Three-time Juno-nominee and two-time Canadian Folk Music Awards Solo Artist of the Year, Michael Jerome Browne is Canada’s living, breathing encyclopedia of the music of the deep south.
Fans of the Montreal indie artist can see him perform on April 18, as he visits Hornby Island for a solo show at Harbinger House Concerts.
His new album, Sliding Delta, is a tribute to the artists who first ignited his passion for their sound.
With intimate, acoustic covers of lesser-known tracks by Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charlie Patton, Blind Willie McTell and other greats, Michael pays homage to the understated soul of rural blues music.
The title track comes from Mississippi John Hurt, the early 20th century Delta bluesman who was as celebrated for his skills on the axe as he was for his song-writing – his syncopated finger-picking style being credited with influencing John Fahey and a generation of musicians who came after him.
I Heard Somebody Call and Write Me a Few Lines are both tracks by Mississippi Fred McDowell, a breakthrough artist in the Northern Mississippi blues tradition of hypnotic, rhythmic riffing that would later be popularized by R.L. Burnside and the Fat Possum crew.
And “Frisco Town” comes from the first session Columbia Records recorded with women’s blues pioneer Memphis Minnie and her then husband Kansas Joe McCoy.
All the tracks were recorded live off the floor over three days, and feature Michael on several six- and 12-string guitars, five-string banjo, mandolin, and rack harp.
Born in South Bend, Indiana but raised – and still based – in Montreal, Michael was brought up by English professors who immersed him in the city’s live folk, jazz and blues scenes.
The child prodigy quickly mastered guitar, banjo, harmonica, fiddle and mandolin and was performing on stage regularly by the age of 14.
After touring North America and Europe as a one-man band, he recorded four albums with the Stephen Barry Band, then went solo in 1999.
Michael’s award-winning albums of blues, old-time, country, and Cajun music showcase his talents as both a gifted composer and first-class interpreter of the greats.
For more information on the solo concert, or to buy tickets ($15-$20), contact Melisa at 250-335-2371 or harbingerhouseconcerts@gmail.com
