Blues Summit 6 Archive

About Delegates Schedule Showcase Artists Keynote Sponsors

The bi-annual Blues Summit 6 conference at the Delta Chelsea Hotel brought together the blues industry from around Canada and beyond during the weekend of January 18-21, 2013

The conference was be extended to include an additional evening of showcases on Friday Jan 18, featuring a line-up from Electro Fi Records and additional showcasing artists in Monarchs Pub as well as the Market Garden. Saturday Jan 19 featured an opening reception in Monarchs Pub followed by SOCAN Songs and Stories, which was preceeded by the showcases scheduled for later that night. On Saturday and Sunday, there was an additional acoustic showcase room on the 27th floor of the hotel (Deck 27). The keynote brunch on Sunday featured a speech by Holger Petersen followed by a festival speed pitch for artists to speak directly to festival directors, and then an afternoon of panels. There were additional panels on Monday, leading up to the 16th annual Maple Blues Awards which took place at Koerner Hall at 7pm (ticketed separately from the conference). The weekend was a valuable opportunity to network with the blues industry inside the walls of the Delta Chelsea Hotel in the heart of downtown Toronto.

Delegates

Maggie	Almond	CFBX	Kamloops, BC
Vince	Almond	CFBX	Kamloops, BC
Lance	Anderson	Orillia Spring Blues Festival / Shakura S’Aida	Orillia, ON
Derek	Andrews	Toronto Blues Society	Toronto, ON
Chris	Antonik	Artist	Toronto, ON
Mike	Archer	The 24th Street Wailers
Francine	Aubrey	A Portrait of Blues in Canada	Ottawa, ON
Drew	Austin	Irene Torres & The Sugar Devils	Toronto, ON
Norma	Bailey	Orangeville Blues & Jazz Festival	Orangeville, ON
Brent	Bain	FACTOR	Toronto, ON
Ann	Barker	Ticketpro	Barrie, ON
Velma	Barkwell	East End Music Productions	Oshawa, ON
David	Barnard	Department of Canadian Heritage	Toronto, ON
Richard	Barry	Big Trouble Band	Toronto, ON
Tim	Bastmeyer	Artist	Toronto, ON
Chris	Bennett	Indie Soul Records	Toronto, ON
Raoul	Bhaneja	Artist	Toronto, ON
Dave	Booth	Whistle Radio	Stouffville, ON
Diana	Braithwaite	Artist	Toronto, ON
Dave	Brennan	Ottawa Blues Society	Ottawa, ON
Michael Jerome	Browne	Artist	Montreal, QC
Melanie	Brulee	Artist	Toronto, ON
Natalie	Buckley	Toronto Blues Society	Toronto, ON
Stan	Budgell	Saskatoon Blues Society	Saskatoon, SK
Steve	Butler	Paquin Entertainment	Toronto, ON
Laura	Carbone	Photographer	New York, NY
Rita	Chiarelli	Mad Iris Music Inc	Hamilton, ON
Nicole	Christian	Artist	Hamilton, ON
Marilyn	Clarke	Bruce County Blues	Kincardine, ON
Rick	Clarke	Lighthouse Blues Festival	Kincardine, ON
Michael	Cloeren	Pennsylvania Blues Festival	Philadelphia, PA
Claude	Cloutier	Kitchener Blues Festival	Kitchener, ON
Dave	Cool	Bandzoogle	Montreal, QC
Peter	Dammann	Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival	Portland, OR
Morgan	Davis	Artist	Halifax, NS
Jack	de Keyzer	Artist	Hamilton, ON
David	DeWolfe	Dutch Mason Blues Festival	Truro, NS
Traney	De Vries		Toronto, ON
Brent	Diab		Gatineau, QC
Cecile	Doo-Kingue	Musician	Montreal, QC
James	Doran	Choose the Blues Productions	Kenmore, ON
Don	Dore		Roslin, ON
Shawn	Dore		Frankford, ON
Lucie	Dufault	Toronto Blues Society	Toronto, ON
