Come enjoy a night of great music presented by the Toronto Blues Society 25th Anniversary!

24th STREET WAILERS provide Good tunes and Good times:
Lindsay Beaver (Drums and vocals) and Jesse Whiteley (organ/piano and vocals) began jamming and sharing music in mid 2007 while attending Humber College. Jesse was born into the Whiteley family who have established themselves over the decades in the Canadian roots music scene. Lindsay hails from Nova Scotia, which boasts a large blues community. As a result, these two musicians formed a natural and dynamic musical relationship. Over time they met fellow students Emily Burgess and Mike Archer who also shared a love of blues which helped them round out the rhythm section. Right from the beginning things seemed to click so they began to jam classic blues standards regularly.
Lindsay and Jesse began to introduce their original tunes that required more than a rhythm section could provide. They decided to add Jonathan Wong on the tenor saxophone and The 24th Street Wailers were born!
“When it comes to playing the blues, The 24th Street Wailers are the REAL deal” –Paul DeLong (Kim Mitchell, David Clayton-Thomas)

FATHEAD has performed on main stages across the continent at high profile events such as Fredericton’s Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, The Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival, The Montreal International Jazz Fest, The Toronto International Beaches Jazz Fest, Playing With Fire in Omaha, Nebraska, and Festival By The Sea in New Brunswick. They have performed in Washington, DC for the Canadian Embassy, at Buffalo’s Lafayette Tap Room Blues Festival, at Virginia’s famed Birchmere Theatre, as well as opening for blues icon B.B. King at Massey Hall in Toronto.

That they have been described as a Blues Tour De Force comes as no surprise. Georgia-raised lead singer JOHN MAYS has had a storied career that began in the Southern gospel tradition, crossing over into Doo-Wop, R&B and Blues, not to mention a stint with the Godfather Of Soul JAMES BROWN. Hooking up with band leader AL LERMAN (harp and saxophone) in Toronto some years later, FATHEAD’s core has remained constant since 1992, offering ace musicianship, soul stirring harmonies and incendiary live performances. The writing tandem of Lerman and bassist OMAR TUNNOCH have produced an impressive body of work that has enjoyed time on the US, European and Canadian music charts. Guitar ace TEDDY LEONARD (who left the band in 2006) is back and better than ever, along with iconic drummer BUCKY BERGER. Elements of funk, soul, and R&B are fused into the group’s strong blues backbone, creating a fresh sound that is immediately recognizable as their own.

FATHEAD is truly an original band with a sound immediately recognizable as their own. They have a ball wherever they play and it shows!

SHAKURA S�AIDA is an international artist whose involvement in the Canadian music scene has been ongoing for the past 20 years, enriching the jazz, blues and classic R&B communities with her soulful voice, enthusiastic personality and commitment to music as an art form.

Whether speaking Swiss-German, French or English, Shakura instantly connects with her audience and at the same time richly demonstrates the multiculturalism that Canada prides itself on.

Her songs are delivered with aching, emotion-laced vocals and powerful guitar and keyboard work.

The Toronto Blues Society (TBS) was formed in 1985, by Derek Andrews, David Barnard and John Valenteyn. They wanted to ensure that blues music, an indigenous North American art form, was guaranteed a continued presence in Toronto. Although the blues scene at the time was thriving, it had almost disappeared during the late 1970s disco era. This suggested the need for an organization that would work to create a climate in which the opportunities for live performances, radio airplay and national touring that can make a career in music viable were being made available to blues musicians.