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The Cameo Blues Band is a Toronto-based blues band, originally formed in 1978. It is particularly notable for its association with several of Canada's leading blues singers, including Richard "Hock" Walsh, Tony Flaim and Chuck Jackson, all of whom were also associated with the Downchild Blues Band. ==History== The band is named after the Cameo Lounge of Toronto's Hotel Isabella, as it then was, in the 1970s and 1980s.〔The Hotel Isabella is a designated historic landmark in Toronto. The hotel consists of two portions: a mansion and a tower. The mansion was built in 1891, while the tower portion was added in 1914. The Cameo Lounge was located on the second floor of the mansion, and was a pivotal location for the development of Toronto blues artists in the 1970s and 1980s. The mansion and hotel were later converted to luxury hotel suites. See www.isabellahotel.com, including photo of the mansion.〕 The Cameo Lounge featured primarily local blues artists and, as of 1978, had a regular house band, initially led by Richard "Hock" Walsh, during one of several periods when Walsh was either fired or quit as the lead singer of the Downchild Blues Band. Walsh was soon joined by former Crowbar keyboard player "Rabbit" Ray Harrison〔Whose career has been described as "Harrison, who is to Toronto what Professor Longhair was to New Orleans". Gary Tate, (Review of ''All Play and No Work'' ). Blues On Stage, May, 2003; www.mnblues.com.〕 who, along with guitarist John Bride, became the core of the group during its over three decade history. Other initial band members included Billy Bryans, later of the Parachute Club,〔Bryans had previously been a member of Downchild, as well as being a producer and engineer on the band's recordings.〕 on drums, and Omar Tunnock, later of the funk and blues band Fathead, on bass.〔John Dickie, from a conversation with Ray Harrison, (Portrait of The Cameo Blues Band ); www.makeitrealrecords.com.〕 Hock Walsh soon left the band to return to Downchild, and was briefly replaced by Fraser Finlayson, of the band Cueball, prior to the band finding a replacement in Tony Flaim, whom Hock Walsh had replaced in Downchild. Billy Bryans was replaced on drums by Paul Armstrong, while Wayne Mills joined the band as a tenor saxophonist.〔 Harrison, Bride and Mills had previously played together in 1970, as founding members of The Greaseball Boogie Band, playing 1950s rock and roll. The Greaseball Boogie Band evolved into Shooter in 1975, which played 1940s swing and big band music. It was at the time of the breakup of Shooter, in the late 1970s, that Harrison, Bride and Mills came together as the Cameo Blues Band.〔Uncredited, (Profile of Shooter ). The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia; www.jam.canoe.ca.〕 The band found a semi-permanent replacement vocalist in Chuck Jackson, who joined the band in 1979 and remained with them until 1981 at which point he formed Citizen's Arrest along with John Bride, Paul Nixon and Dennis Pinhorn. In 1982 Harrison resurrected the Cameos with a whole new lineup of players which included bassist Joe Agnello, drummer Sonnie Bernardi from Crowbar, guitarist Gerry Markman, saxophonist Wayne Mills and vocalist Malcolm Tomlinson. A recording session with this lineup took place at the Isabella but was never released. Chuck Jackson went on to become Downchild's lead vocalist in 1990.〔(Profile of Chuck Jackson ); www.maplebluesreview.com.〕 Other vocalists who appeared with the band included Walter Zwol,〔Walter Zwol and longtime Cameo Blues Band guitarist John Bride had first played together in Brutus.〕 Malcolm Tomlinson and John Dickie.〔 Until the mid-1980s, the band was the house band at the Cameo Lounge, featuring notable guest artists on occasion. Some of the guest artists included Georgie Fame, Spencer Davis, Huey Lewis, Sting, Dan Aykroyd and Kelly Jay.〔 After ceasing to be the house band at the Cameo Lounge, the band continued to play regularly around Toronto and area. In addition, various band members commenced side projects. For example, John Bride became a guitarist recording with and backing on tour the Partland Brothers, following their success with the song "Soul City" and the related album, ''Electric Honey''.〔See Partland Brothers.〕 In 2002, at the instigation of producer and independent label owner Lance Anderson, the Cameo Blues Band recorded its first album, on Make It Real Records. Band membership for the album was composed of Ray Harrison (piano and Hammond B3), John Bride (guitar), Tom Griffiths (bass) and Michael Sloski (drums). Vocals were contributed by four previous lead singers of the band: Dickie, Jackson, Tomlinson and Zwol. Invited guests contributing to the album were Michael Fonfara, keyboard player for Downchild, Freddie Keeler〔Highly respected guitarist, whose professional reputation was first established in the 1960s, as a member of The Shays, the backing band for David Clayton-Thomas. As described by Greg Quill, "...(the Stratocaster sound) spoke to Fred Keeler, one of Toronto's most innovative guitarists during Hogtown's R&B glory days in the early '60s, when Robbie Robertson was the reigning local guitar slinger, and Keeler tagged his every lick, backing David Clayton-Thomas in The Shays." See (How an underdog guitar, the Fender Stratocaster, became the soul of rock 'n' roll ). ''Toronto Star'' , April 10, 2004, as reproduced at www.dannym.com.〕 and Terry Blersh〔Formerly with Michael Pickett and Wooden Teeth; later as solo artist and band leader. See www.terryblersh.com.〕 on guitars, and Larry Shields on tuba.〔(Credits, ''All Play and No Work'' ); www.makeitrealrecords.com.〕 By the 2000s, most band members were involved in other projects, with the band itself playing a few times per year. In late 2009, the band specifically reunited for a 30th anniversary concert,〔As referenced to the year of establishment of the band's core membership of Chuck Jackson, Ray Harrison and John Bride.〕 at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port Dover, Ontario.〔Ashley House, (Concert brings back many memories ). ''Simcoe Reformer'', October 20, 2009; www.simcoereformer.ca.〕 Appearing at the reunion concert were Ray Harrison, John Dickie, Freddie Keeler, Mike Sloski, John Bride, Wayne Mills and Travis Harrison, plus guests.〔Toronto Blues Society, "Live Blues Listings". Cache of October 27, 2009; www.torontobluessociety.com.〕 In 2012, the band released its second album, ''10,000 Hours'', also on Make It Real Records. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cameo Blues Band」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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