Mel Brown Award
2023 Donnie Walsh
Donnie Walsh, the leader and co-founder of The Legendary Downchild Blues Band, named his band from a song by blues singer, songwriter and harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson; his other early heroes included Elmore James and Muddy Waters. More than 50 years later, Walsh remains one of the most enthusiastic musicians to be found anywhere — on the rare occasions when he’s not fronting a Downchild gig or fishing up north, he can be found sitting in with friends — and he has them in dozens of towns and cities throughout Canada and the United States.
Known as “Mr. Downchild” since he started the band, Walsh’s fans still argue as to whether he’s a better guitarist than he is a harp player — most figure it’s a tie — but musicians everywhere give him an A+ mark on both instruments, with special praise for his slide guitar work. Younger players in the tradition cite him as one of their strongest influences. He is also the band’s main songwriter, who’s song “I’ve Got Everything I Need (Almost)” was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019, alongside some of the greatest songwriters of our time, including Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, and Gordon Lightfoot. Unlike most bands in the idiom, almost all the material in Downchild’s shows is written by Walsh or singer Chuck Jackson. Off–stage in the summertime — between jazz, blues, and folk festival gigs in Canada and around the world — Walsh avoids the crowds by relaxing on his fishing boat.
2022 David Wilcox
David Wilcox began his solo career in 1973, after a little over two years in Ian and Sylvia Tyson’s band, Great Speckled Bird.
In his first band, David Wilcox and the Teddy Bears, Wilcox hit local stages as a flashy character with an oversized waxed moustache, a baggy suit and a flower in his lapel.
David Wilcox’s debut album, a solo album called Out of the Woods, was released in 1977. Out of the Woods produced his three top hits, “Do the Bearcat”, “Bad Apple” and “That Hypnotizin’ Boogie”. Wilcox signed with Capitol Records in 1982, re-releasing Out of the Woods, which became Wilcox’s first album to reach gold status.
David followed these releases with a host of other recordings, and became a favourite live performer at venues across Canada.
In the late 1980s, Wilcox moved away from his past raw live-in-the-studio approach, to a more produced synthesizer and drum program modern rock sound. The album Breakfast at the Circus (1987) and 1989’s The Natural Edge are each from that era.
Thirteen Songs, released in 1996, featured acoustic-based music played with a small band.
Colin Linden produced the album Rhythm of Love which was released in 2000 on Stony Plain Records. It featured “Play That Guitar Rag”, “Easy Like Rain” and “Rattlesnakin Daddy”.
In 2015, David was featured with James Burton Albert Lee and Amos Garrett in a concert which was later released as the live CD “Guitar Heroes” on Stony Plain.
David has played at The Kitchener Blues Festival in 2007, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2022, where he was honoured to receive the Mel Brown Blues Award.
2021 John Lee
Born in Montreal in 1954, John's family moved to St. Stephen, New Brunswick when he was five. He started piano lessons then from the Nuns, becoming a fixture at the annual Royal Toronto Conservatory competitions. By 15 he had completed Grade 10 of the course and started working with a local band, E.S.P. They played dances around the area at Legion's, on both sides of the border and at the Algonquin Hotel in St. Andrew's By the Sea.
Upon graduating High School in '72, he hit the road with Killer Egg, an original R and B band based in Saint John. In '74 he moved to Ottawa to play with Red Hot, the house band at The Green Door Room in the Chaudière Club. In '76, he moved to Halifax for 14 years and worked with Oakley, Frank MacKay, The Dutch Mason Blues Band, Saddletramp and Matt Minglewood.
After arriving in Kitchener in the fall of 1990, he joined Mel Brown and the Homewreckers. Throughout his 30 years in K-W, he has played with countless acts, including The Dixie Rambler's, Gary Cain, Steve Strongman, Douglas Watson, The Bayou Boys, Errol Blackwood, Under Arrest, Fred Hale, James Anthony, Shawn Kellerman, Ian Taylor, Charity Brown, Soul Mission, Cheryl Lescom, The Pappy John's Blues Band, Beverley Mahood and Miss Angel just to name a few. He's most proud of John Lee and the Hooker's at The Rhapsody Barrell Bar and being an instructor at the Grand River Blues Camp. John is well known as a mentor to many musicians in the Waterloo Region.
