As a musician and fan of all things Blues, a.k.a. modern, popular music, I naturally love the feeling of having musical royalty at The Cove. How could we be so lucky? Hard work and commitment to the craft come to mind but beyond that, we seem to have a synergy that works with artists like Jack de Keyzer that we hope will continue for years to come!

Jack has seen it all, lived it all and played with them all. It's a remarkable story that comes out in every note of his voice and guitar when he hits the stage. If you can leach a rock 'n roll story out of him at some point, you are in for a treat. I would be remiss to not reiterate and recognize all of the awards he has won and been nominated for as Jack de Keyzer is widely known as one of the kings of Canadian blues.

A wizard on the guitar, he cut his teeth with King Biscuit Boy and has played as a session guitarist with icons such as Etta James, Otis Rush, John Hammond Jr., Ronnie Hawkins, Duke Robillard, Robert Gordon, Willy Big Eyes Smith, Bo Diddley and Blue Rodeo. Don't miss him, even if you have seen him before! As part of the Blues at The Cove Series, there will be two shows January 17 and 18, 2025. Details and reservations here: web link

Seamus Cowan: Jack, I interviewed you last year but there is so much more to know about you. Can we peak into a couple more exciting stories that you might have about playing with Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks? I know there was a certain turn of events there that led you to working with Bob Dylan.

In retrospect, I realized I had probably played with Ronnie Hawkins during the worst years of his career. 73-78. We played every dump, dive and strip joint in Ontario. Sometimes we even had the horror of staying above the venues for a few nights. But other than that, I do have to say that overall my experience with Ronnie Hawkins was fantastic. Through Ronnie , I got to jam with David Clayton Thomas, Ian Tyson, Levon Helm and Dr. John to name a few. Ronnie took me to see and meet B.B. King, and Johnny Rivers both in Edmonton where we had a house gig for three months.

I learned a lot about how to run a band and business through Ronnie Hawkins and he is one of the most hilarious guys I’ve ever met. A really fun guy to hang out with. I left Ronnie after five years and right after that, he got invited to play with The Band at the Last Waltz in San Francisco and he became a star again. Got his own television show and did tours of Europe. Bad timing lol.

I did not play with Bob Dylan, but Bob Dylan came to see me perform when I started my band in 1985 in Toronto in a fantastic 100 seat music room called the Isabella Hotel where I held down a 4-night house gig for five years.

It was a Wednesday night, and he arrived just before we went on. During the first couple of songs, the bass player broke a string, the drummer broke a head on his bass drum, and one of the lights on the lighting rack crashed down on the floor. Geez , Bob, Dylan is in the house! One of my greatest idols. He stayed for two sets. I met him in between sets and that’s when he told me if you guys were from New York, L.A, or Chicago you’d be famous. I was floored!

Q: I love so much new music that you never hear on the radio. Spoon, Barr Brothers, Khruangbin are some of my favs. I'm sure your son gets you into some other styles of music. Who do you dig and would you love to work with outside the blues scene?

It’s true, Radio really has changed a lot. When I was a young guy on FM radio you’d hear Ravi Shankar, the Beatles, John Coltrane, Joni Mitchell, and Crosby, Stills & Nash all in the same program. Even AM Radio was more adventurous. Having said that, some new and newish music that I really dig includes:
The Brothers Landreth from Wiinnipeg
Angelique Francis from Ottawa
The Teskey Brothers from Australia
Doyle Bramhall II from Austin, Texas
Monkey Junk from Ottawa
Steve Strongman from Hamilton

And I have to say, I really admire the Rolling Stones for still releasing new music and still touring around. And same for Eric Clapton. His 2016 “I Still Do” album is one of my favourite records of the past 10 years.

Q: Playing the blues is very much a real thing. You can't make this stuff up. You can't fabricate it. AI can't touch it, I hope… To continue the blues tradition is to absorb it all, but also live it. There are some amazing players out there and some who really live it. Who in this new blues scene is really turning your crank?

Music has consumed me since I started playing at the age of 10. I am completely grateful that I’ve been able to play music, my entire life, and I am constantly playing shows, or working out new songs and grooves at my home studio and working with different people at gigs or in the studio. I love all styles and music, but I always say the same thing. It has to have blues in it. I love country, I love Bluegrass, I love jazz I love gospel. I love soul I love rock ‘n’ roll. But if the musicians don’t have a strong blues influence I don’t find it as interesting or soulful or deep.

Q: Where do you go from here? You have been on this road for over 50 years performing now. No reason to stop, but is there something that you really want to change or try at this point in your career? It's a creative space you work in, so the sky's the limit right?

As you mentioned, music has no limits. So I am constantly working on new music, studying jazz, and the American songbook, which is very challenging with all those chord changes. Between guitar playing, singing, and songwriting and performing I’m trying to make the best music I possibly can. A lifetime pursuit. Thanks so much for these great questions Seamus and can’t wait until January 17, 18 at the Cove! Posted: Dec 16, 2024 Originally Published: Dec 13, 2024