Friday, April 27, 2018

Kirby Stone's 100th Birthday


Today (Friday, April 27, 2018) would have been American vocalist Kirby Stone's 100th Birthday. His ensemble, the Kirby Stone Four (KS4) released many popular albums and singles.

Biography highlights (from Wikipedia)






Links: Videos above courtesy of NBCRecordsMore 100th Birthdays

Previous (Hamilton Community News Readers' Choice Award Winners) - - - Next (News Roundup: Sue Foley, Jessye Norman, Passings, More)

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

CONGRATS ! 2018 Hamilton Community News Readers' Choice Awards Winners!


Recently, the 2018 Hamilton Community News Reader's Choice Awards were unveiled and a number of local artists got some much deserved kudos!

Below is a list of the winners from music related categories. Click here for the complete list.

Live Entertainment
Also, a special congratulations to St. Charles Adult and Continuing Education Centres (not a sponsor but it is our blogger's workplace) for earning Platinum in the Adult Education category.

Previous (Sarah Beatty Wins London Music Award) - - - Next (Kirby Stone's 100th Birthday)

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

CONGRATS! Hamilton's Sarah Beatty Wins 2018 Jack Richardson London Music Award


It was a dark and (ice) stormy night when Hamilton Singer/Songwriter Sarah Beatty was honoured by the Jack Richardson London Music Awards. On April 15, 2018, while an ice storm was raging, Sarah was handed a well-deserved. Ontario Independent Recording Artist Award.

She had this to say on her Facebook page:
All kinds of love. Thank you to everyone who voted when I put the call out! We did it!!
Click here for the London Free Press story



Links: Sarah BeattyMore Sarah Beatty StoriesVideo above courtesy of Open Mic Sundays at Kindl Stuben

Below is a complete list of winners.
Jack’s Fantasy Band

Previous (Brian Wice Passes) - - - Next (Hamilton Community News Readers' Choice Award Winners)

Monday, April 23, 2018

Hamilton's Brian Wice Passes


It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Hamilton musician Brian Wice.  He passed away on Monday, April 16, 2018, just months after his beloved wife and musical partner, Angela McKay.  He was also a regular at the Hamilton Folk Club.

His obituary:
WICE, Brian Carl - Peacefully (on his own terms) at his home, surrounded by love on April 16, 2018 in his 74th year.

Beloved husband of the late Angela McKay. Loving father of Brent (Roxana), David (Coby) and Benjamin. Cherished Grandpa of Julia, Taylor, Lacey and Lindsay.

Dear brother of Julia, the late Barbara (Hank), Alan (Slavica) and Grant (Angèle). Brian will be sadly missed by nieces, nephews, family and his enormous circle of friends.

Special thanks to all of Brian’s caregivers for their kindness and support.

Cremation has taken place. A celebration of Brian’s life will take place at the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club, 555 Bay Street North, on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 6:30pm.

Donations to JAZZ.FM91 would be appreciated. Contact jbryan@jazz.fm for information.
From Lou, our blogger:
It was an honour to get to know Brian and his wife Angela. I will miss their musical talents and friendship. 


Links: More Brian Wice Stories, Video above courtesy of Hamilton Blues Lovers

Previous (Earth Day Videos) - - - Next (Sarah Beatty Wins London Music Award)

Friday, April 20, 2018

News Roundup (Jeannie Ingrassia Passes, Terra Lightfoot w Jim Cuddy, Brodie Dakin, Harbourtown Sound, Bev Munro Passes)


It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Jeannie Ingrassia, an integral member of the Guitar Clinic in Hamilton. She passed away on April 11, 2018. Our condolences to her friends and family.

We are currently looking for a picture of Jeannie to post here. Please email us at blueshamilton@gmail.com if you have one to send to us.



Lily Sazz (Cootes Paradise)
When I took my first band there to rehearse 4 days a week as we prepared to launch, she wouldn't accept any payment until we'd had our first gig. That was just the beginning of many years of friendship, support and encouragement. I was always super happy to see her whenever we connected.
Chris Church (former employee)
The guitar clinic was my first job when I was 17 fixing amps and pedals Jeannie was super nice to me always she had a wicked sense of humour she always made sure I had a good lunch to eat.. at Rosas bakery. She was a warm intelligent woman who did not take any shit I will miss her. She was a super nice person everyone who worked at the clinic had respect for her everyone liked her. She was a mom to all of us guys that worked there at the time. R.I.P
Jason Colavecchia (Smoke Wagon Blues Band)
Jeannie allowed me to make payments over a year to help me pay for my 1st six string F-bass. Without that help, I would not have evolved into the musician I am today.
Christina Ingrassia (daughter)
She loved the people that came through the door of the Clinic, & she really did enjoy helping people, she was a true music lover; music all the time, at home, in the car. She was even singing & groovin' right up until the end.

