The Downchild Blues Band is a Canadian blues band, described by one reviewer as "the premier blues band in Canada". The band is still commonly known as the Downchild Blues Band, though the actual band name was shortened to "Downchild" in the early 1980s. The

Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respectiv ...

band was heavily influenced by Downchild Blues Band.

History

Early history: 1969-1982

"(Donnie) Walsh has been called the 'father of Canadian blues' and with good reason. He is a blues pioneer on the Canadian scene. It was Walsh who paid the highest dues so that later Canadian blues acts, such as the

Jeff Healey Norman Jeffrey Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008) was a Canadian blues, rock and jazz singer, guitarist, and songwriter who attained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. He reached No. 5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart with " A ...

Band, the Colin James Band, the

Powder Blues The Powder Blues Band is a Canadian blues/pop/jazz band formed in 1978 in Vancouver. Its first album ''Uncut'' went double platinum in Canada. The second album ''Thirsty Ears'' was similarly popular. Their best known songs include: "Boppin' with ...

, Sue Foley, The Sidemen and The Highliners could also enjoy their success. The Canadian blues scene, which has blossomed nicely in the last few years, was relatively barren in the late 1960s when The Downchild Blues Band first started out.'" :David Dicaire, ''More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century'' ( McFarland, 2002), pp. 215-216. ''Don't ever forget where the blues came from, or why.'' ''Never forget why you play the blues; if it was to make big money, you probably won't.'' :Two of "13 bits of advice for musicians from Mr. Downchild himself"Richard Flohill
13 True Tall Tales, and a Brand New Downchild Album - Lucky 13
. Interview with Donnie Walsh, April 1997; www.torontobluessociety.com. The Downchild Blues Band was formed in Toronto in 1969 and continues to perform today. It was co-founded by two brothers, Donnie "Mr. Downchild" Walsh and

Richard "Hock" Walsh Richard "Hock" Walsh (December 19, 1948 – December 31, 1999) was one of the first professional blues singers in Canada. He is particularly notable as the co-founder of the Downchild Blues Band and was the original singer of that band's best- ...

. The band's international fame is partially due to three of its songs, the originals "I've Got Everything I Need (Almost)" and "Shot Gun Blues", and its adaptation of "

Flip, Flop and Fly "Flip, Flop and Fly" is a song recorded by Big Joe Turner in 1955. Called a "prototypical rocker", it was recorded by several early rock and roll performers. In 1973, a version by the Downchild Blues Band reached the record singles chart in Canad ...

", all from its 1973 album, ''Straight Up'', being featured on the first

album, ''

Briefcase Full of Blues ''Briefcase Full of Blues'' is the debut album by The Blues Brothers, released on November 28, 1978, by Atlantic Records. It was recorded live on September 9, 1978, at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, when the band opened for comedian S ...

'' (1978). "Flip, Flop and Fly" has been Downchild's only hit single, and became the

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...

of Hock Walsh. The band's musical style is described as being "a spirited, if fundamental, brand of jump-band and Chicago-style blues". The band name came from the Sonny Boy Williamson II song, "Mr. Downchild". The initial band membership was Donnie "Mr. Downchild" Walsh, who remains the sole constant band member, with younger brother Rick "Hock" Walsh on vocals, accompanied by Dave Woodward, Cash Wall, John Tanti, and Jim Milne. They were the house band at the fabled Grossman's Tavern from 1968 to 1970, managed briefly by former folk musician, Ron Gerston. Classically trained pianist

Jane Vasey Jane Elizabeth Vasey (October 16, 1949 – July 7, 1982) was a Canadian blues piano player, best known for her years playing with the Downchild Blues Band. Vasey played with the band from 1973 until her death, from leukemia, on July 6, 1982. ...

joined the band in 1973.Downchild Biography
; www.downchild.com. The initial blues musical influence on Donnie Walsh was Jimmy Reed. He was later greatly influenced by James Cotton, both in terms of musical style and band format. Walsh and Cotton later became personal friends. Donnie Walsh described these early influences as follows: "Jimmy Reed. I heard him on my girlfriend’s birthday party. Some guys brought a Jimmy Reed album over and that was it, for me. ...I’d put him on the record player, and when I went to sleep at night, it would still be playing when I’d get up in the morning. Then I’d play him all day, and it was unreal. Then, of course, I spread out to Sonny Boy Williamson,

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post- war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicag ...