Bill	Durst	Artist	St. Marys, ON
Jennifer	Eisler	Jane Harbury Publicity	Toronto, ON
Sharon	Evans	Toronto Blues Society	Toronto, ON
Roberta	Faria	Mad Iris Music Inc	Hamilton, ON
Rick	Fenton	Winnipeg BBQ & Blues Festival	Winnipeg, MB
Rico	Ferrara	Blues For A Big Town	Toronto, ON
Todd	Fitzsimmons	New York State Blues Festival	Syracuse, NY
Sarah	French	Sarah French Publicity	Stratford, ON
Kristin	Fung	The Distillery	Vancouver, BC
Andrew	Galloway	Electro-Fi Records	Toronto, ON
Kathy	Gillespie	Terry Gillespie	Vankleek Hill, ON
Terry	Gillespie	Artist	Vankleek Hill, ON
Maurice	Ginzer	Calgary International Blues Festival	Calgary, AB
Jerome	Godboo	Artist	Toronto, ON
Josh	Gordon	The Blazers	Toronto, ON
Lise	Goyer		Montreal, QC
Dan	Greenwood	SOCAN	Toronto, ON
Luc	Guilbaut	Carolyn Fe Blues Collective	Montreal, QC
Bruce	Hall	Grand River Blues Society	Kitchener, ON
Shawn	Hall	The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer	Nanaimo, BC
Thomas	Hanes	Music Africa	Toronto, ON
Daisy	Hanna	Montreal Blues Society	Montreal, QC
Jane	Harbury	OCFF	Toronto, ON
John	Harrison	West Coast Blues Festival	Goderich, ON
Neil	Hendry	The Distillery	Saskatoon, SK
Mike	Hilliard	Sabrina Weeks & Swing Cat Bounce	Kamloops, BC
Scott	Hilliard	Swing Cat Bounce	Kamloops, BC
Scott	Honsberger	Music Ontario	Toronto, ON
Holmes	Hook	Hugh’s Room	Toronto, ON
Rene	Huard	Rene Huard Music	Toronto, ON
Coralie	Hummel	SOCAN	Toronto, ON
Irene	Ippersiel	Montreal Blues Society	Quebec
Tom	Jardin	Victory Communications	Oshawa, ON
	Jman	DAWG FM	Ottawa, ON
Bill	Johnson	Artist	Victoria, BC
Donald Ray	Johnson	Artist	Calgary, AB
Linda	Johnson	Donald Ray Johnson	Calgary, AB
JW	Jones	Artist	Ottawa, ON
Raven	Kanatakta	Digging Roots	Barrie, ON
Tamara	Kater	OCFF	Toronto, ON
Keely	Kemp	OMDC	Toronto, ON
Harrison	Kennedy	Artist	Hamilton, ON
Bill	King	Beaches International Jazz Festival	Toronto, ON
Barbara	Klunder	Visual Artist	Toronto, ON
Jon	Knight	Jon Knight & Soulstack	Kitchener, ON
Steve	Kozak	Steve Kozak’s West Coast All-Stars	Burnaby, BC
Susan	Kozak	Steve Kozak’s West Coast All-Stars	Burnaby, BC
Earl	Krushelnicki	EGK Promotions	Prince George, BC
Larry	Kurtz	Orangeville Blues & Jazz Festival	Orangeville, ON
Yannick	Lambert	Donnacona Blues Festival	Donnacona, QC
Frederic	Lamoureux	Montreal Jazz Festival	Montreal, QC
Michele	Langlois	Downtown Kingston	Kingston, ON
Rene	Lavoie	Canada Council for the Arts	Ottawa, ON
Bob	LeDrew	OCFF	Ottawa, ON
Diane	Leduc Doran	Choose the Blues Productions	Kenmore, ON
Treasa	Levasseur	Slim Chicken Enterprises	Toronto, ON
Patricia	Lever	DAWG FM	Ottawa, ON
Dan	Livingstone	Artist	Montreal, QC
Jamie	MacDonald	Aurora Winter Blues Festival	Aurora, ON
Jan	MacDonald	Downtown Kingston	Kingston, ON
Peter	MacDonald	Folk Music Ontario	Ottawa, ON
Randy	MacNeil	Home Routes / Chemins Chez Nous	Ottawa, ON
Chris	Martin	CBC Radio	Edmonton, AB
Jenn	Martin	JL Martin Management	Toronto, ON
Robert	Mauries	Cahors Blues Festival	Cahors, France
Ken	McColm	Frankford Island Blues Festival	Carrying Place, ON
Dave	McDonald	DAWG FM	Ottawa, ON
Dan	McKinnon	Musician	Toronto, ON
Sandi	McMurray	Johnny “Piano” Russel / A Portrait of Blues in Canada	Winnipeg, MB
Frank	McNulty	JBG Productions	Collingwood, ON
