The Vancouver Island Music Festival is famous for its special B次元官网网址渃uratedB次元官网网址� shows that present the music we all love in exciting new ways.
In 2019, one such showcase featured great stars and a group of amazing but little-known studio musicians connected with Muscle Shoals, the name synonymous with the funkiest of soul and R&B sounds.
B次元官网网址淭hat show was put together for us by Andreas Werner, a remarkable musician and band leader,B次元官网网址� says Doug Cox, longtime artistic director of VIMF. B次元官网网址淚 really wanted to work with him again, and this year our theme is B次元官网网址楩amily South: The Great Americana Songbook.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� The show will feature an amalgam of blues, rock, soul, gospel, R&B, and funk.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 mostly black music from the American South, music thatB次元官网网址檚 been touching people for decades,B次元官网网址� Cox adds. B次元官网网址淎nd the stage will be filled with incredible musicians to present this amazing legacy.B次元官网网址�
One notable star will be Sherman Holmes, last surviving member of the Holmes Brothers, legendary gospel- and blues-focused street musicians whose remarkable rise to fame saw them play and record with everyone from Van Morrison to Rosanne Cash, and who once performed for President Bill Clinton.
B次元官网网址淪herman was last at the Festival in 2010 when he was playing with Joan Osborne,B次元官网网址� says Cox. B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 still making important music today, and has such great authenticityB次元官网网址� I canB次元官网网址檛 wait to hear what he has to contribute to our Family South show.B次元官网网址�
An equally storied music veteran is Vaneese Thomas, the youngest member of what is often referred to as MemphisB次元官网网址檚 first family of soul. (Her father, Rufus Thomas, had numerous hits for both Sun Records and Stax, while older brother Marvell played brilliant keyboards on many Stax classics, and sister Carla owned the 1960s air waves with B次元官网网址淏-A-B-YB次元官网网址� and many other tunes.) Vaneese began her own recording career in the 1970s, becoming a stalwart on Geffen Records. SheB次元官网网址檚 also been a backup singer for such superstars as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson. Her brand new recording, the blues-soaked Fight the Good Fight, has been called a B次元官网网址渢our de forceB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� and the oh-so-talented Vaneese wrote or co-wrote all 12 songs.
Everyone remembers Jim Croce. Get ready to meet his equally talented son, A.J. Croce, a virtuoso pianist and vocal stylist who draws on everything from New Orleans funk to juke joint soul.
Over the last 30 years A.J. has made 10 studio CDs; performed with such icons as Willie Nelson, the Neville Brothers, and Ry Cooder; and co-written songs with the likes of Dan Penn, Leon Russell, and Robert Earl Keen.
New Orleans piano legend Allen Toussaint praised him best: B次元官网网址淚n such a crowded music universe it is a pleasure to witness triple uniqueness: pianist, songwriter, singer.B次元官网网址�
Most of the notable soul and R&B artists seem to have a lot of church in their musical history. And then there are those, like The Legendary Ingramettes, who never left the church at all.
For six decades the Ingramettes have been gospel matriarchs in that thrilling African-American tradition of roof-raising harmonies and soul-stirring vocal solos. Based out of Richmond, Virginia, the truly legendary Ingramettes are renowned for their incendiary live shows, full of the purest gospel fervour. Say amen, everybody!
And anchoring all these artists are the six incredibly talented session players of the Funky Chester Rhythm Section (an offshoot of the hard-rocking Muscle Shoals crew mentioned above). It would literally take another page to list all their credits. Suffice it to say that between them they have played and recorded with everybody you have ever cherished, from The Band, Bo Diddly and Buddy Guy to Frank Zappa, George Thorogood, and Ricky Skaggs.
B次元官网网址淭his is a once-in-a-lifetime show,B次元官网网址� adds Cox. B次元官网网址淕et ready to be amazed.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址揜obert Moyes is an arts journalist with a particular interest in music.
