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DOWNCHILD NOMINATED FOR A 2010 JUNO AWARD
2010-03-03 The Juno Awards will take place in St. John's, NF and the winners announced on Sunday, April 18, 2010 as part of the CTV telecast. For the latest information see 2010 Juno Awards 2010-01-07 The show will take place on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 10:00 Pm at the Ontario Pavilion (former Expo 86 site between BC Place and the Science Centre) as part of a free concert series showcasing the wealth of top talent from the province of Ontario. 2010-01-01 2009-12-31 Tune into CANADA LIVE nationally on CBC Radio 2 at 7:00 PM on Friday, January 1, 2010 and ring in the New Year with the one and only Downchild Blues Band!. You can also listen to CBC Radio on-line at CONCERTS ON DEMAND 2009-11-20 The 40th Anniversary celebrations continue and this event is sure to sell out fast, so get your tickets early to avoid disappointment! Tickets are $60.00 including light fare, finger foods, deserts, coffee & tea and a whole lot of amazing music! Tickets are ON SALE NOW and can be purchased at Impressionable Gifts (74 Lakeshore Rd. E.) and by calling 905-271-8999 2009-11-17 The Downchild legacy continues to grow as they put on a hometown party that both the band and fans alike will remember for years to come. From humble beginnings at Grossman's Tavern, Downchild celebrated their 40th Anniversary with a SOLD OUT show at historic Massey Hall for their first ever headline performance at the renowned Toronto venue. A special evening deserves some special friends and Downchild did not disappoint! The stellar line up included; film star and Blues Brother, DAN AYKROYD, who was both emcee and performer throughout the evening; American blues legend JAMES COTTON; Grammy nominee COLIN LINDEN; Montreal rock star singer JONAS; Stax recording icon WAYNE JACKSON OF THE MEMPHIS HORNS and SURPRISE GUEST and guitarist extraordinare, COLIN JAMES , who flew in from Vancouver to take part in the celebrations, much to the excitement of the capacity crowd. The band played a powerful and entertaining set that introduced a string of songs from their brand new release "I Need A Hat" alongside fan favourites like "(I Got Everything I Need)Almost", "Jump Right Up", "Soul Man" (a tip of the hat to Wayne Jackson who played on the original recording) and the grand finale "Flip Flop & Fly ", that saw all of the special guests take the stage with Downchild and proceed to blow the lid of the place! If you missed this "once in a lifetime" performance, fear not, the show was fortunately captured on film for an upcoming documentary special on Downchild to be broadcast nationally in 2010. CBC Radio also recorded the musical proceedings for future broadcast throughout Canada. Downchild kicked off the weekend with an electric, "standing room only" performance to a crowd of blues lovers in Montreal and followed it up another SOLD OUT house at the prestigious National Arts Centre in Ottawa on lucky Friday the 13th! 2009-11-04 Downchild's stellar line-up was also recognized with some individual nomination again this year. Keyboardist, Michael Fonfara is a nominated for the prestigious "Blues With A Feeling" Lifetime Achievement Award as well as "Piano/Keyboard Player of The Year". Pat Carey is up for "Horn Player Of The Year" and Gary Kendall is a "Bassist Of The Year"nominee. Voting is open to the general public on-line until Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 12:00 noon (EST), so feel free to Register To Vote and Cast Your Vote for Downchild! Remember, you can write in a vote in any category that you like to select Downchild and it's members for any suitable categories you feel they should have been nominated for. Select the button next to the input box marked "Other" and then write in your Nominee in the space provided. 