Barry	Mell	Carolyn Fe Blues Collective	Quebec City, QC
Fraser	Melvin	The Fraser Melvin Band	Toronto, ON
Rene	Moisan	Productions Bros	Montreal, QC
Brian	Mortimer	Karma Productions	London, ON
Susan	Moses	Bill Durst	Winnipeg, MB
Ross	Muir	Job’s Blues: A Blues Opera	Ontario
Kim	Munro	Dutch Mason Blues Festival	Truro, NS
Joe	Murphy	Artist	Halifax, NS
Rodney	Murphy	SOCAN	Toronto, ON
Michael	Murray	Ontario Arts Council	Toronto, ON
Kap	Palmer	Blues Nite Entertainment	Winnipeg, MB
Denis	Paquin	Ottawa Blues Society	Ottawa, ON
Gary	Paradis	Ottawa Blues Society	Ottawa, ON
Vickie	Paradis	Ottawa Blues Society	Ottawa, ON
Ed	Parsons	Toronto Blues Society	Toronto, ON
Jordan	Patterson	Groove Suite Music	Toronto, ON
Holger	Petersen	Stony Plain Records / CBC	Edmonton, AB
Ron	Proulx	Arpix Media	Toronto, ON
Ben	Racine	Artist	Montreal, QC
Matthew	Rogers	The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer	Vancouver, BC
Steve	Rowe	The Steve Rowe Band	Montreal, QC
Tom	Rowe	Sweet and the Back Beat	Ontario
Johnny “Piano”	Russell	Musician / A Portrait of Blues in Canada	Winnipeg, MB
Jordan	Safer	Toronto Blues Society	Toronto, ON
Shakura	S’Aida	Artist	Toronto, ON
Paul	Sanderson	Sanderson Entertainment	Toronto, ON
Lily	Sazz	Groove Corporation	Ontario
Dale	Schimpf	East Coast Blues Society	Halifax, NS
Rott’n Dan	Shinnan	Boogie Patrol	Edmonton, AB
Jean	Sicotte	Kazou Productions	Sutton, QC
Phyllis	Sigal	Heritage Music Bluesfest	Wheeling, WV
Thomas	Silvani	Musician	Toronto, ON
Alex	Sinclair	OCFF	Toronto, ON
Tim	Sinnett	Canal Bank Shuffle	Thorold, ON
Brian	Slack	Tremblant International Blues Festival	Montreal, QC
Ashley	Sperling	Luminato	Toronto, ON
Brent	Staeben	Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival	Fredericton, NB
Mark	Stafford	Musician	Toronto, ON
Mark	Stenzler	Blues Zeppelin Radio	Bern, Switzerland
Wayne	Stoute	Terry Gillespie	Ontario
Steve	Strongman	Artist	Hamilton, ON
Terry	Strudwick	Sabrina Weeks & Swing Cat Bounce	Kamloops, BC
Liz	Sykes	Ottawa Blues Society	Ottawa, ON
Rob	Tamblyn	Downton Kingston	Kingston, ON
Bud	Tangney		Toronto, ON
Liz	Temple	Grand River Blues Society	Waterloo, ON
Debra	Thornington	Ottawa Blues Society	Quebec
Brent	Tingley	A Portrait of Blues in Canada	Ottawa, ON
Ed	Torres	DAWG FM	Ottawa, ON
Kate	Torres	DAWG FM	Ottawa, ON
Greg	Torrington	Galaxie	Montreal, QC
Carolyn Fe	Trinidad	Carolyn Fe Blues Collective	Montreal, QC
Yves	Trottier	DAWG FM	Ottawa, ON
Jerome	Tucker		Toronto, ON
Linda	Turu	Borealis Records	Toronto, ON
John	Valenteyn	CIUT	Toronto, ON
David	Vest	Musician	Vancouver, BC
Suzie	Vinnick	Artist	Wainfleet, ON
Peggy	Voigt	Loyal Blues Fellowship	South-Eastern ON
Rachel	Voigt	Fenelon Falls Chamber	Fenelon Falls, ON
Beth	Ward		Toronto, ON
Dawn Tyler	Watson	Artist	Montreal, QC
Sabrina	Weeks	Sabrina Weeks & Swing Cat Bounce	Kamloops, BC
James	Weyman	OMDC	Toronto, ON
Bruce	Wheeler	Heritage Music Bluesfest	Wheeling, WV
Bill	White	Sabrina Weeks & Swing Cat Bounce	Kamloops, BC
Chris	Whiteley	Artist	Toronto, ON
Jesse	Whiteley	Musician	Toronto, ON
Kathy	Wolf	Howlin’ Blue Productions	Montreal, QC
Al	Wood	Saskatoon Blues Society	Saskatoon, SK
Al	Wood	Artist	Ottawa, ON
Michael	Wrycraft	A Man Called Wrycraft	Toronto, ON
Brant	Zwicker	At the Crossroads	Kamloops, BC

