What better way to warm up a cold January night than to listen to Jim Byrnes in the intimate setting of the Pender Harbour Music School.
The Pender Harbour Music Society presents the blues legend in concert on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 8 p.m.
On his most recent CD House of Refuge, the multi-nominated and Juno award winner has dug deep into the traditions that have influenced the whole of his life. Growing up on the north side of St. Louis, Byrnes was surrounded by the likes of Chuck Berry, Johnny Johnson and Ike and Tina Turner. Over the years he has appeared with a virtual who's who of musical history including Furry Lewis, Henry Townsend, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, Taj Mahal, Robert Cray and Ray Charles. With House of Refuge, Byrnes has let this life wash over him and come up with perhaps the most inspired and soulful album of his already accomplished and storied career. He has also received multiple nominations for the 2007 Maple Blues Awards, which will be announced by the Toronto Blues Society in late January.
Byrnes now makes his home in Vancouver, and when not playing, singing, recording or touring, he also pursues an acting career. In 1996, he won the Leo for best actor in a TV drama for his work in Highlander.
Appearing with Byrnes will be guitarist Paul Pigat, who started playing the guitar at age 11 and was gigging steadily in downtown Toronto by the time he was 12. Through a lifetime dedication to live performance, recording and study, he has developed into a superb guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and instructor, with an acute fondness for vintage guitars and amps. An extremely versatile artist, with projects ranging from delta blues to classical music, he heads four diverse Vancouver bands and is in high demand as a sideman.
Tickets are $25, available at John Henry's in Garden Bay, Harbour Insurance in Madeira Park and Talewind Books in Sechelt.
For more details, see www.penderharbourmusic.ca.
