
Published July 28, 2022 in John's Blues Picks
My two major intersections with Jay are touchstones of his career that tell you a lot of about his Jamaican roots. In the nineties I was able to connect Jay with one of his inspirations in a Harbourfront Centre Soul ’n Blues concert with Memphis soul master Rosco Gordon. This revealed how much American radio travelled into Jay’s youth in Jamaica. Sadly Rosco passed away only a couple years later. Our second occasion was a more obvious Jamaican collision given that guitar innovator Ernest Ranglin was at the heart of reggae, ska, mento and his own blend of jazz.
July 2022 – Hogtown Allstars
Published June 27, 2022 in John's Blues Picks
The Hogtown Allstars is not just a group of musicians all having a high level of performance in their field, in effect a musical All Star team. They are all well established artists in their own right, with a musical pedigree that some players could only dream of having. Each player in this band is an award winner that represents the finest in his chosen instrument.
July 2022 – Steve Strongman
Published June 27, 2022 in John's Blues Picks
Over the course of seven previous albums, Hamilton guitar slinger and singer/songwriter Steve Strongman has steadily climbed the Canadian blues ladder. He’s the winner of a Juno (in the 2013 Album of the Year category) and multiple Maple Blues awards, and his signing to Stony Plain/Linus Entertainment in 2020 is further fuelling his career ascent.
June 2022 – Harrison Kennedy
Published June 1, 2022 in John's Blues Picks
Recently turned 80, Harrison Kennedy is rightfully viewed as a valued elder statesman of the Canadian blues community, but he’s not resting on any laurels. Kennedy continues to record and perform at a very high level, so his new offering, Thanks For Tomorrow, has been keenly anticipated.
June 2022 – The Durham County Poets
Published June 1, 2022 in John's Blues Picks
The Durham County Poets are more than just a blues band. They are a collective of talented artists, each well versed in their own field, who combine their influences and styles to create a single cohesive unit capable of some amazing music.
The group consists of Kevin Harvey (lead vocals), David Whyte (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals), Neil Elsmore (acoustic guitar, vocals), Carl Rufh (triple bass, that’s a double bass and a regular bass, trombone, vocals), and Rob Couture (drums, percussion).
