A Blind Bay resident is giving back to the community whose beauty helped inspire him to rediscover his own musical roots.
Duane Stewart has become somewhat of a local fixture in the Shuswap musical community.
He is an active member and part of the committee of a local gospel group and has arranged the Gospel Music Jamboree for four years in a row.
His creation, the Gospel Song, a two -hour show packed with musical entertainment takes place in Sorrento each year and just celebrated its fifth birthday.
Stewart has also branched out into other genres of music, taking on a country flavour, stemming back to his years growing up in Alberta.
He enjoys nothing more than to travel around singing country-style shows at different venues throughout British Columbia and Alberta.
Stewart wasn’t always so tapped into his musical side however.
While music was a major part of his life as a youth, he admits that once he entered university he set his sights on his studies and finding a career.
Once he pushed his music to the side, he says he never really looked back, until he moved to the Shuswap.
When he moved to Blind Bay in hopes of retiring, he discovered the enormous musical talent within the area.
It was this talent, along with the beautiful landscapes that triggered something within Stewart, that made him pick up his guitar once again.
“It was only a little bit at first, I played here and there, and each time I picked up the guitar I would play a little longer.”
Now Stewart is a regular face on the stages of Alberta country music festivals such as the Trail End show he will be taking part in just a few weeks.
Stewart is thankful he was able to rediscover his old passion, and gives the Shuswap full credit for helping him find his way.
In response, he has made it his mission to bring as much music to the area as he can, which is why he created Ballads and Bards.
It is also the reason that when Stewart had the opportunity to ask world-renowned artist Doris Daley to perform at one of his shows in the Shuswap, he jumped on it.
“She is so talented, and I know the people here will really appreciate her work,” says Stewart, who claims to have been personally moved by her musical performances.
Daley has toured Canada and the United States this year and will be continuing to Utah after her stop in Blind Bay.
She is an accomplished musician, author and poet, through which she shares her passion for the old wild west wherever she goes.
Once Stewart had Daley signed on, he designed an entire show around her, and Ballads and Bards was formed.
When asked what spectators might expect, Stewart said his goal is to put on a wholesome show that celebrates the feeling of down-home, wherever home may be.
“There is a quote from one of Daley’s poems that best describes the theme I would like the show to exude,” says Stewart.
“A hundred years from now, if the world’s still in the game, may the earth recall our footprints, may the wind sing out our name. May someone turn a page and hearken back upon this time. May someone sing a cowboy tune and someone spin a rhyme.”
“Isn’t that beautiful?” asks Stewart.
Also playing at the show will be Blind Bay residents, Larry and Jane Stephenson, who are well-known in the area from their years in the Carlin X’ing bluegrass band. The pair will be performing their new duo act that Stewart describes as a contemporary folk with a traditional feeling.
“There will be toe-tapping, hand-clapping, and everyone can feel free to sing along. There will be both new and old western country and an equal amount of Daley.
Of course Stewart himself will be taking the stage, showcasing his country repertoire.
“I come from an era when it wasn’t country, it was country-western,” he says, explaining this is the type of sound he will be performing at the show.
Tickets to Ballads and Bards cost $12 and can be bought at the door or pre-purchased from Acorn Music or Touch’A Texas in Salmon Arm or at the Sorrento Centre or the Shuswap Lake Estates Community Centre, where the show will take place.
Stewart says that he doesn’t plan to make any money from the show, explaining that the amount being charged will allow them to just break even.
“It isn’t about making money, it was about bringing a great performer to the Shuswap because I know the people here will appreciate it.”
Stewart says there will be a chance for guests to mingle among the musicians, including Daley herself, throughout the night.
The show runs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20.