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      Wednesday, April 18, 2018

      Tony Motolla's 100th Birthday


      Today (Wednesday, April 18) would have been American Jazz guitarist Tony Mottola's 100th Birthday.

      Biography highlights (from Wikipedia)


      Video above courtesy of Valter Adonai



      Video above courtesy of Enkigamesh



      Video above courtesy of Radio 620 Coleccion & Collezione privata

      Links: Tony MottolaMore 100th Birthdays

      Previous (Harmonica Day Videos) - - - Next (News Roundup: Jeannie Ingrassia Passes, Terra Lightfoot w Jim Cuddy, Brodie Dakin, Harbourtown Sound, Bev Munro Passes)

      Happy Harmonica Day! (Sweet Sammy D, Harpdog Brown, Michael Pickett)




      Links: Sweet Sammy D, More Sweet Sammy D StoriesTim GibbonsMore Tim Gibbons Stories, Video above courtesy of Pauline De Rosa



      Links: Harpdog BrownMore Harpdog Brown StoriesVideo above courtesy of thelointavern



      Links: Michael PickettMore Michael Pickett Stories, Video above courtesy of leeoskarharmonicas

      More Harmonica Day Videos

      Previous (St. Catharines Arts Awards Nominees) - - - Next (Tony Motolla's 100th Birthday)

      Tuesday, April 17, 2018

      Monday, April 16, 2018

      GOOD LUCK! Local Country Music Association of Ontario Award Nominees


      Many of our incredible area musicians will be heading down to London for the Country Music Association of Ontario Awards on June 3, 2018. There were quite a few local nominees and hopefully they'll pick up some hardware.

      Hamilton boasts a few nominees: Blue Rodeo (which has Hamilton's Colin Cripps in its current lineup) and radio station KX 94.7 FM are up for awards.



      Links: Blue RodeoMore Blue Rodeo StoriesVideo above courtesy of Blue Rodeo

      The Halton region also has a few artists in the running: Burlington's Tianna Woods and Tebey along with Oakville's Nicole Rayy.



      Links: Tianna WoodsMore Tianna Woods StoriesVideo above courtesy of Tianna Woods



      Links: TebeyMore Tebey StoriesVideo above courtesy of Tebey



      Links: Nicole Rayy, More Nicole Rayy Stories, Video above courtesy of Nicole Rayy

      As for Niagara, there's St. Catherines Country superstar Tim Hicks and CKYY Country 89 (Welland).



      Links: Tim HicksMore Tim Hicks StoriesVideo above courtesy of TimHicksVEVO

      Other local artists include The Western Swing Authority and Jason Barry from Waterloo, Shae Dupuy (Cambridge).



      Links: Western Swing AuthorityMore WSA StoriesVideo above courtesy of TheWSAMusic



      Links: Shae DupuyMore Shae Dupuy StoriesVideo above courtesy of Shae Dupuy

      GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!

      Leading the pack with nominations is the James Barker Band with 6.

      Below is a complete list of nominees.

      Single
      Female Artist
      Male Artist
      Group/Duo
      Roots Artist/Group
      Rising Star
      Music Video
      Fan's Choice
      Record Producer(s)
      Radio Station (Large Market)
      Radio Station (Small Market)
      Album
      Industry Person

      Wednesday, April 11, 2018

      GOOD LUCK! 2018 Hamilton Arts Award Nominees


      Over 75 artists have been nominated in the 2018 City of Hamilton Arts Awards, including a number in the Music category.

      From the arts award site:
      The Awards Presentation will take place on Wednesday June 6, 2018 at Theatre Aquarius Dofasco Centre for the Arts as part of Hamilton Arts Week. The catered presentation event will feature great performers, art demonstrations, and the awarding of $35,000 in cash prizes to artists.
      Below are the music nominees:

      Click here for the complete list

      Established
      Emerging
      A few musicians were also nominated in other categories as well

      Lifetime Achievement Award
      • Kosha Braun (Vioinist)
      • Dr. David Gerry (Professor of Music)
      Arts Innovation Award

      Arts Education and Community Arts Awards
      • Dave Gould (Musician, Educator)
      • Becky Katz (Musician, Visual Artist)
      Writing Award 
      GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

      Tickets to the ceremony are free but you must reserve them.

