“Masterful and amazing!” ~ Tampa Acoustic Music Exchange
Ken Whiteley has been playing folk, blues, gospel and other roots traditions at the highest level for well over fifty years. He has received many awards including a Canadian Folk Music Award, 7 Juno nominations, 18 Maple Blues nominations, a Genie Award (for Best Song in a Canadian Film) and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Mariposa Folk Festival, The Maple Blues Awards and Folk Music Ontario but ultimately for Ken his music is all about making connection. He loves to get people singing with him whether he’s on a concert stage, a folk festival, a church service or a yoga ashram.
Ken has made over 32 albums and his most recent one, “Long Time Travelling” was just nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award as Best Traditional Album this year. He has written over 400 songs that have won numerous awards and been covered by more than a dozen artists. Ken is a living link to the traditions of people he has sung and played with including Pete Seeger, The Georgia Sea Island Singers, Tom Paxton, John Hammond Jr., Blind John Davis and many others. He brings this vast experience to each performance as a way to allow all of us to come together through the power of song.
My new album, Unseen Hands 12 songs 12 strings is now available on all streaming services and for download. Musically anchored in my Laskin 12 string guitar, the project explores our place on this planet, in this universe in these times. From the soil beneath our feet to the distant stars I explore my own feelings of both wonder and profound concern. The first single is “Hole In The Clouds, the opening track and you can watch the video here.
Lyric video for the first single
As well as playing multiple instruments myself I had stellar support from Ben Whiteley and Gord Mowat on bass, Bucky Berger on drums, Sundar Vishwanathan on bansouri flute and soprano sax, Tom Sczesniak on accordion and great harmony singing from Ciceal Levy, Adrienne Mackenzie and Georgia Harmer.
There will be a special release concert on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2:00 p.m. at Hugh’s Room Live, 296 Broadview Avenue and I will be joined by guests Ciceal Levy, Garnetta Cromwell and Georgia Harmer, plus a rhythm section anchored by Bucky Berger on drums and percussionand Ben Whiteley on bass. This is part of my ongoing Sunday Gospel Matinee’s although on this occasion while the music I sing will be “spiritual” it won’t be traditional “gospel”. However Ciceal and Garnetta, both incredible singers, will provide some gospel fervour to the show and if you haven’t heard Georgia Harmer she is both a great songwriter and an incredible singer. Here is the link for tickets: https://www.showpass.com/ken-whiteley-gospel-matinee-3/