2009-10-30 After a successful trek through Western Canada for their 40th Anniversary Tour, including SOLD OUT shows in Winnipeg and Golden, BC, the Downchild Blues Band will perform live on CTV's CANADA AM on Monday, November 2, 2009 at 8:50 AM (EST). Donnie "Mr. Downchild" Walsh, the leader and founding member of the band will also be interviewed earlier in the program at 8:15 AM (EST). For more details and local broadcast times in your area, see CANADA AM 2009-10-10 Downchild Tour Celebrates 40 Years Donnie Walsh (third from right) walks with his band Downchild which is celebrating 40 years with a cross-Canada tour. (Canadian Press)Looking back on 40 years with Downchild, Toronto blues pioneer Donnie Walsh doesn't offer much insight on his longevity. "I love doing it, it's what I love, and the other options weren't so great," a laughing Walsh said in a recent telephone interview. The Toronto-based blues band is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a cross-Canada tour, starting with a show in Nanaimo, B.C. on Saturday and has just released its 18th album, I Need a Hat. Walsh was 22 and had jobs driving a cab and a transport truck when he started the band with his brother, Richard (Hock) Walsh, who died in 1999. He knew he'd found his calling, but never really occurred to him that it would last 40 years. "Lots of things have changed, but I mean, the music is still the No. 1 thing that's happening — in my own personal music industry, anyways," Walsh said. Longtime friend and fan Dan Aykroyd says Downchild's longevity is no fluke. "It's his superb musicianship, and a masterful understanding of the archive of music from which he's been able to draw from over the years," Aykroyd said in a telephone interview from his farm in Kingston, Ont. "You've got one of the best electric harmonica players in the world, you've got one of the best guitar players in the world, and he's also a very good vocalist." Walsh estimates he's performed onstage with 80-plus different players over the years. A few more will join the band on their cross-Canada anniversary tour, including James Cotton, Colin Linden, Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns and Aykroyd himself, whose enduring friendship with Walsh has given both men an enormous boost. "There would be no Blues Brothers if it weren't for Downchild," Aykroyd said matter-of-factly. Aykroyd met Walsh in Toronto in the early '70s and immediately became a fan. Soon afterward, Aykroyd met John Belushi while tending bar at the 505 Club, a now-defunct after-hours night spot that Aykroyd ran for the members of comedy troupe Second City and "anyone else who wanted to drop in." Belushi came in to recruit for the National Lampoon Radio Hour, and he and Aykroyd chatted over some tunes. "We were sitting there, listening to the Downchild record Straight Up,"' he said. "And it had the shot glass with a briefcase on (the cover). "Right there we tried to concoct the idea of doing a blues act. We ended up calling our record Briefcase Full of Blues." That album, released by Belushi and Aykroyd as the Blues Brothers in 1978, contained two songs written by Walsh — Shot Gun Blues and (I Got Everything I Need) Almost — and Flip, Flop & Fly, which was derived from a Walsh cover. Meanwhile, Aykroyd continued to be a fan. Actor Dan Aykroyd said he's been a fan of Downchild and friend of Donnie Walsh, since the 1970s. (Associated Press)"Basically, when we were at Second City, the Downchild music was our theme music for all the great parties, all the great nights, and all the great times we had in Toronto," he recalled; "1970-75, it was all Downchild, all the time." The release of The Blues Brothers movie in 1980 gave Downchild wide exposure. "Everybody likes that movie," said the 62-year-old Walsh. "Nobody doesn't get a hoot out of that movie." Like Jake and Elwood Blues of the film, Donnie Walsh has long had a signature briefcase. "Somebody in the band found it in a garbage can and wiped it off, brought it to the gig, and figured that since I was the boss, I should have a briefcase," Walsh said. He says he kept contracts and pencils inside. Walsh said he quit his day jobs a few months into his career with Downchild knowing that he had found his calling. "It wasn't full-time pay, but it was a full-time job," he said with a laugh. "When I started music, I just started music to play music. And it's pretty much the same now." Nick Patch Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved. 2009-09-02 Tickets can be purchased in person at the Metropolis Box Office (59 Ste-Catherine St. E.), by calling 514-844-3500, on-line through TICKETPRO or by calling 514-908-9090. Special guests include ,DAN AYKROYD, JAMES COTTON, COLIN LINDEN , WAYNE JACKSON OF THE MEMPHIS HORNS, JONAS, BOB WALSH and NANETTE WORKMAN! 