Jon Hines is an award-winning Canadian blues musician based in Cape Breton. He released his first band recording, called Memphis Sun, in October 2025. The band consists of Hines on guitar and vocals, Kevin Fletcher on harmonica, Cameron Palmer on drums and George Wolf on bass guitar. George and Victoria Hines also provide backing vocals on “Me and The Devil”.

Hines wrote all the songs on this album. Writing a blues song is difficult. There are albums full of proof of how hard it is. There are all kinds of traps to fall into. While his songs are full of references to classic Mississippi blues of the past, he manages to avoid cliché in his own songwriting. The songs have titles like Me & the Devil, Holy Ground, Memphis Sun, and Working Man, and Hines keeps it all fresh. That’s an accomplishment.

This is not big-bluster blues-rock. This is a guy with “a six string and a pocketful of steel,” as he sings on the title track. He knows what he’s talking about. The pocketful of steel refers to the slide he slips on his pinky finger to play slide guitar. He references blues history out of a reverence for the music and his musical ancestors.

The opening track sets the tone for the record, and it does not disappoint. It starts with a rocking rhythm figure stated by the guitar, which is picked up by the band. The harmonica and the guitar lock in on the figure, and stay there, propelling the song. Their playing makes the small band sound like a much bigger outfit. The slide guitar solo, when it comes, looks back to Elmore James with shades of Sonny Landreth. The band is rocking. They do their choruses and get out without beating it to death.

Parts of this record veer into a jazzier blues territory, but it is so bluesey, laid back and just plain groove-oriented that I encourage the listener to not hold it against Jon and the band. They know what they’re doing and they handle themselves gracefully.

I mentioned awards. The Jon Hines Band represented Atlantic Canada in Memphis, Tennessee, during the International Blues Challenge, where they made it to the semi-finals in the 2025 Band category. Hines is also a Blues Recording Artist of the Year recipient for Music Nova Scotia. More awards will be forthcoming, I am sure.

This is a solid set by a musician who knows who he is and is confident about what he has to offer.

– John Mulligan
(visit John’s blog, john1b1.substack.com)