John has appeared on many recordings, both as a musician and as a producer and recording engineer. He is currently working on his own C.D., Same Shirt, Different Day. It should be out online, soon.
2020 Mike “Mudfoot” McDonald
Veteran guitarist/singer Mike McDonald has been delighting audiences for over four decades.
A consummate performer, Mike has shared stages around the world with an “endless” list of musical icons from B.B. King, Three Dog Night, James Cotton, and Steppenwolf to spending a week in Kandahar playing for the troops – one of his proudest moments.
He’s also a very talented audio engineer/producer, who ran Toronto’s venerable Grossman’s Tavern Sunday Night Jam for 13 years using his music smarts to mentor hundreds of musicians at Toronto’s legendary “Home of the Blues” including Canadian mega talents like Jeff Healey, Allanah Myles, Michael Pickett and Tony Springer. Mike’s also produced albums “Grossman’s Live 1” and “Grossman’s Live 2” featuring Jeff Healey and Pat Rush (Johnny Winters, Muddy Waters, Dr. John).
In the spirit of Grossman’s live music jams, he currently hosts Kitchener’s bi-weekly showcase Mike’s Monster Jam featuring the who’s who of music in Waterloo Region and beyond.
He’s also very adept at paying homage to the playlists of other bands and has been playing the role of John Fogerty in CCR Tribute Band, “Bayou Boys” for years and was the founding member of Green River.
In 2012, he added Keith Richards to his guitar slinger’s repertoire in Rolling Stones songbook band The Beggar’s Banquet.
Mike recently released his debut album featuring the single “Tired of The Same Old Rut?”
2019 Dave Booth
He has been in the music business, especially the Blues for over 50 years! Booth is a radio personality, DJ, promoter, record collector, and his knowledge of the Blues, is extensive! David was one of the firstto bring great Blues artists such as Howlin‘ Wolf, Muddy Waters, BB King, Elmore James and Etta James, to Canadian audiences however he could reach them. He‘s collected, researched and interviewed 100‘s of artists, he‘s DJ‘d on the radio and at clubs and weddings, he has presented/hosted/MC‘d at Albert‘s Hall, Harbourfront, the Carlisle Bluegrass Festival and others. He was an employee of PJ Imports in the 70s in Toronto. They imported new music from around the world,
especially England. Borrowing records from them for his weekly show on CFNY, Dave brought many artists to the ears of Canadian radio listeners, photographs of the greats, and countless interviews with musicians. With his style of radio play, musician interviews, research on musicians and, unparalleled record collection, his radio shows were unique and informed. Today, Time/Life, The Library of Congress, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and collectors from around the globe, contact Dave about his collections and archives, because, internationally, he IS the source.
2018 Holger Petersen
Holger Petersen, CM., D Litt. (born 23 November 1949) is a Canadian businessman, record producer and radio broadcaster.[1] He owns and operates the independent roots music label Stony Plain Records, founded in 1975 with partner Alvin Jahns. Petersen was born in Pellworm Island, West Germany.
Petersen has hosted Saturday Night Blues since 1987, heard on CBC Radio One, Radio Two and SiriusXM 169 and Natch'l Blues since 1969, the longest-running blues program in Canada, on the CKUA Radio Network.[2] Petersen was a founder of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival and served as the artistic director from 1986 to 1988.[3] He has served on boards of numerous industry organizations, including SOCAN, CMRRA, CARAS and CIRPA and helped found the Alberta Recording Industries Association (now Alberta Music).
His first book, Talking Music: Blues Radio and Roots Music, was published in 2011 by Insomniac Press.[4] His second book, Talking Music 2: Blues and Roots Music Mavericks, was released in January 2017.[5]
He has also been a drummer and was a member of Spiny Norman's Whoopee Band and Hot Cottage.
Petersen was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2003 for contributions to Canadian culture and has received honorary doctorates from both the University of Alberta and Athabasca University.[6]
Petersen has been contributed to more than 180 music projects since 1970.[7]
2017 Rob Deyman
Rob Deyman has made a major contribution to the blues musical form and scene. Rob was a co-founder of the Kitchener Blues Festival and served as Executive Director until the end of 2016. Rob continues to support the Festival with his many years of knowledge. Rob also contributes to the blues scene through his musical talents playing in the water street blues band and Sylvia and Boyfriends.
