CLIPS AND COMMENTARY FROM CANADA'S BEST KNOWN UNDISCOVERED OLD WHITE BLUESMAN

Brian's Blues Campfire is part song-swap, part jam-session and all fun.
Musicians are invited to sit in and play along - everybody plays at the Blues Campfire,
where there's no such thing as too many guitar players and long, self-indulgent solos are encouraged


Brian's Blues Campfire at Hugh's Room, Toronto on January 20th, 2008 (the day before the Maple Blues Awards).  L. to R. Ottawa's Terry Gillespie (Granary Blues Band), Danny Marks sitting in on bass, MBA nominee Danny Brooks, Max Cann (UK) and your host Brian B. (Click picture for larger image)

Thanks to all my “Campfire Pals” who’ve dropped in to jam it up at my year-long residency at Highway 61 BBQ and the Gladstone as well as my Tranzac Thursdays a few years back, and Blues Campfires at Folk Conferences, Blues Summits, and Festivals including that most memorable after-hours jam at the Rex where we had jazz giants Antonio Hart, Russell Malone and Roy Hargrove playing 12-bar blues all night long (and loving it!)
Many thanks to those who joined us at Highway 61 BBQ and the Gladstone Hotel including Joanne Crabtree, Kevin Kenalty, Casey Van Gorkom, Son Roberts & John, Jay the Mystery Man and Tony Burns, Malcolm Gould, Bela Ray, Robert Davis, old timers like Ed Roth and Stan Endersly, and the youngsters Dean Arnold & Dad Jon, River and Charlie "Sir Charles". I especially appreciate the folks who came in from out of town, Charlie A'Court from Nova Scotia, Russ Kelley from Ottawa, Douglas Watson and Jazz Williams from Kitchener, Lucia Jenkins from Florida, Rick Taylor from London, Sherman Lee Dillon from Mississippi, Max Cann from the UK, Garry Strand from Tennessee. And to the pros who took some time out to sit in: Michelle Josef, Rachel Melas, Gary Kendall, Drew Austin, Big Dave Maclean, Doc McLean, Dan Maclean, Mojo Willie, Jake Chisholm, Mark Sepic, Martin Aucoin, Scott Cushnie “The Prof”…and all those lovely ladies who provided some much needed female energy in a hi-testosterone BBQ joint, Roberta Hunt, Robin Banks, Julie Hill, Rita di Ghent, Ruth Jenkins, Paula Shear, Mary Simpson, Negrezia and Tree and everybody else who came out to join in our shenanigans Ric Levenston, Garth Dynes, Hurricane Mike Thompson, John Shortill,  
Matt Andersen, David Gogo, Joe Mavety, Glen Hornblast, David Gillies, Ken Whiteley, Mark "Bird" Stafford, Rick Fines, Danny Marks, Chris, Peggy Voigt, Ken McColm, John Williams, Ben Whiteley, Michael Jerome Browne, Toby Walker, David Essig, Brian Jantzi, Wendell Ferguson, Sam Turton, Walter Parks, Nick Moss, Steve Marriner, Johnny White Dog, Max Brand, Norm Robinson, Olav Svela, Steve Raiken, Anthony Martel, Brian Gladstone, Cole Slatt, Ed Pavey, Wyatt, Chris, Phil, Paul, Ken and Alice with the only banjo that made its way to the Blues Campfire.
At the Gladstone we introduced some young performers from the UK, Australia and a few youngsters such as Molly Thomason from Nova Scotia who just won the Canadian Folk Award as Best New Artist.

Those Thursdays at the Tranzac (almost ten years ago) are what started me on a mission to play with every local blues player I admired and it had me jamming with a who’s who of Canadian Blues; Lance Anderson, Eddie Baltimore, Victor Bateman, Raoul Bhaneja, Don Bray, Rodney Brown, Michael Jerome Browne, Joe Burns, Jake Chisholm, "Little Bobby" Chorney, Butch Coulter, Scott Cushnie, Morgan Davis, Daisy DeBolt, Carlos del Junco, Kim Doolittle, Ronnie Douglas, Dr. Nick, Julian Fauth, Brian Gladstone, Eve Goldberg, Michal Hasek, Lorraine Ingle, Tracy K, Gary Kendall, Papa John King, Barry Mack, Doc McLean, Rod Phillips, Michael Pickett, Tony Quarrington, Paul Reddick, Donne Robert, Norm Robinson, David Rotundo, Mark Sepic, Madagascar Slim, Tannis Slimmon, Adam Solomon, Marg Stowe, Brent Titcomb, Suzie Vinnick, Dylan Wickens, Terry Wilkins, Howard Willett, "Mr. Rick" Zolkower and many more





This picture is from the 2006 Blues Summit where the Blues Campfire included (l to r) Ken Whiteley, Mark 'Bird' Stafford, "Mr. Rick" Zolkower, Rick Fines, Danny Marks and host Brian Blain




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