Sunday Matinee Gospel Music Series • Series Alumni • Music Recordings • Gospel Singing Workshops & Concerts • Concerts & Festival Events • Ken Whiteley’s Touring Gospel All Stars • Artist Bios
Ken’s 22nd Anniversary Sunday Gospel Concert Series 2024-2025
Ken Whiteley will be releasing his 35th album, Unseen Hands 12 songs 12 strings at this fall’s Sunday Gospel Matinee. Featuring Ken on 12 string guitar, he explores where we are with melodic new songs that have lots of room for great harmony singing. Joining him will be three tremendous vocalists – Garnetta Cromwell, Georgia Harmer and long time Whiteley singing companion, Ciceal Levy. The singing will be complemented with a great rhythm section anchored by Bucky Berger on drums and Ben Whiteley on bass.
Garnetta Cromwell is a magnetic lead vocalist as well as a talented percussionist. The youngest of eight siblings from an Afro Métis background, music has always been her solace amidst her life’s many challenges. Despite a lifelong involvement in music it was with the release of her Maple Blues Nominated 2023 album Time To Shine that she began receiving more of the attention she deserves. She brought the house down at Massey Hall singing in the Women’s Blues Revue and in the last couple of years has toured festivals across Canada. Deeply steeped in Gospel, Blues, Country and classic Soul, music gave her the impetus to survive, the determination to thrive, the peace to heal and a reason to grow.
Georgia Harmer’s well received debut album Stay In Touch came out in 2022 and she has a new one recorded that will be released soon. Georgia has been singing pretty much all her life and her sense of pitch, timing, melodic inventiveness and overall vocal skill belie her relatively young age. She is the daughter of professional musicians and the niece of Sarah Harmer. Ken has been impressed seeing her in concert and had her into the studio to sing harmony vocals on Unseen Hands. She hit it out of the park, as far as everyone was concerned.
Ciceal Levy grew up singing in church, the youngest of 4 highly musical sisters. She first recorded with Ken while still a high school student in the Youth Outreach Mass Choir almost 30 years ago. She along with her late sister, Amoy have sung and recorded with a legion of incredible artists in the gospel, blues, soul and pop worlds including Tom Cochrane, Jackie Richardson and many others. With her smoky alto, reminiscent of Mavis Staples, it is great to see Ciceal stepping out.
Ken Whiteley will be featuring songs from his new album exploring where we are: from the microscopic look at soil teeming with life and where he lives in downtown Toronto to the sky, the moon, the stars and where we fit in this big universe. Collectively our refusal to look at this bigger picture leaves us sleepwalking into the disaster of human induced climate change and environmental degradation. Using his twelve string guitar as a musical touchstone, Whiteley encourages and inspires us to raise our voices and hands together as the effective antidote to our daunting challenges.
Since 2002 Ken’s Sunday gospel afternoons have brought joy to thousands with his inclusive spirit, his profound musical gifts and the always special collection of artists he brings together. This promises to be another show not to be missed.
21st Anniversary Sunday Gospel Concert Series 2023
Gospel Music Series Alumni
After hosting gospel workshops at folk festivals for decades, Ken was excited by the unique, dynamic chemistry when artists shared a stage together. Something very special happened. So in late March of 2002, as George Bush was saber rattling to start the Iraq war, the first Ken Whiteley Sunday Gospel Matinee was held. It quickly became a Hugh’s Room tradition until cut short in March 2020. During that span of 18 years over a hundred different singers and musicians participated, representing an incredible range of musical styles and spiritual perspectives. Ken created the initial series to record an album that would become Gospel Music Makes Me Feel Alright!. The following talented artists have joined Ken on stage:
