Those who love the blues will enjoy a show by Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne on Sunday, May 4 at Soo Blaster.
Wayne, an American-born blues, boogie-woogie and jazz pianist, continues to enjoy a long career that has included many awards, such as a Juno for Blues Album of the Year - Let it Loose - in 2006.
“I never really thought I would actually go into music as a career. It was always a fun hobby thing. I think that in 1980, I probably made my decision to go full-time into music. Before then I was always involved in it part-time and on the weekends,” Wayne told SooToday in a phone interview from his home in Burlington, Ont.
Wayne began playing piano and singing as a child in California.
“I started with my church choir director. My dad was a minister in a church in San Francisco and he was a choir director in Los Angeles. So I started there when I was eight,” Wayne said.
He then began listening to secular music.
“I like Ray Charles, Charles Brown, Fats Domino, Nat King Cole. I love those cats. I like Smokey Robinson and some of the Motown guys,” Wayne said.
He started his career by performing covers and then began writing his own material.
“After all the cover songs that I did, I decided that I probably can write some good songs of my own as well,” Wayne said, describing his music as uptempo ‘jump blues.’
How did Wayne, who moved to Canada in the 1980s, become known as the ‘Blues Boss?’
“A lot of the blues guys have handles, like Fats Domino. ‘Blues Boss’ came from a guy named Amos Milburn who had quite a few hits in the 50s. He had an album called The Return of the Blues Boss and after he passed away I took up the torch because I had a very similar style of piano playing,” Wayne said.
He has performed for both large and small audiences in many countries around the world.
“I think the largest was like 80,000 people in North Carolina at a folk festival. It was huge. I’ve played in Russia, Italy, Germany, Britain. All those places had great audiences and very, very good turnouts. I haven't been to Asia yet. That’s on my bucket list.”
Wayne said he has enjoyed playing for large audiences but loves playing in smaller, intimate venues in which he can see the smiles in the audience.
“You shake their hands after and they say ‘can you sign this and can we take a photo with you?’ It's great. I think that's an important connection you want to have. Music makes me feel good. It's a good feeling that you can spread to others.”
Now 80, Wayne doesn’t want to slow down.
“The whole idea is not looking back. You try to keep looking forward because if you start looking back you get a crick in the neck. I've been very blessed and I want to keep this genre of music alive as well as I can. That's been my goal.”
Three Sault musicians - bassist Lindsay Pugh, guitarist Mike McDonald and saxophonist Josh Norling - will form Wayne’s backup band when he plays at Soo Blaster in May.
Pugh played for Wayne during his first Sault performance in 2016 at the former Canadian Motor Hotel.
“To me, he seems like one of the few blues artists out there that sings and does that boogie-woogie style of piano playing that isn't as common as it used to be, like 50 or 60 years ago,” Pugh told SooToday.
Pugh is looking forward to backing Wayne up a second time.
“He's really easy to work with. He's a super chill guy. He has pretty clear instructions on what he wants you to do. Kenny knows what he's doing, we just have to follow him. It's not like we're just playing with someone who's not sure of themselves.”
The Sault Blues Society is presenting Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne’s show at Soo Blaster, located at 345 Queen St. E. Sunday, May 4.
Doors open at 3:30 p.m. with the Sault’s Big Wheel and the Spokes - composed of Jay Case, Frank Deresti and Cliff Alloy - performing at 4 p.m. followed by Wayne at 5 p.m.
Advanced general admission tickets are $30 each and $20 for students and available at Long & McQuade, The Rad Zone, Case’s Music, Stone’s Office Supply and Soo Blaster by cash or online through the Sault Community Theatre Centre.
More information on Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne, including his long list of awards, can be found on the artist’s website while samples of his lively performances can be found on YouTube.