2016 Jim Boudreau
Jim Boudreau is known as a “musician's musician”, a true professional with a strong commitment to integrity. He has staked out a successful 30 year career as a superb drummer with a bedrock of experience that has taken him through many musical genres.
Jim was the honored recipient of the 2016 Mel Brown Award as presented by the TD Kitchener Blues Festival. 2016 also saw Jim nominated for Drummer of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA).
A diverse range of artists have employed Jim for his creativity and dynamic spark. Artists such as blues legends Mel Brown, Snooky Pryor, the original soul man Sam Moore, Peter Noone (of Hermans Hermits), The Mamas and the Papas, and Canadian country music stars The Western Swing Authority and Jason McCoy.
Studies at the Banff School of Fine Arts and Humber College, years of club dates, recording sessions and international road tours led Jim to associations with many artists including the highly esteemed Mississippi blues guitarist Mel Brown. These partnerships have resulted in numerous accolades from the organizers of the W.C. Handy Awards (USA), The Academie du Jazz (France), Soul Bag Magazine (France), The Juno Awards (Canada), The CCMA Awards (Canada), and Maple Blues Awards (Canada).
Along the way Jim’s excursion into country music has gained him status as one of Canada’s premier touring and recording drummers. He is now proudly the full time regular drummer for The Western Swing Authority...a Texas swing band garnishing national and international awards and attention.
2015 Charity Brown
Singer Charity Brown's real name is Phyllis Boltz. She was born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and started performing professionally in the '60s. She was in her tender teens at the time. Her first long-running membership was with a group called Rain. Brown spent half a decade with the group, recording a number of singles and a self-titled album. Her work with Rain earned Brown her first spot on the Top Ten charts with the single "Out of My Mind."
In 1973, Brown began working under the stage name Phyllis Brown. Her talent soon landed her a deal with A&M Records, where she recorded the single, "Elijah Stone. By 1974 she was using the name fans would remember her by, Charity Brown. Over the next three years, she recorded nearly a dozen singles, including "Take Me in Your Arms," "You Beat Me to the Punch," "Our Day Will Come," "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady," and "Anyway You Want Me." Brown also finished four full-length albums, Charity Brown in 1975, Rock Me in 1976, and Stay With Me in 1977. One best-of album also appeared in 1977.
Brown's music was a strong mix of both R&B and pop, what many label as Motown style. It compares to that of artists like Kim Weston, Gladys Knight, and Tammi Terrell. Brown continued to tour, singing at clubs until 1980, when she gave up performing professionally and slipped from the public eye.
2014 Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy was born on July 30, 1936, in Lettsworth, Louisiana. Muddy Waters found Guy while playing at nightclubs in Chicago, and helped him find work in the 708 Club. Guy recorded hits in the 1960s through the ’80s. In 2003, he released his first acoustic guitar blues record.
Through the hot Louisiana summer, a pal of Guy’s proposed that Guy try his fortune as a musician in the Windy City. Soon after arriving in Chicago, Guy met Otis Rush, who introduced the green musician into a place that Guy would grow to become quite comfortable with, the 708 Club. While playing at the 708 Club, Guy met among his idols, the legendary Muddy Waters. Waters was impressed with Guy’s musical ability, as well as the pair would later work collectively. Guy became a regular performer in the 708 Club, and was eventually found by composer Willie Dixon. Through Dixon, he could get a contract as a guitarist with Chess Records.Guy remained with Chess until he left for Vanguard Records in the late 1960s, having a need to create credited music with more creative independence. The next year, he released the album A Man and the Blues with Vanguard. Guy collaborated with harmonica pro Junior Wells for a number of his most memorable pieces with Vanguard Records, including “Hoodoo Man Blues” and “Messin’ With the Kid.”
