Pat Blythe – Women of Blues Revisited – Part II

This piece first ran in DBAWIS just over two years ago.  It all started with the a series called Women in Song, based on a collection of CDs (made in Canada dontcha know) I had rediscovered when cleaning out “stuff”. One thing leads to another, a name is mentioned, I start to poke around, one person leads to another and the next thing you know I’m down, waaaay down the rabbit hole. There are an incalculable number of stories and in one fashion or another, they are all linked. If one had to create a “family tree” of music…..well…..it would be “yuge” and nigh on impossible to follow. Just in our little music community here in Toronto, everybody is “related” somehow. I’m about to embark on another project and meet with an individual who has been around the business so long he is full of stories…..I’m sensing another rabbit hole….

Happy Canada Day 2015

(Editor’s Note: Pat Blythe shares a stirring speech from 1991 in Celebration of Canada Day 2015)

Here’s Pat….

We, as a country, have our issues. Canada is not immune to political woes and embarrassments. We are not impervious to the stupidity of our politicians on either the local or international stage. We are not exempt from the ludicrous and foolish follies of our leaders or, sometime the downright unthinking cruelty of their decisions. But to many around the world we are still “Canada the good”, THE place to live, to settle, to raise families. ….and although sometimes we appear to roll over and play dead, don’t piss us off too much….there’s a lot more to us than meets the eye….

Pat Blythe: Women of Blues 2 – Ma Rainey – Mother of the Blues

I just finished watching the movie Bessie starring Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith and Mo’nique as Ma Rainey. Suggested watching by Roxanne, my friend and fellow writer, and an excellent recommendation it was. Thank you Rox…. the timing couldn’t be more perfect. A great segue for this column and also for the series. Ma and Bessie were two completely different women singing their own style of the blues together, and apart, one learning from the other and taking the blues to a whole new audience. I’ll start with the groundbreaker.