Mose Scarlett, Jackie Washington and Ken Whiteley are three legends of the Canadian roots music scene. They are unique individuals who share a love for old songs, humour, beautiful melodies and chord changes. Since 1991 when their Juno nominated disc, "Where Old Friends Meet" was released, they have performed at concerts and festivals right across Canada and in the United States, delighting audiences with blues, jazz, folk, swing, gospel and ragtime music.
2003 was an eventful year. Their brand new cd, "Sitting On a Rainbow" has been called "arguably their best.... excellent, an instant collectable" by the Toronto Star. Jackie received an honourary Doctorate from McMaster University on June 3. Mose just completed his third succesful tour of Australia and Ken composed the music for the feature film "Falling Angels" which won him a Genie Award. The summer will see them doing shows in Hamilton, Toronto, Perth, Regina and the Eaglewood Folk Festival. They were featured guests on Connie Kaldor's TV show, Wood River Hall which aired in 2004.
Each of them bring special qualities to the mix. Mose is a great fingerpicking guitarist with a gorgeous, unmistakable deep baritone voice. Jackie brings his enormous repertoire, rich experience going back to the twenties and his incredible zest for life. Ken is a master musician on a dozen instruments, prolific songwriter and able to jump in on just about any music you can throw at him.
Together they create a special magic that "just makes you feel great".
With "a velvet baritone that could smooth the scales off an armadillo", this 30 year veteran of the music business can take you through the 20's, 30's and 40's with a freshness that transcends any date and time. Mose entertains with a warmth and humour that is immediately disarming. An internationally acclaimed guitarist, he has toured across Canada, England, West Germany, Australia and the U.S.A. His first album, Stalling For Time, was produced by Bruce Cockburn and he has made a number of appearances on a variety of records as well as radio and T.V. performances. Whether energetically fingerpicking the blues or crooning new life into some of the most beautiful songs ever written, Mose Scarlett is truly an original.
Born in 1919, Jackie Washington has been a staple of the Canadian musical scene since the age of 5 when he sang with The Four Washington Brothers. With a repertoire that extends from the days of slavery to the present, Jackie knows well over 1,200 songs! His incredible life has been the subject of a biography and the number of artists he has known and worked with is staggering. The list includes jazz giants such as Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Clark Terry, songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Gord Lightfoot and blues men like Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and Lonnie Johnson. He is a recipient of the highly prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ontario Arts Council, and was recently inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction. Several Jackie Washington awards have been created to honour not only his outstanding musicianship but his ability to "get the joint jumpin' and to light up the world".
Ken Whiteley has been called a "playing encyclopedia", for his vast repertoire, command of a wide variety of styles including swing, blues and gospel and his prodigious ability on over a dozen instruments. He has appeared on over 100 recordings and produced such artists as Tom Paxton, John Hammond, Raffi, and everything from British ballads to R&B. Ken has received Juno nominations, a United Way Communications Gold Award and his walls are adorned with numerous gold and multiple platinum albums for past productions. His live appearances extend to most major folk festivals in North America, as well as club and concert dates, both as a soloist, leading his own ensembles, with his brother Chris or performing with some of the blues legends of our time. As Sing Out! magazine has said, "Ken Whiteley is one of the best."