A chain of popular records were released by Guy in the ’60s through the ’80s. It was also in this time the blues musician cultivated a loyal rock ‘n’ roll following. Several popular rock musicians, including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck, mention Guy as an important musical inspiration. Guy has continued to create music in the 21st century, working with such modern artists as Carlos Santana and John Mayer. In 2003, he released Blues Singer, an acoustic guitar record featuring performances of some of Guy’s favourite tunes, including Skip James covers and Son House covers. In 2005, Guy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2013 John McKinley
Hailing from Roswell, New Mexico guitarist John McKinley has made a great impact in his adopted homeland of Canada with his critically acclaimed debut album Window On The World. Featuring McKinley's exceptional song writing and guitar playing, combined with the deep soul of McKinley’s Mexican roots, Window On The World is a musical palette that serves up guitar-driven blues-rock paired with classic sing-a-long melodies. Since its release Window On The World has garnered positive reviews from journalists and music critics, as well as airplay from around the world and several positions on the earshot campus and community radio charts.
McKinley has put decades of work into hosting jam nights, teaching young people and mentoring an emerging generation of musicians. He continues to be active in the Grand River blues Society’s Blues Camp and Blues for Schools Program.
2012 Bobby Blue Bland
Bobby "Blue" Bland (Robert Calvin Brooks, January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013) was an American rhythm & blues singer. Bland's craft was most clearly heard on a series of early 1960s releases, including "Cry Cry Cry", "I Pity the Fool" (number 1 on the R&B chart in 1961) and "Turn On Your Love Light", all included on the 1961 album "Two Steps From The Blues".
Bobby Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. Bland was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2012. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame described him as "second in stature only to B.B. King as a product of Memphis's Beale Street blues scene".
He was sometimes referred to as the "Lion of the Blues" and as the "Sinatra of the Blues". His music was also influenced by Nat King Cole.
2011 Jimmie Vaughan
When it comes to the blues today, there are a handful of guiding lights to make sure the music stays true to its powerful source. The sound of pleasure and pain that first sparked musicians to create such a sound is a force that can never be underestimated. The mojo has to be there. For Jimmie Vaughan, he's dedicated his life to making sure the blues not only stays alive, but remains full of life and an inspiration to all who listen. It's a spirit he holds close to him, and for over 50 years of holding the blues close inside him, Vaughan isn't about to stop now.
As bandleader, singer and guitarist, Jimmie Vaughan is a master of how everything is captured for posterity. His singing voice has grown into a study in strength. And while sometimes he might say, "Sometimes you can sing and sometimes you can't," like everything else the Texan touches, Vaughan knows when it's right and never stops until it is. He has always looked to his soul as the ultimate barometer of when the music is right, and when that is satisfied Vaughan knows he has found that spot where the music is ready to be shared.
2010 Bruce Iglauer
The founder of Alligator Records, one of the largest and most successful independent labels of the modern era, producer Bruce Iglauer was among the driving forces behind the contemporary blues revival. Born in Cincinnati in 1947, he became obsessed with the blues during the mid-'60s after catching a live performance by Mississippi Fred McDowell; he soon began hosting a blues radio show at his alma mater, Wisconsin's Lawrence College, and made regular pilgrimages to Chicago to hear Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, Otis Rush, and Carey Bell.
Alligator's mainstream breakthrough came with the 1975 release of Koko Taylor's label debut I Got What It Takes, which earned the company the first of its many Grammy nominations. That same year, Alligator hired its first paid employee, and in 1976, Hound Dog Taylor's posthumously released Beware of the Dog scored another Grammy nod. In 1978, Iglauer assembled the first in a series of Living Chicago Blues releases, collections designed to spotlight underrecognized Windy City performers; that same year, he also signed Alligator's first non-Chicago act, the internationally renowned Albert Collins. The 1982 release of Clifton Chenier's I'm Here! finally netted Alligator a Grammy award, and in 1984 the label signed Johnny Winter, whose Guitar Slinger became its first release to crack the Billboard Top 200 charts. By the '90s, Alligator was established as the world's biggest independent contemporary blues label, with hit releases from Charlie Musselwhite, Lonnie Brooks, James Cotton, and Buddy Guy.
