NorthernBlues Music brings you the best in blues music. Our artists include Chris Beard, Brian Blain, Kevin Breit, Taxi Chain, James Cohen, Doug Cox & Sam Hurrie, Archie Edwards, Glamourpuss, David Jacobs-Strain, John & the Sisters, Carlos del Junco, Johnny Jones, JW Jones, Janiva Magness, Harry Manx, NorthernBlues Gospel Allstars, Paul Reddick, Mem Shannon, Otis Taylor, Dan Treanor & Frankie Lee, Eddie Turner, Toni Lynn Washington, Watermelon Slim.
Watermelon Slim
Probably the coolest name in blues right now - Watermelon Slim's new CD, Watermelon Slim & The Workers, is garnering incredible reviews. The All Music Guide gave the CD 4 1/2 stars saying that "the sound on this recording is simply huge, and yet Slim's songs and field holler vocals keep it all appropriately intimate, making this release one of the best contemporary blues albums in years."
Janiva Magness
Janiva Magness is a true force of nature - and that is proven by her three consecutive Blues Music Award (former the W.C. Handy Awards) nominations for Best Contemporary Female Blues Vocalist. Her latest CD, Do I Move You, received 4 stars in the All Music Guide who said that "the singer has released a breakout album that should help her cross over from a blues audience into a mainstream success she so obviously deserves.
JW-Jones Blues Band
JW-Jones was named by the Toronto Globe & Mail as "one of the country's top blues guitar stars," and was the recipient of the 2005 MapleBlues Electric Act of the Year. JW's new CD, Kissing in 29 Days, catches JW swinging at the top of his game - with special guest David "Fathead" Newman on sax.
Eddie Turner
Eddie Turner is one of the best blues guitarists alive, period. His new CD, The Turner Diaries, will be released in June, and Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills, and Nash) loved it, calling Eddie "A monster guitar player - reminds me of my good friend, Jimi!" Eddie was nominated in 2006 for Blues Music award for Best New Artist Debut.
Mem Shannon
Mem Shannon stands at the crossroads of funk, soul, and blues. In 2006, he received two Blues Music Awards - one for Soul/Blues Artist of the Year, and one for his 2005 CD, "I"m From Phunkville", for Soul/Blues Album of the Year. The All Music Guide gave it 4 stars saying that "once again, Shannon hits the bullseye."
Carlos del Junco
Carlos del Junco was born in Cuba and emigrated to Canada at the age of one. He plays a ten-hole diatonic harmonica and has developed the unique ability to play chromatically by using the 'overblow' technique tauch by jazz virtuoso Howard Levy. His latest CD, Blues Mongrel, is a mixture of blues, jazz, ska, country, and mambo - leading the All Music Guide to say in their 4-star review, "making for a refreshing willingness to go beyond the usual blues strictures without subverting the music's time-honored strengths."
David Jacobs-Strain
David Jacobs-Strain is an incredible acoustic blues guitarist - who is still in his early 20s. His latest CD, Ocean or a Teardrop, also got a 4-star review in the All Music Guide which said "getting better on guitar every day, never flashy or arrogant about his talent, Jacobs-Strain is set to become a major figure in music, not just blues."
Doug Cox and Sam Hurrie
Doug Cox and Sam Hurrie are two of Canada's best acoustic guitarists. The All Music Guide gave their NorthernBlues Cd, Hungry Ghosts, 4 stars saying that "some of the tunes are haunting, some reveal great truths and insights about the world, and all of the music is heartfelt. There is an impressive amount of variety, ranging from Tommy Johnson to Duane Allman, with the originals sounding as classic as the more vintage songs. The talented Doug Cox and Sam Hurrie are well worth discovering by fans of both folk music and blues."
Paul Reddick
Paul Reddick is one of the deepest bluesman in Canada. His first CD for NorthernBlues, Rattlebag, earned him a W.C. Handy Award nomination for best new artist as well as wining MapleBlues Album of the Year in 2002. His latest CD, Villanelle, received a Juno Award nomination for Blues Album of the Year in 2006, and the All Music Guide said that is was "an excellent, and very original, piece of work." One of Paul Reddick's songs, "I'm a Criminal", is currently being used in a Coca-Cola commercial.
GlamourPuss
There has never been a Canadian band like Glamour Puss. Their energetic music uniquely incorporates vibrant elements of swing, blues, rock, R&B, and a unique Acadian flavour of their East Cost roots. The Toronto Star called their second CD for NorthernBlues, Bluesman's Prayer, "a heaping helping of big fat roadhouse blues-rock, tinged with raucous Cajun inflections and soulful R&B ballads."