2009-08-30 The band will also play a couple of annual events that are always a blast! On September 6th Downchild head to Burlington for the Burlington Ribfest and then on to the renowned Southside Shuffle for September 13th in Port Credit, where Downchild will feature some special guests, including talented Toronto singer, songwriter and pianist Treasa Levasseur and Paul Reddick 2009-07-21 DOWNCHILD has always been a band with loyal fans and in 1970 DAN AYKROYD became one of their biggest supporters. The Blues Brothers recorded two Downchild songs, "(I Got Everything I Need) Almost" and "Shotgun Blues" from their multi-platinum selling album "Briefcase Full of Blues". DAN AYKROYD will be appearing with Downchild for three extraordinary performances in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. DOWNCHILD Blues Band is a Canadian blues institution with an international reputation. The band has been recognized with an array of awards from both the media and the music industry. These include a 1991 Juno Award for “Best Roots and Traditional Album” and the 2007 Maple Blues title “Entertainers of The Year." A constant throughout, DONNIE “MR. DOWNCHILD” WALSH, the leader and founding member of the band, has kept the music live and alive in the world of blues today. Downchild, whose members have played together for over 15 years, is comprised of the most well respected musicians in the country. They include silky smooth singer and harmonica player CHUCK JACKSON, sax player PAT CAREY, MIKE FITZPATRICK on drums, rhythm captain GARY KENDALL on bass, and former American super-group rocker MICHAEL FONFARA (of Rhinoceros fame) on keyboards, and of course, DONNIE WALSH playing guitar, slide guitar, harmonica and turning out a few vocals of his own. QUOTES FROM THE MEDIA: “Canadian blues legends”, “one of the greatest blues bands in the world. Period”, “A Tribute to Canadian Music” – Toronto Star “Downchild has a virtual lock on Canadian blues hierarchy."- Blues Revue “Downchild remains one of the best roadhouse bands around. The all original set reminds us that Donnie Walsh is one of the genre's best writers. - Montreal Gazette Grammy nominee, COLIN LINDEN has played on and produced hundreds of albums for such luminaries as Lucinda Williams, Colin James, Bruce Cockburn and David Wilcox to name a few. Linden is touring in support of his new album entitled "From The Water" on True North Records/Universal. Last summer he toured as guitarist with Emmylou Harris and recently played on Allison Krauss & Robert Plant’s new album to be released later this year. Special guests for Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal include James Cotton and Wayne Jackson. JAMES COTTON is a legendary blues harmonica player who grew up in the South playing with Muddy Waters and is now celebrating 65 years in the entertainment business! The one and only WAYNE JACKSON OF THE MEMPHIS HORNS has played on 52 Number One records and over 80 Gold and Platinum records. He has toured the world and recorded with such stars as Elvis, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Al Green, Neil Young, U2 and Peter Gabriel. Joining the band in Montreal are BOB WALSH, JONAS and NANETTE WORKMAN. BOB WALSH began his career in the 1970s with the groups Contrebande and the Devito and is a fixture at blues festivals and concert venues. JONAS is a young, Juno-nominated singer who recently taped his "Live At The Bell Centre" DVD to a crowd of 7000 in Montreal. NANETTE WORKMAN, known as the Honky Tonk Woman, has provided back-up vocals for the best in the business from The Rolling Stones to John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. She also performed with Celine Dion at Quebec City’s 400th Anniversary and has made a name for herself internationally both as a singer and actor. DOWNCHILD is currently recording it's 40th Anniversary album with some very special guests. The CD is titles 'I Need A Hat' and is tentatively scheduled for release in Canada in October 2009. Stay tuned for the lastest info on tHAT!! Check out the Tour Dates section for complete details and ticket information! 2009-05-05 2008-04-16 Read More 2008-02-06 2008-01-22 2007-12-05 2007-11-14 Click to Download Press Release 2007-11-01 |
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