FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PLEASE RETAIN FOR LISTINGS
TWELFTH MAPLE BLUES AWARDS GALA FEATURES NATIONAL LINEUP;
SHAKURA S'AIDA, RAY BONNEVILLE, JW JONES, HARRISON KENNEDY, THE SOJOURNERS
– Garvia Bailey to Host Awards Gala!
– San Francisco Radio Producer Ben Manilla Blues Summit IV Keynote Speaker!
– Voting Ends December 6!
WHO: Garvia Bailey Hosts w/ guests RAY BONNEVILLE, JW JONES, HARRISON KENNEDY, THE SOJOURNERS, SHAKURA S’AIDA and the Maple Blues Band.
WHAT: Twelfth Annual Maple Blues Awards and Blues Summit IV (details below)
WHERE: Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne St. in Toronto
WHEN: Monday, January 19th, 2009. Doors @ 7:00 pm, show @ 8:00 pm.
TICKETS: Tickets $28 for the gala are available at the TBS office 416-538-3885
info@torontobluessociety.com or through http://www.ticketpro.ca
TORONTO – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2ND, 2008 – The Twelfth Annual Maple Blues Awards will honour Canada’s best in blues at the gala ceremony on Monday, January 19th at the Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne St. in Toronto. The awards gala presentation will feature live performances by some of Canada’s finest blues talents including the Maple Blues Band. Canada's national award program that promotes and recognizes outstanding achievement in blues music has announced the nominees for 2009.
Voting continues online at www.mapleblues.ca until 11:59 pm (PT) December 6th, 2008.
This year’s gala host will be radio personality GARVIA BAILEY. Guest performers include Canada’s roaming blues poet and one-man band RAY BONNEVILLE, whose storytelling vocals, with a highly percussive guitar style keep it all real and raw. Winner of the 2005 Electric Act of the Year Award, guitar-driven JW JONES will join the cast of guests for the gala along with the velvety-voiced Juno Award nominee HARRISON KENNEDY, who brings his 30-years-plus of performing experience and a youthful exuberance to the MBAs. Vancouver’s THE SOJOURNERS will also electrify audiences with their heartfelt gospel blues harmonies. Hot ticket and powerhouse singing sensation SHAKURA S’AIDA returns to grace the stage and is also nominated for the Female Vocalist of the Year Award once again.
Backing the guest performers is the MAPLE BLUES BAND which includes stellar musicians Gary Kendall, Michael Fonfara, Tom Bona, Teddy Leonard, Pat Carey, Al Lerman, Chris Murphy and Chris Whiteley.
BLUES SUMMIT IV
The Blues Summit is an essential Canadian blues networking event, back for its fourth edition.
This music industry conference brings together festivals, labels, media, musicians, fans and blues societies, and includes showcases, seminars, receptions and a keynote brunch. With representatives from across Canada, the United States and Europe in attendance, there are many lively panel discussions that take place over the course of the three days. Industry experts discuss topics such as blues in the schools, professional development opportunities for artists, and blues in the digital world.
Recognized by professionals around the world for his award-winning programming and innovative production style, San Francisco radio and audio production pioneer BEN MANILLA has held executive positions at Radio Today, RKO Radio Networks, WOR Radio, WLIR Radio, and the Progressive Radio Network. Among his hundreds of features, specials, documentaries, ongoing series, commercials, and audio presentations, his radio series House of Blues featured Dan Aykroyd and his 13-hour award-winning radio documentary for PBS, Martin Scorcese Presents the Blues, was broadcast on more than 330 stations worldwide. The radio project was the most successful special ever distributed by Public Radio International.
Currently Ben is a frequent traveller to Toronto while working on a special PBS project called The Soundtrack of Our Lives which is spearheaded by the Wildheart Group and also includes Grammy Award-winner and Creative Executive, Sir George Martin (Producer of all the Beatles recordings). As this year’s keynote speaker, Ben will be reflecting on current blues industry trends and insights.