Lance Anderson, Njacko Backo, The Barrel Boys (Kyle Kirkpatrick, Rob McLaren, Tim O’Reilly, Nathan Smith, Ben Wright), Lonnie “Big Ben” Bennett, Bucky Berger, Karen Michelle Bergmann, Gail Berry, Salome Bey, Diana Braithwaite, Alana Bridgewater, Danny Brooks, Nikki D. Brown & The Sisters of Thunder (Gloria Brown, Tomika Webb), Basia Bulat, Alphanso Burke Jr., Chuck Campbell, Rebecca Campbell, The Campbell Brothers, Linda Carvery, Aviva Chernick, Tristan Clark, Calvin Cooke, Grace Cooke, Andrew Craig, Garnetta Cromwell, John T. Davis, Rosalyn Dennett, Melisa Devost, Kim Doolittle, Andrew Downing, Teresa Doyle, Nicole Edwards, Joan Elliott, Frank Evans, The Fabulous Levy Sisters, John Finley, Michael Fonfara, Galitcha (Chris MacLean & Kuljit Sodhi), Gathering Sparks (Eve Goldberg, Jane Lewis), Eve Goldberg, J.K. Gulley, Caitlin Hanford, Georgia Harmer, Kim Harris, Reggie Harris, Mati Haskell, Ginny Hawker, Kevin Head, House of Doc, Jacob & Lily, Joe Jencks, Tabby Johnson, Rev. Robert B. Jones, Sister Bernice Jones, Hiram Joseph, George Koller, Penny Lang, Jani Lauzon, The Laws (Michele & John), Amoy Levy, Ciceal Levy, Colin Linden, Claire Lynch, Samantha Martin, John Mays, Ellen McIllwaine, Rob McLaren, Linda McRae, Geordie Millar, Jacob Moon, Linda Morrison, Gordon Mowat, Charlene Nafziger, Arnie Naiman, Helena Nash, Paul Novotny, Odetta, George Olliver, Marlene O’Neill, Ndidi Onukwulu, Original Sloth Band & The Honolulu Heartbreakers, Pat Patrick, Rhonelle Patrick, Dennis Pendrith, Fred Penner, Colina Phillips, Mighty Popo, Cheryl Prashker, Kathy Reid-Naiman, Betty Richardson, Jackie Richardson, Sharon Riley, Donné Roberts, Uncle Mike Rosteing, Mose Scarlett, Shakura S’Aida, Jane Sapp, Joel Schwartz, Joe Sealy, Jay Sewall, Jane Siberry, Tannis Slimmon, Jivaro Smith, The Sojourners (Marcus Mosely, Will Sanders, Khari McClelland), Soul Influence, Jeremiah Sparks, The Stacks (Tania Elizabeth & Andy Stack), Vicki St. Pierre, Dione Taylor, Len Udow, Suzie Vinnick, David Wall, Jackie Washington, Alastair Whitehead, Terry Wilkins, Michelle Willis, and a full compliment of Whiteleys ~ Ben, Chris, Dan, Jenny, Jesse and Ken.
Top Selling Recordings
Ken’s Incredible One-Day-Wonder Gospel Music Workshop & Concert Program
Ken loves to share his gospel singing workshop and concert program with choirs, congregations and singing groups both large and small. This program is for everyone who likes to sing and have fun.No choir experience is needed. It is for all ages, all voices. The one day workshop includes: (a) Gospel Workshop & Rehearsal with Ken and (b) Evening Concert Performance with YOU (The One-Day-Wonder Gospel Workshop Choir) and Ken. This program has run in welcoming communities of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Don’t miss this fabulous opportunity to sing in Ken Whiteley’s incredible Gospel Workshop Choir. Amaze yourself, your family and friends too!
“Ken picked us up by the spirit and got us to sing … really sing! There was a lot of smiling going on, I can tell you!”
~ The Reverend Brian E. Pearson, Saint Stephen’s Anglican Church, Calgary
“Emmanuel Howard Park United Church is always happy to welcome Ken Whiteley to our sanctuary! Whether it is the soul-stirring harmonies and uplifting gospel sound at our annual ‘Carols by Candlelight’ service on Christmas Eve, or Ken’s patient teaching and obvious knowledge and passion for gospel music at our recurring Gospel workshops and Ken’s Gospel concerts, we never fail to be reminded that “Gospel music makes US feel all right!”.
~ Joanna Mills, Gospel Choir Director, Emmanuel Howard Park United Church, Toronto
“Our congregation loves Ken Whiteley. The words to his songs express the faith that we live. The music is accomplished, lively and passionate, with a great blend of instruments and voices from his fellow musicians and friends. We always leave wanting more of his songs in church.”
~ The Reverend Gary van der Meer, St. John’s Anglican Church, West Toronto
“I hardly ever make these kind of introductions unless there is good reason to do so. Ken is a gifted performer and a wonderful person. He can hold a sacred space and is comfortable in a religious UU context. He is very good at helping the congregation sing together and is more than willing to work with others to develop music for the service. He is fun to work with too.”