2009 Steve Strongman
JUNO Award-winning Canadian bluesman Steve Strongman is a versatile talent, and a restless one. By constantly pushing himself in new directions, he has kept himself vital. His talent is huge and impossible to miss, and it’s matched by his staggering musical ambition — as guitar-slinger, songwriter or vocalist. The same structures and progressions that animate blues and roots music can also choke the air out of it, smothering it in caricature and cliché. But Strongman is a subtle shape-shifter who manages to slip that trap without betraying the music he loves. Throughout, he never sounds an inauthentic note or loses touch with the essence of the blues.
The 2019 release of Strongman's 7th studio recording "Tired of Talkin'" is destined to further establish the guitar slinger's reputation as one of the most exciting artists on the International Blues scene. Strongman’s impressive resume includes stints opening for guitar legends such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Johnny Winter. The performer’s breakthrough 2012 release A Natural Fact was hailed as a standout, earning Maple Blues Awards for Recording, Songwriter, and Guitarist Of The Year as well as a 2013 Juno Award for Blues Recording Of The Year. In 2014 he was thrice-nominated at the Maple Blues Awards (Guitar Player, Electric Act, and Entertainer of the Year) and in 2015 received a second Juno nod for Blues Album of the Year (for Let Me Prove It To You). In 2018, No Time Like Now, was a Juno award nominee for Blues Album of the Year and in 2019, Strongman won Best Guitarist for the Solo Duo Category at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN. His 2019 release “Tired of Talkin” is earning rave reviews and showcases why Strongman is one of the most exciting performers on the scene today.
2008 Andrew Galloway
Electro-Fi Records was founded in 1996 by Andrew Galloway, with assistance from Gary Collver and Alec Fraser. Galloway started the label shortly before turning forty, following a career in corporate communications. Collver's background was in photography and media. Fraser, a bassist and vocalist, was a professional musician and record producer.
Since its formation, the label has released over fifty albums of original blues material. It has specialized in releases that pair experienced U.S. blues musicians, such as Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Curley Bridges, with Canadian musicians. The 2009 Electro-Fi release of Ramblin' Son, by Julian Fauth, won the Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year, as did the 2004 Electro-Fi release of Painkiller, by Morgan Davis. Galloway and Fraser co-produced Ramblin' Son with Fauth, with the album also mixed and co-engineered by Fraser. In addition, Fraser, who co-produced the Painkiller album with Davis, won the 2004 Maple Blues Award for Producer of The Year. An earlier release by Electro-Fi, Blues Weather, by Fathead, won the 1999 Juno Award for Blues Album of The Year. A 2001 Electro-Fi Release by Mel Brown and The Homewreckers, Neck Bones & Caviar, being Brown's debut record on the label, won the W.C. Handy Award for Comeback Album of The Year. The album was co-produced by Galloway and mixed by Fraser.
2007 Shawn Kellerman
They called James Brown the “hardest working man in show business” and it would be no understatement to call Shawn Kellerman the “hardest playing blues guitarist” on the scene today. Shawn is recognized as one of the most powerful stage performers you will ever see. He literally puts every ounce of mental and physical energy into his music. Expressive, dynamic and technically outstanding, Shawn continues to build on his past experiences and push the boundaries of traditional blues into modern territory by adding in some soul, funk and rock influences. Sitting up close at a live performance is truly an awesome, jaw dropping experience.
Shawn started his musical career as a teenager and has been on the road in 35 different countries over the last 18 years. During the last years he has concentrated on touring with his own trio “The Shawn Kellerman Band” which has played key festivals like the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Fest, Mont Tremblant, Pittsburgh Blues Fest and Blues From the Top . Shawn’s band has also backed international blues greats like Sherman Robertson at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest, Memphis in May to name a few. To start off 2011 he did a 7 week, 8 country tour opening for Wishbone Ash and since 2012 he has been touring in The Lucky Peterson Band full time.
Shawn has been nominated for the “Guitar Player The Year” by the Maple Blues Awards, Canada’s most respected blues society based in Toronto, Ontario. Shawn has recorded 3 of his own cd’s plus recording and playing on Bobby Rush’s Raw CD released in 2007 that won a Blues Music Award in Memphis for “Best Acoustic CD of the Year”. Also Shawn participated in Lucky Peterson’s Live in Berlin 3 DVD/2CD box set that was nominated for Best DVD of the Year in 2013.