Schedule

Fri Jan 18	Gerrard Room, Main Floor
3:00-9:00	Registration Office Open
	Monarch’s Pub, Main Floor – Electro Fi Records Showcase, Curley Bridges’ 79^th Birthday Bash		Market Garden, Main Floor
8:00	Curley Bridges	9:30-10:10	Jerome Godboo
8:30	Fraser Daley	10:30-11:10	Fraser Melvin Band
8:50	Morgan Davis	11:30-12:10	Dan Livingstone
9:20	Julian Fauth	12:30-1:10	The Kat Kings
10:00	Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley
10:30	Harrison Kennedy
11:05	Shakura S’Aida

Sat Jan 19	Gerrard Room, Main Floor
9:30-7:30	Registration Office Open
Monarch’s Pub, Main Floor
2:00- 4:00	Welcome Reception.Performance by The 24^th Street Wailers – 3pm
4:00-6:00	SOCAN Songs & Stories. David Gogo (host), The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer, Shakura S’Aida, Michael Jerome Browne
	Monarch’s Pub, Main Floor	Market Garden, Main Floor		Deck 27, 27^th Floor
9:00-9:40	Donald Ray Johnson	8:30-9:10	Cecile Doo-Kingue	8:45-9:25	Steve Strongman
10:00-10:40	David Vest	9:30-10:10	Jon Knight and Soulstack	9:45-10:25	Nicole Christian
11:00-11:40	The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer	10:30-11:10	Carolyn Fe Blues Collective	10:45-12:25	Morgan Davis
12:00-12:40	Sabrina Weeks and Swing Cat Bounce	11:30-12:10	Joe Murphy
		12:30-1:10	Bill Johnson

Sun Jan 20		Gerrard Room, Main Floor
9:30-7:30		Registration Office Open
		Mountbatten Room, 2^nd Floor
11:00-1:00		Keynote Brunch. Holger Petersen, Introduction by Derek Andrews
1:30-3:00		Blues Festival Speed Pitch. A new conference feature offering an opportunity for face time opportunities with the talent buyer delegates. Sign Up Required.
		Seymour Room		Stevenson Room
3:00-4:15		Sync Rights Royalty. Rodney Murphy (SOCAN, Moderator), Velma Barkwell (East End Music), Ron Proulx (Arpix Media), Suzie Vinnick (Artist)		Spotlight America. Bruce Wheeler (Heritage Music Bluesfest), Michael Cloeren (Pennsylvania State Blues Festival), Peter Dammann (Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival)
4:15-5:30		Radio Roundup. Holger Petersen (CBC / CKUA, Moderator), Greg Torrington (Galaxie), Mark Stenzler (Blues Zeppelin Radio), Brant Zwicker (At the Crossroads), John Valenteyn (CIUT)		Branding, Marketing, Packaging. Linda Turu (Borealis Records, Host), Michael Wrycraft (A Man Called Wrycraft), Barbara Klunder (Visual Artist), Paul Reddick (Artist)