~ The Reverend Wayne Walder, Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Toronto
Feel Good Music for Concerts of any size and Festival Events
Ken Whiteley & Friends with one or two vocalists and a bassist are available for smaller concerts, house concerts, workshops and music festivals.
Ken Whiteley’s Gospel All-Stars features Ken with up to 4 additional vocalists (Amoy Levy, Ciceal Levy, Pat Patrick, David Wall), bassist (Ben Whiteley, George Koller, Dennis Pendrith, Daniel Koulack) and drummer (Bucky Berger). Horns and keys may also be added.
To book contact: ken (at) kenwhiteley (dot) com
A bit more about Ken’s Touring Gospel All-Stars
Ken Whiteley is the founder and host of the Toronto Sunday Gospel music series at Hugh’s Room. He is a prolific songwriter, a gifted and versatile guitarist and mandolinist, and a powerful singer. His musical peers affectionately refer to him as a “playing encyclopedia” for his depth and range of styles, covering everything from folk to blues, gospel and swing. Nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award, his newest recording Another Day’s Journey covers a lot of ground, old and new, with depth, soul and originality. Ken is the proud recipient of the Estelle Klein Lifetime Achievement Award, Mariposa Folk Hall of Fame and has been nominated for numerous Juno and Maple Blues Awards. Gospel Makes Me Feel Alright! which is a live recording from the very first gospel series in 2003, continues to be a best seller at the concerts and online.
Ciceal Levy and her sister, the late Amoy Levy, are highly respected for their groundbreaking work within the gospel community in Toronto. They have been singing with Ken for over 15 years and have also performed with people as diverse as Pete Seeger, Celine Dion and Kirk Franklin. Amoy’s gorgeous soprano and Ciceal’s rich alto have graced many of Ken’s recordings. Ciceal is always an audience favourites wherever she sings with Ken.
David Wall is a composer, lyricist, singer and vocal coach. As lead vocalist of the much revered rhythm and blues band the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, David toured Canada Extensively, appearing regularly on television and radio. He has performed and recorded with an impressive cross-section of artists including Big Sugar, The Barenaked Ladies, Lorraine Segato and Ken Whiteley. His most recent musical journey as a singer had been into the world of Jewish tradition where he has achieved success recording and touring internationally as lead voice of Toronto’s Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band and Winnipeg’s From Both Ends of the Earth.
Pat Patrick is “one of Toronto’s, and possibly the country’s, deepest bass vocalists.” He has an incredibly rich bass voice, which is infused with sincerity and musical skills. Whether singing harmonies or a solo, Pat is always an engaging performer and an audience favourite. He is a member of Ken Whiteley’s touring Gospel Revue band and can be heard singing on many of Ken’s cds, including Thank You Lord!, Gospel Makes Me Feel Alright! and One World Dance.
Bucky Berger is the drummer for the Juno Award winning Blues ensemble Fathead.Originally from Montreal, Bucky emerged on the Toronto music scene in the seventies and has played and recorded with Chilliwack, Rough Trade, Mr. Dressup, Danny Brooks, The Whiteley Brothers, Maria Muldaur and many others. Ken is always delighted to have Bucky join him on the gospel shows.
Ben Whiteley is a highly sought after bassist who plays with Basia Bulat, Old Man Luedecke, The Good Lovelies, The Weather Station, to name only a few. After a number of years of stellar work holding down the “bottom end”, Ben now brings his winning stage presence and superb musicianship to what has become a somewhat infrequent treat of seeing father and son perform together.
Named National Jazz Awards Bassist of the Year 2007, few people know that George Koller also plays a variety of instruments including cello, sitar, sarode, mandolin, diruba; many featured on his award-winning solo CD, Music for Plants, Animals, and Humans. He has also accumulated hundreds of widely diverse performing and recording credits in his expansive musical career working with The Shuffle Demons, Phil Woods, Peter Gabriel, Loreena McKennitt, Bruce Cockburn, Holly Cole, Ian Tyson, Joe Sealy, and many, many others. George has shared many a stage with Ken across the country. He also co-produced Ken’s Listening CD and he has played on many of Ken’s recordings including Gospel Music Makes Me Feel Alright!