Click Here for the 2006 show photo gallery courtesy of  Talkingblues.com

was born in Chicago on September 16, 1935. Unlike the many blues artists who migrated to Chicago from the South, Arnold is among the first generation of bluesmen actually born and raised in the city. He fell in love with the blues at an early age and was especially moved by the records of the first Sonny Boy WilliamsonWhile still a teenager, Arnold hooked up with a young street musician/electronics buff named Ellis McDaniel (Bo Diddley) who fashioned an amplifier for Billy Boy out of an orange crate. Billy Boy eventually talked Diddley into auditioning for Chess Records. In 1955, with Billy Boy playing his signature "stop time" harmonica, Diddley scored the first of his many hits for Chess with Bo Diddley/I'm A Man . The future looked very bright, but Billy Boy didn't want to be a sideman. He wanted to make records under his own name. .

Arnold continued to play the Chicago clubs and record 45s throughout the late 1950s. His debut album, 1963's MORE BLUES FROM THE SOUTH SIDE for the Prestige label, remains a classic. But the gigs began to dry up, and the difficulty of raising a family and keeping a band together led Arnold to pursue a career as a Chicago bus driver and truant officer and later as a parole officer for the State of Illinois. By the middle of the 1960s, the first generation of British blues bands were taking notice of Arnold's talent-his VeeJay singles became valued collectors' items among the musicians. The Yardbirds and The Animals each had hits with Billy Boy's songs. Later, The Blasters and David Bowie both covered his material. All of this interest led Billy Boy to tour and record in Europe (and play the occasional U.S. festival gig) during the 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s.

Jack de Keyzer 6 pm
 

Blues, jazz, funky r&b and swing are all part of the palette that colour Jack de Keyzer’s musical portraits. The much acclaimed guitarist, singer and song writer has worked with artists as varied as King Biscuit Boy, Etta James, Blue Rodeo, Robert Gordon, Otis Rush and the Bop Cats. His guitar playing has been featured on hundreds of recordings. As a song writer he has been covered by Prairie Oyster on their hit album Everyone Knows , and as a singer he once sang a duet with kd lang. (Alright... it was a Budweiser commercial...) As an entertainer he has worked his magic to an ecstatic audience of 25,000 at the Montreal Jazz Festival and an equally ecstatic audience of 250 at Hugh’s Room in Toronto, where his latest Silver Blues CD and DVD were recorded. He performs internationally over 150 shows per year, most recently at Blues Sur Seine in France.  8X Maple Blues and 2003 Juno Award winning artist Jack de Keyzer is a masterful, jazz infused electric blues guitarist, soulful singer and eclectic song writer of the first order. His new CD, 'Blues Thing' will be released this summer 2007.

Six Nations blues sensation

Faran Johns Band 4:40pm

MEL BROWN and the Homewreckers 3:20pm

He was born in Jackson, Mississippi, on October 7, 1939. He has shared the stage and/or recorded with the likes of Etta James, Johnny Otis, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Lightnin' Hopkins, Bobby "Blue" Bland and others. One of the great blues guitar players of his generation, Mel Brown is a virtuoso of the instrument. Backed by his superb band, the Homewreckers, his show is never to be missed.
This living legend was the recipient of a W.C. Handy Award in 2001.

www.melbrownblues.com

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, played drums with the incomparable Muddy Waters for fifteen years. His traditional "shuffle" style has been regarded as the heart and soul of the Chicago blues sound, with Willie laying the beat behind many of the blues classics.

Willie was born in Helena, Arkansas in 1936. At the age of 17 he ventured to Chicago where he saw his first Muddy Waters performance. He was so taken by the music that he immediately bought a harmonica and started playing with various blues records. Willie was hooked on the blues and the attraction to the music persuaded him to stay in Chicago. In addition to the clubs, the blues was also vibrant at church gatherings, where Muddy Waters and other musicians would jam. Willie got to know Muddy and in fact was inspired to learn drums by Freddy Below, Waters' drummer.

STEVE STRONGMAN 2 pm

 Beginning his professional career at the age of 16, playing clubs all around southern Ontario, it wasn’t long until Strongman caught the eye of Mississippi Blues legend Mel Brown.  Under his tutelage, Steve met and played with many of the Blues legends of the time. In fact, it was after one blistering opening set that Chicago soulster Otis Clay exclaimed, “I’m gonna do what you do…”

 With a rock-solid command of guitar technique and with innate artistry, Strongman generates a dynamic and powerful energy on stage and delivers stirring performances that captivate his audiences. He has shared the stage and bills with a range of musical who’s who from young rockers like Tal Bachman and Kazzer to Kim Wilson, James Harmon, Luther Tucker, Duke Robillard, Ronnie Earl, Roy Clark, Otis Clay, Jeff Healey and Watermelon Slim just to name a few. Already capturing industry attention, the Toronto Blues Society lists “Honey” in the top blues selections for March 2007, and Strongman’s efforts also garnered him top honours in three categories of View Magazine’s “Best Music of 2007”, including “Best Local Male Artist”.

Steve Strongman is a man who has found his home in the heart of the Blues. This summer and fall you can find him touring in support of Honey at festivals and selected venues in Southern Ontario and Western Canada.  He’s gearing up for a European tour, and is in preproduction for a new CD slated for release in Summer 2008.

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