by Sarah Chauncey

Tribe:B.C. Read
Tunes:Contemporary blues-roots
To Contact:BlueBuddha Music & Records, Box 21035, 2105 8th St. East, Saskatoon, SK S7H 5N9 (306) 343-1349.

Given that Brian “B.C.” Read has been performing since the late 1970s, it’s surprising he hasn’t received more attention. The Saskatoon-based songwriter/performer has opened for numerous acts, from Joan Baez to Charlie Major and even Jerry Lee Lewis, yet his fanbase seems strangely relegated to the Prairies. Well, let’s change that.
Produced by Toronto blues veteran Ken Whiteley, Read’s debut album, My Tunes, showcases a wide variety of blues styles, from old-style acoustic (”Blues in Paradise”, “Two-Faced Man”), to the shuffling “Believe Me”, to the more contemporary “Long Distance”. “The Job”, an all-out traditional blues groove, features a subtle mandolin mix beneath a yearning steel pedal guitar. Read has lined up major local talent to assist with his debut: contributing musicians include Brent Burlingham (drums), George Tennent (bass), Doug Scarrow (guitar), Johnny V.(guitar), Brent Parkin (guitar), Sheldon Corbett (saxophone and Hammond organ) and Dwayne Harder (piano and organ). We look forward to more of Read’s tunes, and we hope that he begins to receive the credit he deserves.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 5th, 1998 at 1:39 pm and is filed under Showcase. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.