WHAT: BLUES SUMMIT IV
WHERE: Delta Chelsea Inn (33 Gerrard St. West) in Toronto. (Special delegate rates available)
WHEN: January 17-19, 2009
TICKETS: Early bird price - $79 for musicians, $99 for others
For more information on registration, please visit http://www.torontobluessociety.com
416-538-3885 1-866-871-9457
2008 MAPLE BLUES NOMINEES
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Big Dave McLean
Dawn Tyler Watson
Downchild
Garrett Mason
Jeff Healey
ELECTRIC ARTIST OF THE YEAR
David Rotundo
Downchild
Garrett Mason
Jack de Keyzer
Jeff Healey
JW-Jones
ACOUSTIC ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Big Dave McLean
Harry Manx
Julian Fauth
Michael Jerome Browne
Thom Swift
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Bob Walsh
Danny Brooks
Harrison Kennedy
John Mays (Fathead)
Paul Reddick
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Dawn Tyler Watson
Roxanne Potvin
Shakura S'Aida
Suzie Vinnick
Treasa Levasseur
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Daddy Long Legs
Keith Hallett
Marshall Lawrence
Monkey Junk
Sojourners
RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Get Way Back (Stony Plain)
Amos Garrett
Producers: Amos Garrett & Dave Allcock
Mess of Blues (Stony Plain)
Jeff Healey
Producers: Jeff Healey & Alec Fraser
Ramblin' Son (Electro-Fi)
Julian Fauth
Producers: Andrew Galloway, Alec Fraser & Julian Fauth
Goin' By Feel (Red House)
Ray Bonneville
Producers: Rob Heaney, Gurf Morlix & Ray Bonneville
Low Fidelity (Slim Chicken)
Treasa Levasseur
Producers: David Gavan Baxter & Treasa Levasseur
INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
Eric Bibb
James Hunter
Mavis Staples
Taj Mahal
Watermelon Slim and the Workers
GUITARIST OF THE YEAR
Amos Garrett
Garrett Mason
Jeff Healey
JW Jones
Steve Strongman
HARMONICA PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Carlos Del Junco
Guy Belanger
Jerome Godboo
Paul Reddick
Steve Marriner
PIANO/KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Curley Bridges
Dave Murphy (Jeff Healey Blues Band)
Julian Fauth
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne
Michael Fonfara (Downchild)
HORN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chris Murphy
Chris Whiteley
Dave Babcock (Amos Garrett)
Johnny Ferreira
Pat Carey (Downchild)
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
Al Webster (Jeff Healey Blues Band)
Bucky Berger (Fathead)
Chris Nordquist (Colin James & many others)
Geoff Arsenault (Morgan Davis)
Maureen Brown
BASSIST OF THE YEAR
Alan Duffy (Jack De Keyzer)
Alec Fraser (Jeff Healey Blues Band & Broken Joe)
Keith Picot (The Twisters)
Stephen Barry
Tom Easley (Hot Toddy)
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Julian Fauth
Paul Reddick
Ray Bonneville
Thom Swift
Treasa Levasseur
BLUES WITH A FEELING AWARD (Lifetime Achievement)
Danny Brooks
Michael Fonfara
Alec Fraser
Amos Garrett
Tom Lavin
Ellen McIlwaine
Joe Murphy
Chris Whiteley
Ken Whiteley
Terry Wilkins
BLUES BOOSTER OF THE YEAR
Rob Bowman
The Maple Blues Awards are supported by FACTOR and the Government of Canada through the Canadian Music Fund, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, KMP Designs Inc., Stony Plain Records, Long & McQuade Musical Instruments and CBC Radio/Saturday Night Blues.
For more information, photos, interviews, please contact:
Beverly Kreller
SPEAK Music
www.speak-music.com
bev@speak-music.com
416.922.3620
Toronto Blues Society
416.538.3885
info@torontobluessociety.com
