JUNO award winner names 4 Canadian Blues artists America needs to hear

Canada has produced its share of internationally recognized blues artists, but Steve Marriner believes several of the country’s finest players still deserve considerably more attention south of the border.

During an appearance on the Blues Rock Show, the JUNO Award-winning Canadian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist was asked about Canadian blues musicians he believes American audiences should know. Marriner quickly pointed to four artists, ranging from one of his favorite living guitarists to a veteran whose connection to the blues stretches back to Muddy Waters.

“Garrett Mason is at the very top of the list. He’s, for my taste, my favorite blues guitar player alive.”

Mason, the son of Canadian blues musician Dutch Mason, has developed a reputation for a raw, distinctive approach to the guitar that draws heavily from traditional blues without simply recreating the past. Despite earning recognition in Canada, including a JUNO Award for I’m Just a Man, Mason has remained relatively under the radar for many American blues fans.

Marriner also singled out Keith Hallett, a guitarist from Fredericton, New Brunswick.

“There is another guitar player from Fredericton, New Brunswick named Keith Hallett, who has his very distinctive style. He’s fantastic.”

Hallett has built his reputation through a stripped-down approach rooted in blues, roots and traditional American music. His playing has earned praise within Canada’s blues community, but he remains a name many listeners in the United States have yet to discover.

Marriner’s next recommendation reaches much further back into Canadian blues history.

“There’s a guy who’s been playing blues in Canada since the late sixties named Big Dave McLean. He lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was friends with Muddy Waters and used to open for Muddy when he’d come through the prairies of Canada in the seventies. He’s maybe one of the most authentic blues performers I’ve ever seen anywhere,” said Marriner.

Big Dave McLean has spent decades establishing himself as one of Canada’s most respected traditional blues musicians. Based in Winnipeg, McLean emerged during an era when many of the original architects of Chicago blues were still touring extensively.

For Marriner, that history isn’t simply an interesting footnote. It is part of what makes McLean’s performances stand apart. Calling someone “one of the most authentic blues performers” he has seen anywhere is particularly high praise coming from a musician who has spent much of his career immersed in blues and roots music.

“And then a guy from Toronto who’s another harmonica player and maybe my favorite blues songwriter, Paul Reddick is his name.”

Reddick has been an important figure in Canadian blues for decades, both as a performer and songwriter. While his harmonica playing is an obvious part of his musical identity, Marriner specifically pointing to Reddick’s songwriting reveals another side of what has earned him such respect among his peers.

Together, Marriner’s selections offer a glimpse into a Canadian blues scene that extends well beyond the handful of artists who have achieved widespread recognition in the United States.

Garrett Mason, Keith Hallett, Big Dave McLean and Paul Reddick represent different generations and approaches to the music, but Marriner sees something special in each of them. And for American blues fans looking beyond the familiar names, his recommendations provide four compelling places to start.

Watch Steve Marriner’s full interview on the Blues Rock Show below.