, B.B. King, and Albert King. Then, I got a job in a record store. A blues record store that stocked 45s only. All alphabetical all around the whole room. You’d go to the Muddy Waters section, and there would be eight Muddy Glasses of water singles. You’d go to the Sonny Boy Williamson section, and there would be five Sonny Boy Williamson singles." The band's first album, ''Bootleg'', is regarded as one of the first independent albums ever produced in Canada. It was recorded over two nights in 1971, in a makeshift studio at Toronto's

Rochdale College Rochdale College was an experiment in student-run alternative education and co-operative living in Toronto, Canada from 1968 to 1975. It provided space for 840 residents in a co-operative living space. It was also an informal, noncredited free ...

. Donnie Walsh and others distributed the album by hand. It was welcomed by major Toronto music retailer Sam Sniderman, of Sam The Record Man renown, who was very much disposed to promoting Canadian music. The record was soon acquired by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

Canada for more general distribution.Craig Harris, Biography of The Downchild Blues Band www.allmusic.com According to Donnie Walsh, more than 120 musicians have been associated with Downchild since its 1969 founding. The band has never lost its focus on blues music. While certain band members have left to pursue what was perceived to be a more lucrative rock music career, Donnie Walsh has a different perspective: "Just around when I started there were all these guys in blues bands and of course they were impatient and they wanted to make some more money so they became rock bands. I played the blues then and I play the blues now. That's what I love. ... It's a living thing, it's living music. By living and breathing it goes on and what that means is that instead of being the same kind of music somebody else wrote years ago, it lives and evolves. Blues is serious stuff, it's a heavy kind of music in your soul. You show up with the blues I play, you lighten up. That's what it's all about. It's like medicine."

1982-1990: Vasey, Hock and Flaim Gone

In 1982, the band suffered a major setback with the untimely death of keyboard player Jane Vasey, who succumbed to leukemia at the age of thirty-two. Donnie Walsh, who was living with Vasey at the time, took a period of time off to reflect on his future and that of the band. The band came back in the fall of 1982, with both a new singer and a new keyboard player, by way of a live recording from Toronto's historic El Mocambo club, ''But I'm On The Guest List''. Despite being closely identified with the band's initial sound and also being the co-writer, with brother Donnie Walsh, of "Shot Gun Blues", later recorded by the Blues Brothers, Hock Walsh would leave, rejoin and be replaced as lead singer in the band on several occasions. He was first fired from the band in 1974, shortly before work began on the band's third album, ''Dancing''. At that time, he was replaced by

Tony Flaim Tony Flaim (April 20, 1948 – March 10, 2000) was among the early professional blues singers in Canada, most notable as the lead singer for the Downchild Blues Band on six of that band's albums. Flaim was associated with Downchild for extended p ...

. Hock rejoined the band in 1977 and 1985. He was fired by his brother Donnie for a final time in 1990 and replaced by Chuck Jackson. Chuck Jackson has remained the lead singer of Downchild since that time. Notwithstanding their strained relationship, Donnie Walsh assessed his brother's ability as follows: "He was a fabulous singer; he could sing the blues better than anybody I've ever heard. He had the timing, the phrasing, a fabulous voice… he was just great." Hock Walsh died on December 31, 1999, at the age of 51, of an apparent heart attack. Performing on his own and with his own bands since 1990, he had been scheduled to perform a New Year's Eve concert with blues singer

Rita Chiarelli Rita Chiarelli is a Canadian blues singer. She was called "the goddess of Canadian blues" by Shelagh Rogers at CBC Radio One. Biography Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Chiarelli began performing in Ronnie Hawkins' band in the early 1980 ...

. His last recordings were three tracks on ''4 Blues'', the 1998 debut album of Toronto's Big Daddy G Review. Tony Flaim, the initial replacement for Hock Walsh in Downchild and featured on six of the band's albums, also died of a heart attack, on March 10, 2000, less than three months after Hock Walsh. He was 52. Flaim's near nine-year association with Downchild covered most of the 1975 to 1982 period, including a period when Hock Walsh rejoined the band in 1977, plus 1986 to 1988. He was succeeded by a returning Hock Walsh, who was fired by his brother for a final time in 1990. During the 1982-1986 period, Flaim was replaced by

John Witmer John Douglas Witmer (February 1951 – July 3, 2004) was a Canadian blues singer, songwriter and harmonica player, most notable as the lead vocalist for the band Whiskey Howl and the Downchild Blues Band. Biography Described as "one of Toronto' ...

, former lead singer of the well-respected Toronto blues band Whiskey Howl, while Hock Walsh rejoined the band for a brief period in 1985. One of Tony Flaim's last public performances was at a tribute to the late Hock Walsh, in February 2000, at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern.