      Blast from the Past: Last Year's Winners


      Previous (Terra Lightfoot and Arkells Receive SOCAN No. 1 Song Awards) - - - Next (Friday the 13th Videos)

      Tuesday, April 10, 2018

      Hamilton's Terra Lightfoot and Arkells Receive SOCAN No. 1 Song Awards



      SOCAN recently presented three artists with No. 1 Song Awards. Two of those were from Hamilton: Terra Lightfoot and Arkells.

      Terra earned the honour through her song Paradise. It topped the CBC Radio 2 Top 20 on Sept. 14, 2017.



      Links: Terra LightfootMore Terra Lightfoot StoriesVideo above courtesy of Sonic Unyon Records

      As for Akells, they won for two tunes that were on the Nielsen BDS Album Rock ChartKnockin’ At the Door (May 15, 2017) and Private School (Aug. 29, 2016)





      Links: ArkellsMore Arkells Stories, Videos above courtesy of ArkellsVEVO

      The third performer to receive an award was Edmonton's Ruth B for Superficial Love.



      Links: Ruth B, Video above courtesy of RuthBVevo

      Click here for the SOCAN story.

      Previous (Fraser Loveman of the Modbeats Passes) - - - Next (Hamilton Arts Awards Nominations)

      Sunday, April 8, 2018

      St. Catharines' Fraser Loveman (of the Modbeats) Passes


      It is with sadness that we announce the passing of St. Catharines' Fraser Loveman. He was the frontman of the legendary Modbeats. He passed away on Friday, April 6, 2018. Our condolences to his family, friends and fans.

      Originally the British Modbeats (to cash in on the 60's British Invasion) the band's debut album (recorded in less than 2 days) was released in 1967.  They performed a lot at the castle in St. Catharines and also shared the stage with the Byrds, the Rascals and the Four Tops.  The group performed on and off  in the region for decades.

      Fraser was also well-known as a musicologist with over 50,000 records in his collection. He was also a frequenter social media poster where he shared stories, collections and so much more.

      The outpouring of love on social media was wonderful, here a few quotes:

      Eddie Collins (Groovetime Productions)
      I've never known anyone who was so dedicated to immersing their time daily to continuous and consecutive posts, supporting all genres of music from pre rock era, to present day.
      Fraser, thru his posts brought a smile to many, including myself. We shared many private messages, and admired his respect in his comments to me personally, regarding my involvement in many facets of the music industry. Over the Christmas holidays, we had scheduled a time to phone each other, but due to Fraser's health issues, and as life's circles go, we didn't get that opportunity. Now entering the gates of 'Rock & Roll Heaven' our pal Fraser will unite with everyone he's supported, and add to ..one hell of a band!
      Paul RK Wheeler Jr (the Rockets
      Fraser Loveman and I had been discussing getting together and pulling our local knowledge together to start a Niagara Music Museum. I'm so sad that now we won't have that adventure together. He was a bit of a Hero to me. Goodbye Sir
      Dollar Bill
      He knew, loved and collected music, no label, catagory, or specialty needed, if it was music, it was Fraser's bag and destined for one of his many shelves.
      He didn't just hoard them away, but shared his knowledge and love worldwide, each morning up earlier than some go to bed.
      Assorted comments
      • Your endless stories and experiences will never be forgotten.
      • He definitely lived a full life though....so much inspiration.
      • I spent lots of time listening to his stories and shenanigans of the time.
      • Fraser always brought music to my (and many others) page with great photos & music every single day.



      Video above courtesy of The Modbeats





      Two videos above courtesy of Benjamin Shulman

      Previous (Peanuts Hucko's 100th Birthday) - - - Next (Terra Lightfoot and Arkells Receive SOCAN No. 1 Song Awards)

      Saturday, April 7, 2018

      Peanuts Hucko's 100th Birthday


      Today (April 7, 2018) would have been American big band performer (clarinet and sax) Peanuts Hucko's 100th birthday.

      Biography highlights (from Wikipedia)






      Links: Peanuts Hucko, Videos above courtesy of SwingClaMore 100th Birthdays

      Previous (News Roundup: Petit Fours, Waves That Stray, Blueswinder, Prism Prize) - - - Next (Fraser Loveman of the Modbeats Passes)

      Friday, April 6, 2018

      News Roundup (Petit Fours, Waves That Stray, Blueswinder, Prism Prize)

      Cool Music Cartoons





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