		Monarchs Pub, Main Floor
6:30-7:00		A Portrait of Blues in Canada. Book Launch, Intro by Holger Petersen
	Monarch’s Pub, Main Floor		Market Garden, Main Floor			Deck 27, 27^th Floor
9:00-9:40	Bill Durst		9:30-10:10		Jack de Keyzer	8:45-9:25	Dawn Tyler Watson & Paul Deslauriers
10:00-10:40	Digging Roots		10:30-11:10		Paul Reddick	9:45-10:25	David Owen
11:00-11:40	JW Jones		11:30-12:10		Ben Racine	10:45-11:25	The Distillery
12:00-12:40	Boogie Patrol		12:20-1:00		Irene Torres & the Sugar Devils

Mon Jan 21	Gerrard Room, Main Floor
9:30-5:00	Registration Office Open
	Seymour Room	Stevenson Room
10:00-11:15	Grants for Recording, Touring and Other Activity. Brent Bain (FACTOR), Rene Lavoie (Canada Council), Michael Murray (Ontario Arts Council), Christy DiFelice (TAC)	Film Screening. Rita Chiarelli’s – Music From the Big House (Starts at 9:30am)
11:30-12:45	Hubs and Spokes; Facebook, Twitter, Email, Web Sites. Dave Cool (Bandzoogle, Moderator), Sarah French (Sarah French Publicity), Ashley Sperling (Luminato), David Gogo (Artist), Chris Martin (CBC)	Label Pow Wow. Richard Flohil (Moderator), Holger Petersen (Stony Plain), Rene Moisan (Bros Records), Andrew Galloway (Electro-Fi Records)
2:00-3:15	How to Pitch for a Gig. Brian Slack (Zeb Productions), Derek Andrews (Global Cafe), Holmes Hooke (Hugh’s Room), JW Jones (Artist), Steve Butler (Paquin Entertainment)	Blues Societies Unite. Al Wood (Saskatoon Blues Society), Brian Mortimer (Great Lakes Blues Society), Gary Paradis (Ottawa Blues Society), Irene Ippersiel (Montreal Blues Society)
3:30-4:15	Spotlight Quebec. Brian Slack (Tremblant International Blues Festival), Yannick Lambert (Donnacona Blues Festival), Yves Trottier (DAWG FM), Randy Renaud (CHOM FM), Frederic Lamoureux (Montreal International Jazz Festival)	War Stories with Richard Flohil. Veteran Publicist Richard Flohil is writing a book about his experience in the industry. Alongside some friends, Richard will tell a series of true stories from his career.
7pm	The 16^th Annual Maple Blues Awards at Koerner Hall

Registration Office, Information & Drop Boxes

Gerrard Room (directly next to Monarchs Pub)

The office phone number will be posted as soon as it is available. There is no answering machine, so the phone will only be picked up during the conference office hours:

Fri Jan 18: 3pm-9pm

Sat Jan 19: 9:30am-7:30pm

Sun Jan 20: 9:30am-7:30pm

Mon Jan 21: 9:30am-5pm

Registration Office, Information & Drop Boxes

Gerrard Room (directly next to Monarchs Pub)

The office phone number will be posted as soon as it is available. There is no answering machine, so the phone will only be picked up during the conference office hours:

Fri Jan 18: 3pm-9pm
Sat Jan 19: 9:30am-7:30pm
Sun Jan 20: 9:30am-7:30pm
Mon Jan 21: 9:30am-5pm

FRIDAY JANUARY 18

Registration Office (Gerrard Room next to Monarchs Pub on the main floor) 3pm-9pm

MONARCHS PUB (main floor)
Electro-Fi Showcase for Curley Bridges’ 79th Birthday Bash
8pm Curley Bridges
8:30pm Fraser Daley
8:50pm Morgan Davis
9:20pm Julian Fauth
10pm Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley
10:30pm Harrison Kennedy
11:05pm Shakura S’Aida and Donna Grantis