2006 Cheryl Lescom
Cheryl Lescom has been part of the Canadian music scene for over 35 years. Starting off in 1975 with several of her own bands before becoming a back up singer for Ronnie Hawkins and touring with Long John Baldry. Cheryl also sang on many national jingles in the 1980's.She has toured and performed with the likes of Jeff Healey, Matt Minglewood, Dutch Mason, the Downchild Blues Band, Jack DeKeyser, Del Shannon, David Wilcox, Mel Brown, Paul James, Billy Durst and The Detroit Women.To date, Cheryl has released 5 CD's.Awards she has received include:
The Advertising Music Producers - Best Female Vocal Performance 1984
The Kitchener Blues Festival - Mel Brown Award 2006
Kitchener Waterloo Arts Award for Music 2009
As the late, great Long John Baldry once said, "Cheryl Lescom has one of the best and biggest voices in Canada..I've had many great singers with me over the years and Cheryl is by far one of my favourites!"
2005 Jackie Washington
Born in 1919 in Hamilton, Ontario, Jackie Washington grew up in Hamilton's sizable black community, and was performing music from age five. He was later a member of the Washington Brothers -- consisting of Jackie and his siblings Ormsby, Harold, and Doc -- whose sound was heavily influenced by that of the Mills Brothers during their eight years together through the end of the 1930s. Washington left music as a profession during the 1940s, though by the end of the decade he was working as a disc jockey, and was singing in nightclubs during the 1950s. Washington's debut album as a blues artist, Blues and Sentimental, was released on the Knight II (the name of a local coffeehouse where Washington regularly performed) label in 1976. He played at folk and blues festivals throughout Canada -- never venturing south of the border into the United States, where his grandparents had been slaves -- and had a total of 1,200 songs at his fingertips. He continued to perform and record blues over the years, including a number of albums released by the Borealis label -- Where Old Friends Meet (with Mose Scarlett and Ken Whiteley, 1991), Keeping Out of Mischief (1995), Midnight Choo Choo (1998), We'll Meet Again (with Scarlett and Whiteley, 1999), Sitting on a Rainbow (with Scarlett and Whiteley, 2003) -- and he was the subject of the 1996 biographical book More Than a Blues Singer: Jackie Washington Tells His Story. In 2002 Jackie Washington was inducted into the Canadian Jazz and Blues Hall of Fame. He died in June 2009 in his lifelong home of Hamilton at the age of 89.Midnight Choo Choo
2004 Glenn Smith
You may know Glenn Smith as the owner of Ethel’s Lounge but he is also the reason why the Blues exist and resonate in the KW community. Smith began hosting blues concerts at the former Legion building at 48 Ontario Street back in 1985. He ran concerts there for about two years, and his list of performers included Buddy Guy. Smith later opened up several other bars and offered blues concerts, culminating in what has now become a part of local blues history, Pop the Gator, a venue that was located along the short stretch of Queen Street between King and Charles. Enter Mel Brown, a Mississippi-born blues powerhouse who relocated to Kitchener to host a weekly jam night at Pop the Gator. He joined the house band and remained in Kitchener for 20 years until his untimely death in 2009. In that time, Brown became a central figure in the local blues scene.
2003 Mel Brown
Mel Brown was born on October 7, 1939 in Jackson, Mississippi. Best known for his decade-plus stint in support of Bobby "Blue" Bland, Mel Brown channeled elements of soul, funk, and jazz to create one of the most distinctive guitar styles in contemporary blues. Mel Brown accepted an offer from Glenn Smith to come to Kitchener because he craved a quieter life after having experienced a career of traveling and working with the best in the business. A small amount of research would show that Mel Brown frequently shared the stage with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan and Buddy Guy and took part in recording sessions and performances with B B King, John Lee Hooker and T-Bone Walker. There was also his career as a touring guitarist for world-class performers like Etta James, Johnny Otis and Bobby Blue Bland. Even Jimi Hendrix came to watch him play. The more the young musicians of Kitchener learned about Mel Brown, the more they would be amazed by his credentials. He helped nurture the careers of blues artists Steve Strongman, Shawn Kellerman, and Julian Fauth.