Take in an evening of blues with the Daybreak Rotary Campbell River Wine, Brews and Blues Festival May 4 at 7 p.m.
Enjoy some of the best international and BC wines and BC brews along with, on the main event stage, live entertainment with the legendary Jim Byrnes and Dr Lindsay Mitchell (of Prism fame).
Byrnes is a multi Juno and Maple Blues award winner and was born in St. Louis, Missouri – that’s blues country. By age 13, Byrnes was singing and playing blues guitar. His first professional gig was in 1964. Over the years, he has had the great good fortune to appear with a virtual who’s who of the blues – from Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker to Taj Mahal and Robert Cray. Byrnes has been on the blues highway for 45 years.
Byrnes moved to Vancouver in the mid-70s after years of drifting, working odd jobs and playing music. In 1981 he put together a band that became a staple of the local music scene. In 1986 the Jim Byrnes Band played 300 nights. Byrnes’ fame as an actor has grown immeasurably from his too-numerous-to-mention TV and movie roles, highlights including television’s Wiseguy and Highlander series, and his national variety show The Jim Byrnes Show.
But Byrnes’ first love, is the blues. His evocative, smoky vocals are found in a truth that doesn’t come overnight. The sheer joy you can hear in the music Byrnes and company create is the real reason to celebrate. With Byrnes’ latest release, even though he’s been winning over audiences with his soulful vocals for more than 50 years now, he’s never sung like he does on ‘Long Hot Summer Days’. Byrnes is a living musical treasure and this is his best record yet. And, that’s saying something!
Byrnes plays 150 dates a year in North America and Europe. He will continue to bring his music to stages all over the world. Who could ask for more than that?
“You are not likely to find a more varied and enthusiastically performed modern blues album any time soon,” says MapleBlues (Toronto Blues Society).