MARKET GARDEN
Evening Showcases TBA

SATURDAY JANUARY 19

Registration Office 9:30am-7:30pm

MONARCHS PUB
3pm-4pm Opening Reception

4pm-6pm SOCAN Songs & Stories
David Gogo (host), Michael Jerome Browne, Shakura S’Aida, and The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer

Evening Showcases TBA

MARKET GARDEN (main floor)
Evening Showcases TBA

DECK 27 (27th Floor)
Evening Acoustic Showcases TBA

SUNDAY JANUARY 20

Registration Office 9:30am-7:30pm

MOUNTBATTEN ROOM (2nd Floor)
11am-1pm Keynote Brunch with Holger Petersen (Details on this complete buffet breakfast upon request)
1:30pm-3pm Blues Festival Speed Pitch

STEVENSON ROOM (2nd Floor)
Daytime Panels TBA

SEYMOUR ROOM (2nd Floor)
3pm Sync Rights Royalty
Daytime Panels TBA

MONARCHS PUB
Evening Showcases TBA

MARKET GARDEN
Evening Showcases TBA

Deck 27
Evening Acoustic Showcases TBA

Showcase Artists

The Kat Kings – Toronto, ON
The Kat Kings as a group, are yet another excellent addition to the multitude of talent that Canada consistently is able to produce and offer. For a Debut Album, “The Winning Hand” is about as good of a start as any band could hope for, and it is certainly one that leaves you with a sense of more great things to come. – Blues Underground

Jerome Goodboo – Toronto, ON
Jerome Godboo is a singer, songwriter and harp player extraordinaire who has released twelve albums over twenty years. He has recorded and toured with The Phantoms, Alannah Myles, Dutch Mason, Jeff Healey, Ronnie Hawkins, Jack de Keyzer, Jimmy Bowskill and Suzie McNeil, and has performed on stages across Canada, the U.S., France, Finland, Portugal, Ukraine, Israel and beyond, with artists like Prince, Pinetop Perkins, James Cotton, the Tragically Hip, Levon Helm, Billy Ray Cyrus and many more.

Morgan Davis – Halifax, NS
Originally from Detroit, Morgan Davis has been on the road travelling across Canada, the United States and Europe for nearly four decades. His multi- award winning release “Painkiller” won an impressive four awards at the 2004 Maple Blues Awards and not long after took home Canada’s top music prize…the Juno for Blues Album of the Year.

Ben Racine – Montreal, QC
Ben’s soulful voice is reminiscent of the greatest Rhythm and Blues vocalists of the ‘50s and ‘60s. From the moment he hits the stage, his contagious energy and charisma combine for a sound that is truly original.

Dawn Tyler Watson & Paul Deslauriers – Montreal, QC
Montreal’s own “Queen of the Blues”, Dawn Tyler Watson has teamed up with virtuoso guitarist and singer/songwriter extrordinaire Paul Deslauriers (Paul Deslauriers Band, Black Cat Bone, Amanda Marshall, France D’Amour, Garou) to create a very unique partnership. With the simple honesty of two voices and a six-string guitar, they have been creating a buzz on both the national and international Folk and Blues scenes, touring across Canada, France, and into the US.

Steve Strongman – Hamilton, ON
There are reasons why Canadian blues artist Steve Strongman was the 2011 Maple Blues Award winner for Guitar Player of the Year. There are reasons why in the last three years Strongman has performed at major blues festivals in Rio de Janeiro, France, Switzerland, Mexico City, Memphis and Canada, including two appearances at the famed Montreal International Jazz Festival, four appearances at the Mont Tremblant International Blues Festival, and the Ottawa Blues Festival. Charisma. Verve. Passion. Unbridled talent.

JW Jones – Ottawa, ON
Canada’s Top Touring Bluesman, JW-Jones is on the move and has a boundary breaking new CD. His last few CDs have hit #1 on B.B. King’s Bluesville on Sirius-XM Radio in the U.S.A., and Jones continues to win over audiences across the globe with his high-energy live performances.

