Quebec Scene

Stephen Barry Band

The Stephen Barry Band debuted at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in Montreal in September 1975. "The band is tight, driving and imaginative . . . a real pleasure," enthused the Montreal Gazette.

Twenty years later the Montreal International Jazz Festival honoured the band by featuring them on the Grand Stage with their special guest, Hall of Fame inductee Harry Vann "Piano Man" Walls.

The band's reputation as one of the best blues and folk-blues ensembles in Canada has long been established. Over the past 25-plus years the Stephen Barry Band has had the privilege of playing with such blues legends as John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, Big Moose Walker, Pinetop Perkins, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, Magic Slim, Eddie Kirkland, Nappy Brown, John Hammond Jr., and Big Mama Thornton, with whom they toured for over three years.

To complement their concert, the Stephen Barry Band offers their Blues Anthology, a workshop on the history of the blues. Beginning with its folk roots in the Mississippi delta through its journey north, the band tells the story of its development and diversification. From New Orleans up to Memphis, St. Louis, Kansas City and Chicago, journey with the band on a rich tour of this very special music.

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