Lighthouse Blues Festival            

Our Saturday July 10 line up features one of Canada’s top harmonica players, David Rotundo. He fronts a high energy blues/rock band that gets that quickly gets the crowd to their feet whenever they perform.

Rotundo’s type of blues is the real deal -- the healing blues that makes the real blues go away. It’s a party that explodes when David blows that opening note!

As rockabilly legend Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins has said many times, "David Rotundo plays the blues the way it’s supposed to be played!" Who can argue with a legend like The Hawk? A favourite at major concert halls and festivals across North America and Europe, this will be David’s second appearance in Kincardine and he’s really looking forward to it. He’ll be heading to the Mt. Tremblant Blues Festival after headlining our festival.

As a singer-songwriter and guitarist, Rick has been featured on CBC television and radio programs Touch The Earth with host Sylvia Tyson, The Entertainers with host Bill Garrett , Peter Gzowski's 90 Minutes Live, City TV's Music City and Intimate Evenings with Songwriters on Rogers Cable TV.

Other highlights of Rick's career include opening act for Bruce Cockburn and appearing in New York City as a multi-instrumentalist in Leonard Cohen's musical production The Sisters of Mercy, as well as lead guitarist in the Vancouver production of Hank Williams, The Show He Never Gave.

Another one of our acts on their way to Mt. Tremblant is Motor City Josh bringing his style of high energy, powerful, entertaining, party starting, funky blues you can't sit still for! Motor City Josh & The Big 3 came together in Detroit 1994, lived in Atlanta for 4 years honing their southern blues/rock sound, briefly called Chicago home but are now back in Detroit. Performing around 300 shows a year which include most of the United States, England and Scotland, Josh has built a substantial following everywhere he goes.  

Motor City Josh has recorded 10 cd’s, the most recent a tribute to the music of Howling Wolf. This recording validates the connection between early 60’s Chicago Blues and 70’s Blues based Rock-n-Roll like Led Zeppelin, Foghat and the Allman Brothers. Straight Up, A MUST HAVE CD for all blues lovers! Motor City Josh (a festival favorite) will be on tour in 2010 performing this CD along with the best of his original Blues Rock and Good American Music from his other 9 CDs.

When Trevor Finlay stepped onto the stage of The Rutledge in Nashville in the fall of 2008, it felt like home. Maybe that’s because it was home -- the industry showcase marked the culmination of a musical journey that began in Canada over 10 years ago, and eventually brought Trevor to Music City to further pursue his career as a touring performer and songwriter.

Born in Winnipeg, Canada, Trevor grew up listening to the work of Muddy Waters, the Rolling Stones, Albert Collins, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, and Buddy Guy.

He paid his dues north of the border, and through steady touring, club gigs and annual appearances at respected events like the Ottawa Blues Festival and the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the young roots rocker built a powerful fan following and enviable radio airplay. His eclectic, stir-fried mix of guitar-driven roots rock, blues/rock and rockabilly created a natural fusion with Southern rock, gospel and contemporary country influences introduced to him by working the US festival circuit.

Another seasoned professional taking to the Lighthouse Blues Festival stage is Miss Robin Banks. An accomplished vocalist, band leader, songwriter and record producer, Miss Bank$ is best known for her powerful, sassy, sultry and spirited style of performance. A real show woman!

In 1999, after a brief flirtation with success in the Canadian, Detroit and Chicago Blues music scenes, Banks took a leap of faith and moved her career to Dallas Texas where she remained for several years performing and recording around Texas and "The South" with the nation’s top Blues musicians. In 2003 ROBIN BANK$ took her brand of Texas and Chicago style Blues to Europe where she performed to sold out audiences appreciative of her sound, style, sincerity, authenticity and dedication to this great African American art form.

Following 3 years performing all around the Caribbean, in 2009 she brought her music back to Canada and currently calls Toronto home.

Chris Murphy (Alto, Tenor and Baritone Saxophones, Hammond Organ and Vocals) is a musician and entertainer based in London Ontario, Canada. He has been fronting his own band since 1985 and has released three CD's under his own name, "Bitchy Woman Blues" a CD single in 2007, "I'm a Happy Guy" in 2004, and "Blowin' the Horn" in 1999.

He has performed in Canada, the United States and Mexico. He was recently described by the London Free Press as "one of the busiest musicians in South-Western Ontario" and his band Chris Murphy and the Village Blues Band won the Jack Richardson Music Award for Blues in 2008. Chris splits his time between fronting his own band, touring and recording with Juno Award Winning guitarist Jack DeKeyzer and performing with the Canadian All star Ensemble The Maple Blues Revue. From 1998-2000 he was musical director for Amercan Blues Artist Chicago Pete and he has also toured with Detroit's Queen of the Blues, Alberta Adams.

Chris, an accomplished arranger, will back our Lighthouse Blues Jam After Party featuring the day’s artists.

Opening our festival on Saturday afternoon is Bruce County’s very own Blubelles. Featuring the powerful vocals of four very talented women, Raylene Rebryna, Paulette Lippert, Stephanie Reidpath and Brenda Manderson with a special appearance by our Youth

Showcase artist, Bronte Hunter, this will be an entertaining start to the day’s music so you’ll want to come out for the very beginning.