Bill Johnson – Victoria, BC
As of February 2012, Bill Johnson’s Still Blue has won two Blewzzy Awards, and been nominated for one Western Canada Music Award, three Maple Blues Awards, and made numerous “Best of 2012” music reviews, and lists world wide. Most recently, Still Blue was nominated for the 2012 Juno Award for “Blues Album of the Year”, Canada’s highest honor.

David Vest – Victoria, BC
David Vest was raised in Alabama and in juke joints all along the Gulf Coast, playing with the likes of Big Joe Turner. David is a two-time Maple Blues Award nominee for Piano Player of the Year, touring almost nonstop.

Boogie Patrol – Edmonton, AB
Boogie Patrol have headlined at North Country Fair, Pembina River Nights, Beaumont Blues Festival (Alberta, Canada; 2009 & 2010), Sasquatch Gathering (Alberta, Canada; 2010) and Wild Oats & Notes (Alberta, Canada; 2010, 2012), opened for The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Buddy Guy, and recently won the Memphis Bound Blues Competition, sponsored by the Edmonton Blues Society, which will send the band to Memphis to represent Edmonton and Western Canada at the 29th Annual International Blues Challenge. The band is a nominee for this year’s Maple Blues Award for “New Artist or Group of the Year”.

Donald Ray Johnson – Calgary, AB
In 1979, Donald Ray Johnson’s band “A Taste of Honey” was the first Afro-American Band to win and be presented with the Grammy Award for “Best New Artist”. Named “Best Canadian Male Blues Vocalist” in 1997 by Real Blues Magazine, Don was also nominated for “Best Blues Drummer” in 1997, Best Male Blues Vocalist in 1998 at the Maple Blues Awards, and was recently nominated for “Best Blues Artist” by the Alberta Recording Industry Association (A.R.I.A.)

Nicole Christian – Hamilton, ON
Nicole Christian is a multi-instrumentalist who specializes in lap-style slide guitar, flute, bass guitar and kick drum. Nicole’s newest release, Run Rabbit Run, was voted the Best Debut Blues and Roots Album of 2010 by the Underground Blues Network, in 2011 she was a finalist in the Toronto Blues Society’s Talent Search, and in 2012 she was nominated for two Hamilton Music Awards, one for Best Blues Album of the Year and one for Best Female Vocalist of the Year.

Joe Murphy – Halifax, NS
Joe Murphy (harp and guitar) has played with most of the blues acts who have come east in the last thirty years including Dutch Mason, Garrett Mason, Otis Rush, Johnnie Johnson, Johnny Sansone, Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne, Pinetop Perkins, Sunnyland Slim, and John Lee Hooker. Joe and his band also have one of the longest running blues matinees for the last 21 years, every Saturday at Your Father’s Mustache in Halifax.

Jon Knight & Soulstack – Kitchener, ON
There is an intensity and urgency in the vocal style of Jon Knight, guitar player, songwriter and front man of Soulstack. Based in Ontario, Soulstack was formed from the ashes of the popular Toronto blues band Wickens-Knight and features multiple award-winning members Jonathan Knight (vocals/guitar) and Tom Bona (vocals/drums) with the addition of Mark Wessenger (vocals/keys) and Josh Knight (vocals/bass).

The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer – Nanaimo, BC
Shawn Hall and Matt Rogers have played festivals all over Western Canada, including The Beaumont Blues Fest, The Powell River Blues Festival, and The Gastown Blues and Chilli Festival and along the way, they’ve shared the stage with some of the world’s finest blues acts, including Jim Byrnes, Dick Dale and MonkeyJunk. You’re not supposed to pull this off with only two people, but early on, Hall and Rogers made the choice to limit their sound to whatever they could play between them, using only their mouths, hands and feet.

Carolyn Fe Blues Collective – Montreal, QC
Carolyn Fe Blues Collective band members have played with the likes of Percy Sledge, Fat Boy Slim, Seal and many more. The band has had the following achievements: winner of the 2012 Quebec’s Lys Blues Best Blues & Associated Styles Album for « Original Sin » (Canada), 2012 Quebec Lys Blues Nominee for Best Female Artist by (Canada), 2012 Finalist in Toronto Blues society’s Talent Search, 2011 Regional Finalist Montreal IBC, 2011 Nominee for Best International Release by Blues 411(USA).

