“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.
It’s now the last month of the year, the darkest month in the northern hemisphere and a time to celebrate the light that lights us all. I will be participating in a number of special shows including in Ottawa (Dec. 12), Cobourg (Dec. 19), Stouffville (Dec. 20) and Toronto (Dec. 21) with the Sultan’s of String Christmas Caravan, 2 shows on Dec. 7 at Metropolitan Community Church, a celebration of light at Holy Blossom Temple Dec. 8 and the Sivananda Yoga Christmas celebration on Harbord St. in Toronto on Dec. 13.
My new album, Unseen Hands 12 songs 12 strings was celebrated in a great show at Hugh’s Room Live on Nov. 24 and you can get it here as a download or CD. If you are in the Toronto area and want to arrange to pick up a copy during the strike at Canada Post, email me at ken@kenwhiteley.com for details.
I will be part of a festive day of music and holiday spirit with HARK!, Metropolitan Community Church’s annual family-friendly Christmas concert, featuring two showtimes at 3 PM and 7 PM. For more information and tickets go here.
On Dec. 8 I will be part of a concert called “The Gifts of Light” at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. This will include choirs from Canadian Children’s Opera Company, the Robbins Hebrew Academy Choir and singers Julie Michaels and Kim Doolittle as well as myself. This will be a fund raiser for Covenant House, Canada’s largest provider of services to unsheltered and at risk young people. For more information and tickets go here.
It’s my very great pleasure to once again be a guest with Sultan’s of String Christmas Caravan! I have done this several times and it is always a spectacular show with high level musicianship, entertainment and fun. Details for each show are below.
Dec 12 Ottawa – Shenkman Arts Centre – 245 Centrum Blvd., Ottawa, ON, K1E 0A1
The Sultans of String with Rebecca Campbell, Saskia Tomkins, Aviva Chernick, Kristine St. Pierre, Ken Whiteley, Alberto Saurez
Dec 19 Cobourg – Victoria Hall – 55 King St W, Cobourg, ON K9A 2M2 The Sultans of String with Rebecca Campbell, Saskia Tomkins, Ken Whiteley, Alberto Saurez
Dec 20 Stouffville – Lebovic Centre – 19 on the Park – 19 Civic Ave, Whitchurch-Stouffville, ON L4A 1G5 The Sultans of String with Rebecca Campbell, Saskia Tomkins, Ken Whiteley, Alberto Saurez
Dec 21 Toronto Hugh’s Room – NEW LOCATION – 296 Broadview Ave, Toronto, ON M4M 2G7 The Sultans of String with Rebecca Campbell, Saskia Tomkins, Aviva Chernick, Kristine St. Pierre, Ken Whiteley, Alberto Saurez, Amanda Martinez Promo Code SOS20 for 20% off! https://www.showpass.com/sultans-of-string-christmas-caravan-solstice-party/
