Tag Archives: Maple Blues Awards
Chuck Jackson’s All Star Band Plays Meaford Summer Concert Series
By Bill Monahan
On Friday, July 27th, Chuck Jackson and The All Stars headline the second concert in the free Meaford Summer Concert Series, at Market Square in downtown Meaford (beside Meaford Hall).
Chuck Jackson, from his home base in Port Credit, has become familiar to fans of the blues in the Southern Georgian Bay area, where he has brought his talents to a number of different venues, with different band line-ups. He is a highly respected blues singer and harmonica player, honoured in 2002 with a Blues With A Feeling Award from the Toronto Blues Society in recognition of his distinguished career. He’s also won Maple Blues Awards in 1999 and 2007 for Male Vocalist of the Year.
Chuck Jackson with Donny Walsh of Downchild
Although he originally made his name as lead singer of the Cameo Blues Band, he joined the Downchild Blues Band in 1990, replacing their original vocalist Hock Walsh, and has been touring with the band ever since, along with contributing original songs to the band’s repertoire. His All-Stars line-up usually includes Michael Fonfara and Pat Carey from Downchild as well. He has often teamed up with Tyler Yarema, including a duo concert last year which packed the Gayety Theatre in Collingwood as a Chris Scerri Presents event.
In addition to his busy career as a performing musician, Chuck is the founder and director of Port Credit’s popular annual fall bluesfest, called the Southside Shuffle, which has been running for twenty years. He relishes the opportunity through the festival to introduce some new acts to a devoted audience alongside the well-known headliners. In an interview last year with Mississauga News, he pointed out the he had introduced Jimmy Bowskill to the festival when he was just eleven years old, and since then Bowskill has gone on to win Maple Blues Awards and has become a member of the Sheepdogs.
Chuck Jackson and Tyler Yarema
It’s expected that Tyler Yarema will join the All-Stars for the show in Meaford, which starts at 7 pm and runs rain or shine.
Opening for the band will be Sophie Wensley, a rising local talent with an engaging R & B style.
Jack de Keyser, Blues Legend, Coming to Harbour Street Fish Bar
This Saturday the Jack de Keyser band will return to our area to play the Harbour Street Fish Bar in Collingwood. This two-time Juno winner and seven times recipient of a Maple Blues Award has been referred to by a U.S. publication as “a coveted super-hero in Canada”. Jeff Healey’s assessment of Jack de Keyser as “The finest blues guitarist in Canada” is shared by many, including Bob Dylan, who commented, “If Jack de Keyzer was from Chicago, New York or LA, he’d be famous”. Kathy Pellizzi, writing in Los Angeles Film & Music agrees: “If you think the hippest, hottest bands are coming out of Los Angeles, you are mistaken! More power to Jack de Keyzer, come show the Americans what we’ve been missing!”
Playing over 120 shows per year, he has been called “the master of live performance”. The power of his recorded output, including the two Juno wins, is that he records live off the floor to capture the magic of his live shows and his great band.
Although he is known primarily for his guitar playing, he’s also been praised for his song writing and vocals. . Ruth Schweitzer in Maple Blues magazine said “Multi-talented Jack de Keyzera gifted songwriter, a mean guitarist and a smooth, sultry singer”. He won first prize in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition for his song “That’s the Only Time”.
Be Part Of A Recording at The Gayety with Chuck Jackson and Tyler Yarema
It will be a special event on Thursday Oct 5th when Chuck Jackson and Tyler Yarema record a live CD at The Gayety Theatre in Collingwood. The show starts with a set at eight which will be recorded for the CD, but the party starts much earlier and goes beyond the recording.
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Cocktails at 6:30 get you primed for the show with a chance to talk to other concert goers and to Chuck and Tyler while enjoying the music of Jenie Thai (yes, Jenie Thai!).
The second set after the recording will be a big jam with friends of the duo. If you’ve seen the shows that Tyler has directed at Meaford Hall or The Marsh Street Centre, you know how exciting these jams can be. And if you’ve seen any of those shows, you also know that the energy level will be bouncing off the ceiling with the evening’s master of ceremonies, Virgil Scott.
“I think of it as an event rather than just another show,” says Tyler, “It’s a chance for people to be part of something. It’s just going to be a fun show with a lot of audience participation.” That means if you’re loud enough you might end up on the CD too.
The Thursday Outlook – June 22 to 25
It’s a good weekend for Meaford fans of the harmonica, or to be more exact, blues harp. On Friday night Al Lerman, founding member of Fathead, will be at The Red Door Pub and Grille from 7 to 10. With a 45 year history as a bluesman, playing harmonica, sax and guitar, and a shelf full of Junos and Maple Blues Awards, he’s the real deal. He’s been around long enough to have sat in with the likes of Muddy Waters, Sunnyland Slim, and Willie Dixon. Just as any true blues fan wants to hear those same songs over and over, you’ll want to hear him again and again, so head over to The Harbour Street Fish Bar in Collingwood to catch him tonight and then come hear him again tomorrow in the more intimate setting of The Red Door.
And if you were at The Harbour Street Fish Bar last night you were able to hear another blues harp great, Jerome Godboo, performing with Tamica Herod. If you missed them or you just can’t get enough, make a point of being at The Leeky Canoe on Saturday, where they’ll be accompanied by guitarist Dylan Burchell.
Speaking of performers worth hearing again and again, one of them is Johnny Cash. Although he’s gone his legend lives on in the form of tribute shows and one of the most highly regarded is presented by Jim Yorfido, who has a show called Johnny Cash: From Memphis to Folsom tonight at Meaford Hall. June Carter will be represented by Jim’s wife Pam Yorfido, who is also renowned for her tributes to Tammy Wynette. With the two of them and Marie Bottrell, it’ll be kind of an all-star event reproducing the talents of Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton as well.
With summer underway, it’s time for outdoor festivals. Collingwood has a full lineup of local artists at the Port Music Festival happening Saturday and Sunday at the Shipyards Amphitheatre. Bambalamb will be heading up an kid-friendly festival of percussion at St. George’s Parish Hall in Owen Sound on Saturday afternoon. And there’s the big ticket festival on Friday and Saturday at Kelso Beach called Summertime Blues 2017 with blues greats like Buddy Guy, Colin James, Matt Anderson and The Trevor Mackenzie Band, along with rockers The Sheepdogs and Teenage Head, with Bahamas thrown in for good measure.
One of the best bargains for fans of original songwriters is a program that showcases a triple bill. Greg Smith has put together a special showcase featuring young talents Taylor Holden, From Forest and Field, Page Ballagh for a mere $10 tonight at The Bleeding Carrot in Owen Sound and on Sunday afternoon a PWYC showcase at The Garafraxa Café in Durham brings Bill Monahan, Dave Hawkins and John Brownlow back together for a triple bill of upbeat originals.
Jazz fans will perk up to hear that John MacMurchy Trio will be performing with jazz vocalist Jocelyn Barth Friday night at the L.E. Shore Library in Thornbury.
And for something completely different, in a category all its own, Franny Wisp will be joined by Dave Loopstra and Bambalamb Kidd, along with a very special guest by the name of Glacial Erratic, will be bringing tuneful comedy to The Shelagh Fox Gallery in Thornbury on Saturday evening.
And that’s not all. Peruse the listings at the right and you’re sure to find something to suit your taste and budget in this best of all areas to spend your first weekend of the summer
