Blues Reunion

You won’t get any argument about those sentiments from the quartet of Ken Hamm, Doug Cox, Sam Hurrie and David Gogo, coming together as BLUES REUNION.

These four artists who musically intersect in “the blues”, but have decidedly unique perspectives and approaches to dispensing songs and sounds that have been a storied part of global culture for well over a century. The songs, styles and influences are also “old friends” to each of these instrumentalists, songwriters, interpreters and singers, but relationships are just as important when it comes to making BLUES REUNION click.

Ask Doug Cox, who has been juggling duties in the world of music for a number of decades, as an award winning performer, session player, album producer, collaborator, and tunesmith, about the importance of hunkering down with “old friends”, and being a catalyst in bringing his friends together for this project.

“Ken Hamm and I played together for at least seven years, almost full time, on and off, and I was lucky enough to play on his "Eagle Rock Road" album in the mid-nineties, which has some of my best playing on it. Ken played on my first two albums as well. So we have a long history. We toured in Canada numerous times and did a couple of runs into the United States. I never thought I'd get to hang out with Ken again, let alone play music with him, so I can't tell you how much this means to me. Add Sam and David to the mix and it's a wonderful mix of friends and masterful musicians. It's a full circle moment”.

Ken Hamm hasn’t been out on the road for a few years now, an obvious reason for blues/roots fans to be delighted this crew is hitting the road. Ken is easily one of Canada's most influential acoustic guitar players for at least two generations of musicians, with Ken Hamm and Friends, Sheet Metal Shuffle, and his Eagle Rock Road and Cross The River albums, standing out as classics. 

Sam Hurrie dipped his toe into the blues as a fan back in the late fifties when he first caught John Lee Hooker back east. Before long he was immersed in the music as a player of note and one who was a witness to and participant in the heyday of the Younge Street rhythm and blues scene in Toronto and New York with his band The Churls. The band hosted a gig in New York that lead to numerous jams with Jimi Hendrix and other musical legends of the 60's. 

“The first time I ever saw a National guitar, it was being played by Ken Hamm at a concert in Nanaimo when I was 14 years old. Despite our age difference, we struck up a friendship through music. Eventually I met Doug and Sam through touring and played various shows with them over the years,” recalls David Gogo, who speaks of his fellow members of BLUES REUNION with great respect and fondness. Since being inspired by Hamm and other superb bluesmen Gogo has gone on to record a string of albums that have helped him win the Maple Blues Award as Guitarist of the Year three times. He’s also been honoured with Blues Recording of the Year from the Western Canadian Music Association and named Musicians of the Year at the West Coast Music Awards.

This BLUES REUNION foursome of Hamm, Cox, Gogo and Hurrie have collectively created a ridiculously impressive body of recorded work, played all of the major festivals and folk clubs in Canada, as well as many beer parlours and coffee houses, and many more beyond our borders. All the while they’ve kept the pulse of Canadian blues thumping and having the opportunity to witness all four making great music and sharing stories will be something for roots and blues music fans to look forward to in the coming months.

Gogo perhaps sums it up best and puts an exclamation point on the package when he says…..

“This is not a lineup that I ever expected to see on one bill, especially at this point in time, but we are making it happen because it NEEDS to happen!”

Sponsorship Opportunities: These are available for all our shows. For a nominal cost, individuals or businesses can sponsor any of our shows and reap a number of benefits - free tickets, reserved table, recognition on literature, our web site and at the concerts. For more information simply contact our Sponsorship Director Morris Biddle at [email protected].