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Published June 14, 2011 in Loose Blues News, News

June 2011 – Vol. 27, No. 6

Julian Fauth update: The hardest working bluesman in this town is going to be out of work for the next while and friends and fans are coming to the rescue. On the eve of his Western Canadian tour, Julian took a very serious fall in his hotel room shower and suffered a badly broken right shoulder. The expert medical opinion is that Julian will be out of action for up to six months in order to recover fully. So Ross Robinson of Toronto Blues and Andrew Galloway of Electro-Fi Records are inviting Julian’s many friends and fans to come out and enjoy two very special benefit performances which will help raise some badly needed funds to assist Julian in his recovery. The first will be held on Tuesday June 28th at Hugh’s Room with Harrison Kennedy, Treasa Levasseur, Paul Reddick, Donne Roberts and Bobby Dean Blackburn. July 20th at Hollywood on the Queensway there will be another fundraiser with  Shakura S’Aida, David Rotundo Band, Raoul Bhaneja and the Chris Antonik Band. The entire blues community is rallying to support our “favourite son”.  Tracy K has donated part of the proceeds of her CD sales when she sailed through town on her CD release tour and more contributions will be pouring in for Julian, an artist everyone admires and who has never been known to say no to helping out an artist in need. The ever-self-effacing Julian writes on his website: “I’d like to apologize to everyone I’ve let down. Hopefully I`ll be able to make up for it when I get better. I was very disappointed to cancel my western tour and the gigs I had booked for June and July.”

Music From The Big House: The soundtrack to this riveting documentary is now available and a few ‘extras’ have been added. Check it out and if you’d like to order …it is available in stores (Outside Distribution in Canada, Burnside in the USA) available on iTunes and www.maplemusic.ca or snail mail right from www.ritachiarelli.com.

Little Miss Higgins to open for k.d. lang tour in UK: Shortly after finishing a triumphant 18-date debut tour of the UK in April, Little Miss Higgins is returning to those shores as the opening act for Canadian music legend k.d. lang on a 6-date tour of England and Scotland. “I have admired her music and her voice ever since I can remember.” says Little Miss Higgins. “She is a legendary artist.  Being a fellow Canadian, and fellow Albertan, I have heard her music and her name across the country. She is a true inspiration.  It will be an honour to open for her and meet her.” The UK concert tour starts at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham on May 30th and ends at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow on June 6th.

 Little Miss Higgins has spent the past year touring behind Across The Plains, which was released in April 2010. The album was recorded at the Bedside Studios in Winnipeg and was co-produced by singer/songwriter Jaxon Haldane and Little Miss Higgins.  .

Jeff Healey Park: Etobicoke Councillor Peter Milczyn invites you to join him at the unveiling and official naming of Jeff Healey Park (formerly Woodford Park) in Ward 5 on Sunday, June 5th, 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. The location is the former Woodford Park at 1 Delroy Drive. This renaming by Etobicoke York Community Council in April, is a special tribute to the late Jeff Healey who grew up in Etobicoke, and played in this park both as a teenager and with his young children. The event’s organizing committee has planned various children’s activities, a community barbecue, Craig Douglas, Comic Juggler, live music entertainment by the Jerome Godboo and Friends, Danny Marks, and Jeff Healey’s Jazz Wizards. They will be joined by special guest speaker, Christie Healey, widow of Jeff Healey and many members of Jeff’s family.

Jazz Performance and Education Centre: Later on June 5, 2011 you can hear one of the most exciting sax players on the contemporary jazz scene, Seamus Blake who will be joined by a trio of outstanding Toronto musicians: Dave Restivo on piano, Jim Vivian on bass and Ted Warren on drums. They play the Glenn Gould Studio as part of a concert series by the Jazz Performance and Education Centre (JPEC) who are planning the creation of a first-class, multi-purpose jazz venue in Toronto which will feature performances by top local, national and international jazz talent; educational programming in which fans of all ages can learn about jazz; recording facilities; and a Hall of Fame and Archives which will encompass and preserve Canada’s outstanding jazz heritage and tradition. For more information visit www.jazzcentre.ca.

Remembering the Biscuit: Saturday June 4 and Sunday June 5 the Friends of Richard Newell present the 9th annual “Blues With a Feeling” Concert and Blues Cruise. The shows pay tribute to the late Richard Newell a.k.a. King Biscuit Boy and proceeds fund the Richard Newell Scholarship in the music department of Mohawk College. The Saturday night concert at the Leander Boat Club in Hamilton features Jack de Keyzer, Fathead, The Cameo Blues Band and  Danny Lockwood’s Favourite Grooves. As always Eddie Cookie (Ronnie Copple), an original member of Richard Newell’s Chessmen band of the 1960’s will be there to musically greet everyone. The concert begins at 8 PM and doors open at 7:30. Admission is $25.

The party continues on Sunday with Trickbag’s Blues Cruise of the Hammer – a three hour boat ride/ blues concert on Hamilton Bay. The popular Hamilton band, which backed King Biscuit Boy for a number of years, will be joined by a few special guests including another King Biscuit veteran Sonny Del Rio on sax and one of Canada’s most respected keyboard players Denis Keldie. The $35 admission price for this licensed event also includes food. The party casts off at 6 PM

Tickets for the Leander concert go on sale April 29 at Chedoke Flowers, The Hamilton Spectator, Dr. Disc, Picks and Sticks, Stardust Records, and Looney Tunes (in Burlington). Blues Cruise tickets are only available at Chedoke Flowers. For more information, contact Rob Platsko at [email protected].

The Mississauga Blues & Roots Association is up and running in the Port Credit area. A small and determined group of music lovers plan to bring into the Port Credit area some more and varied music at a number of local venues in the future. For more information please go to the facebook/Mississauga Blues & Roots Association and sign up and you can also contact Johnny Max at [email protected]. Membership fees and scheduled shows will be coming in the next coming months.

Blues Awards: The Blues Foundation inducted Robert Cray, Denise LaSalle, John Hammond, Big Maybelle, Alberta Hunter and J.B. Lenoir into the Blues Hall of Fame, and partied with a seven plus hour celebration acknowledging Blues Award winners in 26 categories, presented by some of the most influential members of the Blues community. The show opened with a blues set by The Steve Miller Band and ended with Best New Artist Matt Hill. This year’s big winner was Buddy Guy who won the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award. Guy took four additional awards with Album, Contemporary Blues Album, Contemporary Blues Artist and Song of the Year, which he shared with Tom Hambridge.

Todd Park Mohr, leader of Big Head Todd’s Blues Club, presented two Blues Music Awards to Candy Burke, daughter of the late Solomon Burke. Jason Lee presented the Traditional Blues Album of the Year award to Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith for his joint CD with the late Pinetop Perkins for their 2010 Blind Pig release Joined at the Hip. New Orleans piano institution Dr. John won Pinetop’s namesake award for Piano Player of the Year. Tony Rogers accepted a posthumous BMA for his late wife, Robin Rogers, as Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year. Of this year’s event, The Blues Foundation Executive Director Jay Sieleman said, “There is great reverence and celebration within this event but the real value is incomparable music by performer after performer.”

For those who were unable to attend this epic event in Memphis, The Blues Foundation will make The Blues Music Awards ceremony available on DVD later this year. It will include all the evening’s winners and performances. For more information, visit www.blues.org.

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The Toronto Blues Society acknowledges the annual support of the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage, and project support from FACTOR< and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Broadcasters, The Canada Council for the Arts, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.