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COLIN LINDEN HOSTS MAPLE BLUES AWARDS AT PHOENIX CONCERT THEATRE
Halifax’s Garrett Mason, Ottawa’s Roxanne Potvin, and Vancouver’s Dave Hoerl are special guests in blues community gathering
MAPLE BLUES AWARDS

What: Canada’s national blues award programme
Where: Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne Street, Toronto
When: Monday, January 16, 2006, doors and buffet 7:00pm, show 8:30pm
Website: www.torontobluessociety.com
Ticket Info: See below

Juno and Grammy-award winning blues legend and True North recording artist Colin Linden will host the Ninth Maple Blues Awards, Canada’s national award programme that promotes and recognizes outstanding achievement in blues music. Linden will also appear with the Maple Blues Band as one of four special musical guests. Reflecting the regional diversity of the nominees, the other performers are Halifax’s Garrett Mason, Vancouver’s David “Hurricane” Hoerl (from The Twisters), and Ottawa’s Roxanne Potvin.

The awards will be presented by celebrities from the blues industry including Stony Plain Records president, Order of Canada Recipient, and CBC Radio One’s “Saturday Night Blues” host Holger Petersen, Jazz-FM91s “Bluez FM” host Danny Marks, Canada’s queen of the blues Sue Foley, Grammy award-winning musicologist Rob Bowman, Rez Bluez producer and host Elaine Bomberry, AM 1430’s “Sunday Night Soul” hosts Chuck Jackson and Johnny Max, Montreal’s CHOM FM blues DJ Randy Renaud, and Halifax Daily News music writer Sandy MacDonald. The International Artist of the Year Award will be presented by Jay Sieleman, director of the U.S. Blues Foundation based in Memphis.

The awards show will be the culmination of an exciting weekend of great blues. On Sunday January 15, the Toronto Blues Society will present special “Blues Warm-up” showcase concerts by eight great blues acts at Healey’s (178 Bathurst Street, Toronto) and Chicago’s Diner (334 Queen Street West, Toronto). Featuring both Maple Blues nominees and other notable blues acts, the rocking showcases at Healey’s will kick off with Toronto Blues Society 2005 Talent Search winners and New Artist of the Year nominee Wickens-Knight. Also taking the stage will be British roots music legend Steve Payne, Toronto vocal sensation Ndidi Onukwulu, and blues roots rockers Mr. Rick and the Biscuits. Over at Chicago’s, gospel shouter Danny Brooks, harmonica wizard Jerome Godboo, sultry chanteuse Shakura S’Aida, and urban storyteller Brian Blain will showcase some of the best Canadian blues on offer. All showcases are pay-what-you-can and open to the public.

The blues continues on Monday afternoon at Monarch’s Pub (in the Delta Chelsea Hotel, 33 Gerard Street West, Toronto) with a very special Fireside Chat with promoter, publicist, journalist, editor and music-industry fixture Richard Flohil, this year’s Blues Booster in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the blues over a span of 40 years in the business, who will be interviewed by Brad Wheeler from the Globe & Mail and the Toronto Star’s Greg Quill. This meet and greet opportunity will also feature a live musical performance by Black and Tan recording artist Harrison Kennedy of Hamilton, who is nominated in three categories this year.

Maple Blues Awards nominees are selected by a distinguished panel of blues experts from across Canada, and winners are selected by the online votes of Canadian blues fans. The full list of nominees is available at www.mapleblues.ca.

The awards gala will be held on Monday, January 16, 2006 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre (410 Sherbourne Street, Toronto). Tickets are available through Ticketpro (www.ticketpro.ca, 1-866-908-9090). Doors are at 7PM with a buffet by Southern Accent and the show begins at 8:30PM.

The Maple Blues Awards are supported by Prime Sponsor Cordova Bay, FACTOR and the Government of Canada through the Canadian Music Fund, GALAXIE – CBC’s Continuous Music Network, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, KMP Designs Inc., CBC Radio/Saturday Night Blues, Sam the Record Man, Stony Plain Records, Steve’s Music Store/Pearl Drums, Lee Oskar Harmonicas, and Long & McQuade, St. John’s Music/Yamaha Music Canada, and Fusion 3 Distribution/Justin Time Records.

Media Contact:
Toronto Blues Society
416-538-3885
[email protected]