Powder_Blues

Powder Blues Band

Powder Blues Band

Canadian blues/pop band formed 1978

The Powder Blues Band is a Canadian musical band formed in 1978 in Vancouver. Its first album Uncut went double platinum in Canada. The second album Thirsty Ears was similarly popular.

Quick Facts Tom Lavin & the Legendary Powder Blues (aka Powder Blues Band), Origin ...

Their best known songs include: "Boppin' with the Blues", "Doin' It Right", "Thirsty Ears", "Hear That Guitar Ring", and "What've I Been Drinkin".

History

The Powder Blues was founded in 1978 as a house band in Vancouver, British Columbia. The band was founded by brothers Tom Lavin (guitar, vocals), Jack Lavin (bass, vocals), and Willie MacCalder (keyboards, vocals).[1] After playing in local clubs for 18 months,[citation needed] the band released their self-financed and self-produced debut album, Uncut, in 1980, followed by a tour of Canada and the US.[citation needed] The band won the Juno Award for "Most Promising Group of the Year" in 1981.[1] Uncut went double platinum in Canada in 1982, selling over 200,000 copies.[2] Their second album, Thirsty Ears, was released in 1981[1] and was certified platinum in Canada.[2] In 1986, the band won the American W.C. Handy Award for "Foreign Band of the Year".[3] The band's greatest hits album First Decade was released in 1990 and was certified gold.[2]

The band is now known as Tom Lavin and the Legendary Powder Blues.[4] They were still touring as of 2024.[5]

The initial lineup of the band consisted of:[1]

  • Tom Lavin – guitar, vocals
  • Jack Lavin – bass
  • Duris Maxwell – drums
  • Wayne Kozak – saxophone
  • Gordon Bertram – saxophone
  • David Woodward – saxophone
  • Will MacCalder – keyboards, vocals

Discography

Singles

  • "Doin' It Right" – 1980 #40 Can[6]
  • "Boppin' with the Blues" – 1980 #88 Can[7]
  • "What've I Been Drinkin" – 1980 #28 CanAC[8]
  • "Hear That Guitar Ring" – 1981 #22 Can-CanCon[9] #22 Can-AOCanCon[10]
  • "Lovin' Kissin' & Huggin'" – 1981 #47 Can[11]
  • "Thirsty Ears" – 1981 #17 Can[12]
  • "Farmer John" – 1983
  • "I'm on the Road Again" – 1985

Albums

  • 1979 Uncut (Blue Wave) (#5 Can.[13])
  • 1980 Uncut [re-issue] (RCA)
  • 1981 Thirsty Ears (Liberty/Capitol-EMI) (#11 Can.[14])
  • 1982 Party Line (Liberty/Capitol-EMI) #36 Can.[15]
  • 1983 Powder Blues (Liberty/Capitol-EMI)
  • 1983 Red Hot/True Blue (RCA) #88 Can (4 weeks)[16]
  • 1984 Live At Montreux (Blue Wave)
  • 1990 First Decade/Greatest Hits (WEA)
  • 1993 Let's Get Loose (WEA)
  • 1997 Live At Montreux [CD re-issue] (Peerless)
  • 1997 Lowell Fulson with the Powder Blues Band (Stony Plain)
  • 2002 Swingin' the Blues (Blue Wave)
  • 2004 Blues + Jazz = BLAZZ! (Blue Wave)

Awards

References

  1. [1]
    Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, eds. (April 2003). All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues (3rd ed.). Backbeat Books (with All Music Guide). p. 446. ISBN 0-87930-736-6.
  2. [2]
    "Powder Blues." CRIA Database.
  3. [3]
    "7th Annual Blues Awards Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine." The Blues Foundation.
  4. [4]
    "Powder Blues celebrating in Ajax". DurhamRegion.com. 9 August 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  5. [5]
    "Tour | Tom Lavin and the Legendary Powder Blues". Powderblues.net. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  6. [6]
    "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 26, 1980" (PDF).
  7. [7]
    "RPM Top 100 Singles - September 6, 1980" (PDF).
  8. [8]
    "RPM Top 50 AC - October 25, 1980" (PDF).
  9. [9]
    "RPM Top 30 CanCon Singles - December 30, 1978" (PDF).
  10. [10]
    "RPM Top 30 AO-CanCon Singles - April 11, 1981" (PDF).
  11. [11]
    "RPM Top 50 Singles - November 21, 1981" (PDF).
  12. [12]
    "RPM Top 50 Singles - October 3, 1981" (PDF).
  13. [13]
    "RPM Top 100 Albums - August 16, 1980" (PDF).
  14. [14]
    "RPM Top 50 Albums -October 3, 1981" (PDF).
  15. [15]
    "RPM Top 100 Albums - October 30, 1982" (PDF).
  16. [16]
    "RPM Top 100 Albums - October 22, 1983" (PDF).
  17. [17]
    "PAST NOMINEES + WINNERS: Powder Blues". Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Powder_Blues, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.