Bill Durst – St. Marys, ON
After the early success of his band Thundermug in North America and Europe, Bill was acclaimed as one of the top songwriters in Canada, signing with CBS (now Sony) Publishing, and releasing his first two solo albums in 1984 and 1989. Bill has opened for Aerosmith, Rush, Bob Seger, The Yardbirds, Sly and The Family Stone, George Thorogood, Bad Company, Jeff Healey, Edgar Winter Group, The Tubes, David Clayton Thomas, Savoy Brown, Little Feat and more.

Sabrina Weeks & Swing Cat Bounce Kamloops, BC
Sabrina Weeks and her band Swing Cat Bounce were named the best new blues act at the 2012 Maple Blues Awards. Sabrina Weeks has shared the stage or opened for such performers as Colin James, Tom Lavin and Powder Blues, Steppenwolf and the Downchild Blues Band.

Irene Torres & The Sugar Devils – Toronto, ON
Shortly after winning the 2012 TBS Talent Search, Irene Torres & The Sugar Devils were nominated for a Sigy Born award and nominated for a Toronto Independent Music Award. Sultry Peruvian born Irene Torres’ voice and lyrics can be heard on worldwide radio stations, radio commercials, television, soundtracks and fashion shows.

Keynote Speaker: Holger Petersen

Dr. Holger Petersen, C.M., D.Litt. is a record producer, label owner, broadcaster, author, educator, festival producer, album collector – and serious music fan.

Born on Pellworm Island, Germany on November 23rd, 1949, Holger immigrated to Canada with his parents in 1955. Initially living in Manitoba for three years, the family relocated to Edmonton. Holger played drums with various Edmonton garage bands during his teenage years. After attending Bonnie Doon High School, Holger graduated from NAIT’s, two year Radio And Television Arts program in 1971.

Since 1969, Holger has hosted Natch’l Blues on CKUA, Canada’s longest running blues program. He also hosts Saturday Night Blues on CBC Radio One and Two, now in it’s 25th year. In 1975 he co-founded Stony Plain Records, Canada’s best know ‘Roots and Blues’ record company with Alvin Jahns. The label has won eleven Juno Awards and has been nominated for six Grammy’s. Stony Plain artists include MonkeyJunk, Kenny ‘Blue Boss’ Wayne, Eric Bibb, Ian Tyson, Maria Muldaur, David Wilcox, Long John Baldry, Jeff Healey, Duke Robillard, Big Dave McLean, Amos Garrett, Rory Block, Ronnie Earl, and many others.

Holger is also a Founder, past Board Chair (1979-85) and past Artistic Director of The Edmonton Folk Music Festival (1986-88). He was a Founder and Vice-Pres. of Summerfest 1980−84; the Alberta Recording Indus. Assn. 1982−84 and a member of various Canada Council music juries and Board Member of several music industry associations including SOCAN, CIRPA, CARAS and the CMRRA.

Awards for Stony Plain include Canadian Country Music Assn. Awards (CCMA) for Publishing Co. of the Year 1992, Record Label of the Year 1991, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99 & 2000, ’01, ’02 and several Alberta Recording Indus. Assn. Awards and Western Canadian Music Industry Awards. Personal awards include Music Industry Person of the Year 1989 & Blues With A Feeling Award presented by the Toronto Blues Soc. In 1986. Holger was inducted into the City of Edmonton Cultural Hall of Fame 1992 and named Record Company Person of the Year, by the CCMA 2001. He was named to the Order of Canada in 2003 and is a recipient of two honorary ”Doctor of Letters Degrees” presented by the Universary of Alberta in 2012 and University Of Athabasca in 2004 in recognition of his contributions to Canadian Culture and Public Broadcasting. He was named ‘Best Public Broadcaster’ by the Blues Foundation in Memphis in 2009. The first time the award was presented to someone outside of the US.

His first book ‘Talking Music: Blues Radio and Roots Music’ was published in 2011 by Insomniac Press.