When you hear Spencer MacKenzie sing and play guitar it’s hard to believe that such a young man (he just turned 17!) can play the Blues with so much skill, passion and depth. He is an “old soul in a young body”. His debut album “Infected With The Blues” is already earning rave reviews and getting major airplay. He’s also landed some prestigious festival gigs this summer including Kitchener Bluesfest, the West Coast Blues Festival, Southside Shuffle and the Canal Bank Shuffle) and is one of the finalists at the Toronto Blues Society’s Talent Search in July 2016. And the Blues Foundation in Memphis has awarded him a scholarship to attend a Blues Camp in Chicago. Spencer is backed by a great young band - not one is over the age of 21! - and will be joined by a Special Guest - Hamilton guitarist BRANT PARKER - for this show (Brant has helped mentor Spencer). I predict a great career ahead for this young man. Come and see him LIVE before he gets famous so you can say “I saw him when”.

A powerful and passionate singer in the style of Big Mama Thornton and Bessie Smith with a great feel for the Blues Karen swept on to the American Blues scene in 2009 with her first album “Lucky Girl” - it went to #13 on the Living Blues Chart and was a “Pick To Click” on XM satellite’s Bluesville Show. She then took 2nd place in the Band category at the 2010 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Her second album “Still The Rain” earned her 3 American Blues Music Award nominations (Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist, Best Contemporary Blues Album and Best Song). In 2014 she released a CD called “Prohibition Blues” featuring classic songs from that era by legends like Ma Rainey, Victoria Spivey and Alberta Hunter – all idols of hers. After a year long hiatus due to a family tragedy Karen returned in 2015 with a new record called “Ten Miles Of Bad Road”. Produced by Grammy winner Tony Braunagel it’s a powerful mix of Blues, Roots and Soul. Karen & her band played BOTR back in October 2011 and gave an unforgettable performance. We’re very lucky to have her back again this year!

*NOTE: The 24th Street Wailers were originally booked for this date but had to cancel. We are disappointed that they couldn’t make it but are very pleased to have secured Angelique & the BRR for this show!

ANGELIQUE FRANCIS has been named one of the top emerging female Blues artists in the country. At 17 years of age she has already appeared at prestigious festivals like Ottawa Bluesfest, the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Tremblant Blues Festival and represented the Toronto Blues Society at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. She not only has a fabulous voice and tremendous feel for a song she also writes her own songs and plays multiple instruments including guitar, upgright bass and harmonica. BEN RACINE originally hails from Gatineau but now lives in Montreal. He and his very talented band were just nominated for the Maple Blues Award for Best New Artists this year. They play Soul Blues like the great R&B artists from the ‘60’s – Junior Walker, Stevie Wonder and Clarence Carter. Together these two represent the very best in great young Canadian Blues talent. Their first visit to BOTR.

Danny was supposed to open BOTR last year but he and Debi ran into to some U.S. immigration problems and had to cancel at the last minute. Not this time! Born and raised in Toronto they are  now residents of Llano, Texas. Danny IS the “Texassippi Soul Man” – a dash of Eddie Hinton, Solomon Burke, Rev. James Cleveland and Howlin’ Wolf are all ingredients in his soulful stew. He’s a multiple Juno and Maple Blues Award nominee and sits in the Blues Hall Of Fame in Clarksdale, Mississippi as an official Blues Ambassador to Canada. His wife Debi provides backing vocals and The Memphis Brothers – Bucky Berger on drums, Denis Pinhorn on bass and Papa John King on guitar – are some of the best musicians on the Toronto scene today. It’s Danny’s 4th visit to The Cove and he always gives a powerful, soulful and uplifting performance.

Winner of the prestigious Lee Oskar Award for Harmonica Player Of The Year at the International Blues Challenge in 2014 Jerome has been writing songs, singing and blowing harp for decades. In the late ‘80’s and ‘90’s he and his band The Phantoms were one of the hottest acts in the GTA. After they folded he continued on with his solo career. Jerome has released 14 albums and toured Canada, the U.S., Europe, Ukraine and Israel over the past 30 years. His current band features two of the best guitarists in the country – Shawn Kellerman (formerly with Lucky Petersen, Mel Brown & many others) and Eric Schenkman (from the Spin Doctors) along with  drummer Gary Craig (Colin Linden, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn). Jerome’s last CD “Sanctuary City” was superb and a new one should be out before this BOTR appearance. Can’t wait to see the wild man with the Zydeco washboard tie and the tool belt full of harps again – especially backed by these guys! It’s Jerome’s 3rd visit to BOTR @ The Cove. 

Singer, songwriter, guitarist Terry Gillespie is the “King of the Groove”. No matter what style he plays – Blues, Soul, Jazz or Reggae – all of which he does extremely well – the ever-present groove is always there. Raised in Michigan in the 1960’s he got to see and play with many Blues greats including Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf. In fact The Wolf once asked him to join his band! Terry was one of the founders of the Blues in Ottawa and his band “Heaven’s Radio” was known as the best in the city in the 1970’s. He struggled with alcohol addiction however and disappeared from the music scene for almost two decades but he got clean and sober and returned with a roar in the early 2000’s. Since then he’s released 5 great albums. Holger Petersen, host of CBC’s Saturday Night Blues says it best about Terry - “He’s a soulful groove master…like Mark Knopfler, J.J. Cale and JB Lenoir nothing’s wasted and nothing’s missing”. He always brings a great band with him as well. This is his 3rd visit to BOTR.

BLUES ON THE RIDEAU is produced by
CHOOSE THE BLUES PRODUCTIONS www.choosetheblues.ca www.facebook.com/ChooseTheBluesProductions
 in co-operation with THE COVE INN, Westport Ontario www.coveinn.com  www.facebook.com/TheCoveCountryInn
Sponsored by 101.9 DAWG FM Ottawa www.dawgfm.com
DAN AYKROYD WINES www.danaykroydwines.com
LAKE 88.1 Perth/Rideau Lakes www.lake88.ca
PERTH BREWERY www.perthbrewery.ca
OTTAWA BLUES SOCIETY www.ottawabluessociety.ca