Lucky Man- Roads to Lloydminster, SK

My good pal, Gord MacAulay. A great blues guy and all around human being. We always have fun hanging out. I stayed with Gord in Saskatoon, SK and we actually managed to play some music together this time! My concert in his studio space last night was pretty nice, too- I hope more of the blues community get the house concert bug! But here's good-bye for now, and I'm off to new destinations.

All gassed up and ready to go. My bank is across the street from Bud's- go figure. My pal Big Dave McLean was here last week. We've had some adventures up and down this street, and up and down this town. Blues bands have passed through here from the very beginning. It remains a great, blues town with solid players and an active local scene.

I've got a stop to make on my route today. I'm going to visit an old friend! The autumn drive under big skies is remarkable, with weather systems teasing around the edges...

Yeah! How she ended up out here- far from the crash site- and how the new owner found me, is a different story for a different day. Today, I am reminded of what a lucky guy I am. This is, of course, the car that I was driving last year when I had my crash.

Good-bye to that Lincoln! My new Lincoln is dragging in the wind today, but we are pushing our way north to Lloydminster, SK, where I'll visit The Root this evening.

It doesn't get much better than this for a prairie ride. Got Lucky.

House Concert in 'Toon Town, Saskatchewan

'Toon Town. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It's a real music town, and has been for a long time. I wasn't playing Bud's on Broadway tonight- instead I was doing a house concert at my pal Gord MacAulay's place. As always here, many blues friends from near and far attended. I sure do appreciate the support! It's really great to visit with my Blues Society friends and hang out a little.

Here's tonight's lucky winner of the National Steel "Got Lucky" 13 Blues Tour jacket. Genuine white stripe satin tour jacket. Genuine. Johnny Winter has one just like it.

Cold here today. Ice in the puddles, frost on the glass. I did laundry and email. The back end of this tour is pretty ratty this year, so it's a daily concern to try and book those gigs to carry me back across the continent. I'm usually booked up a year in advance, but last year's crash had a ripple effect, so my December is not tight at all. Too much down time. Too cold on the prairie. Too much snow in the mountains. There's lots of highway ahead yet, and more adventures on this year's road. Thanks, Saskatchewan (well, NOT Regina) for charging the batteries and moving me along. Much, much appreciated. By the way, the Saskatoon Blues Society is MY blues society. Can I join more than one? There are good ones and fine people from coast to coast helping the blues along. If you haven't already- join your local blues society, and help them help keep the blues alive!

'Toon Town Trip- Blues on Your Radio

Plenty of frost in these fields now. As you drive by, sometimes you can smell the woodsmoke whisping up from the farm houses along the way. It's the colour that really gets me here- that special golden brown and yellow of the fields stretching out into big sky... 

Into Saskatoon to visit with Jeff Montgomery at CFCR. Plenty of blues on the radio here. Later I played Lynn Victoria's jam at Somebody's and had Gord MacAulay on the upright bass with me. Fun! We finally got to play together! And a nice crowd of players and fans out to support blues on a Tuesday night. I wonder why the capital city of Regina can't seem to build a scene like this one? Tonight, a house concert in the same town. 'Toon Town is always good to me. Later in the week I'm pushing west again- a couple of bigger drive days taking me to Jasper, AB, and then back to Edmonton where I'll do radio with Dr. Holger Petersen, and a show with the Ross Neilsen band.

The Blues as Gospel: I Visit Kelvington, SK

Blues In Indianola with Charlie Musselwhite

Hey Y'all....just a little update from way down in Mississippi!! Last weekend I competed in the Indianola, Ms Blues Society Blues Challenge and brought home the runner up trophy! Close, but no cigar! Oh well! I felt like a winner because Charlie Musselwhite came to see me play!! Had a great time, saw old friends, made new friends and ate some killer BBQ from the The Blue Biscuit in Indianola! Life is good in Mississippi!!!

Here's a photo Charlie took of us. Can't say enough good things about him! Y'all remember...when the snow starts falling, do like the birds and fly South!!!

Yellowhead into Saskatchewan's Big Sky

Winnipeg, MB- Hwy 75 with Brent Parkins and Little Miss Higgens

Roads to Kenora, ON and First Snow

In Which I Find Andy MacDonald and visit His Dummies (again!)

Mississippi Journey Continues Solo

It's been a couple of weeks since I left Doc roaming the roads of the Maritimes and I'm missing it in a BIG HUGE way! However, my journey in Mississippi continues...since I left, I've played the Sam Chatmon Festival in Hollandale, MS, the Busking Festival in Clarksdale, MS, and the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival in Greenville, MS. I'm off to the Delta again this coming weekend for the King Biscuit Festival (not playing, just going!), and the Pinetop Perkins Homecoming event at Hopson Commissary and the Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale! I'll be playing at Shacksdale, across the tracks! In the photo above, I'm with my buddy, Euphus 'Butch' Ruth at the grave of Sam Chatmon. We just had the stone reworked and are looking at replacing the photo on the stone also. Time and weather have taken it's toll and we want to be sure to keep Sam looking good!! Keep Doc busy up there and show the love and support this working man deserves! I'll be seeing y'all all again!

Over Dyke and Dale in a 58