1990-2022

Most of the current lineup has been together since 1990, when Chuck Jackson (vocals) and Michael Fonfara (keyboards) joined Donnie Walsh (guitar and harmonica) and Pat Carey (sax). Sax player Pat Carey was the first to join the current Downchild lineup, in 1985, a year after arriving in Toronto and commencing his Toronto musical career playing with both Hock Walsh and Tony Flaim. Bass player Gary Kendall joined Downchild for a second time in 1995, after first playing with the band during the 1979-1983 period. They were later joined by drummer Mike Fitzpatrick, who first recorded with the band on the ''Come On In'' album (2004). Later accolades include winning a

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...

for "Blues Album of the Year" in 2014 for "Can You Hear The Music", Downchild's 17th album; a nomination for "Blues Album of The Year" in 2005, plus winning the Maple Blues Award as "Entertainers of The Year" in both 2005 and 2006. In addition, the band's connection to The Blues Brothers has continued. In 2005, when

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...

and James Belushi toured as The Blues Brothers, Donnie Walsh joined them onstage at Ontario's Casino Rama. Donnie Walsh's song, "I've Got Everything I Need (Almost)" was selected in 2007 as one of 125 "essential" Canadian songs, and the only blues song on the list. Michael Fonfara died on 8 January 2021 in a Toronto hospital, following a two-year battle with cancer. Later that summer, Downchild embarked on a 50th anniversary tour, long delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Awards

Band

* 1981 JUNO Award, Best Album Graphics (''We Deliver'') * 1992 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Great Canadian Blues Award * 2005 Maple Blues Award, Recording of the Year (''Come On In'') * 2005 Maple Blues Award, Electric Act of The Year * 2005 Maple Blues Award, Entertainers of The Year * 2006 Maple Blues Award, Entertainers of The Year * 2014 JUNO Award, Blues Album of the Year (''Can You Hear the Music'') *2018 JUNO Nomination, Blues Album of the Year (''Something I've Done'')

Members

Donnie Walsh

* 1990 Blues With a Feeling Award, Toronto Blues Society, honouring distinguished career * 2010 The Canadian Blues Museum Hall of Fame Induction 'Mr. Downchild" June 20, 2010

Chuck Jackson

* 1999 Maple Blues Award, Male Vocalist of The Year * 2002 Blues With a Feeling Award, Toronto Blues Society, honouring distinguished career * 2007 Maple Blues Award, Male Vocalist of The Year

Pat Carey

* 1999 Maple Blues Award, Horn Player of The Year * 2000 Maple Blues Award, Horn Player of The Year * 2001 Maple Blues Award, Horn Player of The Year * 2002 Maple Blues Award, Horn Player of The Year * 2004 Maple Blues Award, Horn Player of The Year * 2007 Maple Blues Award, Horn Player of The Year

Gary Kendall

* 1993 Blues With a Feeling Award, Toronto Blues Society, honouring distinguished career * 1997 Maple Blues Award, Bassist of The Year * 1999 Maple Blues Award, Bassist of The Year * 2000 Maple Blues Award, Bassist of The Year * 2002 Maple Blues Award, Bassist of The Year * 2002 Thunder Blues Award, Thunder Bay Blues Society * 2002 Keeping The Blues Alive Award, Thunder Bay Blues Society * 2005 Maple Blues Award, Bassist of The Year * 2007 Maple Blues Award, Bassist of The Year * 2012 Maple Blues Award, Bassist of The Year

Michael Fonfara

* 2000 Maple Blues Award, Piano/Keyboard Player of The Year * 2004 Maple Blues Award, Piano/Keyboard Player of The Year * 2007 Maple Blues Award, Piano/Keyboard Player of The Year * 2009 Maple Blues Award, Piano/Keyboard Player of The Year

Mike Fitzpatrick

* 2005 Maple Blues Award, Drummer of The Year * 2007 Maple Blues Award, Drummer of The Year

Discography

The list is based on the Canadian Pop Encyclopedia, with subsequent additions and amendments.

Singles

* 1973 "

" (#35 Can.) * 1974 "Flip, Flop and Fly" e-issue(Special) * 1974 "I've Got Everything I Need" (Almost) * 1974 "Tell Your Mother" (Special) (#54 Can.) * 1975 "Goin' Dancin" * 1976 "Old Ma Belle" (#67 Can.) * 1980 "I've Been A Fool" (

Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a ''loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...

) * 1980 "Tryin' to Keep Her 88's Straight"/"Oh Oh" (Attic) (#71 Can.) * 1981 "Hey Hey Little Girl"/"Drivin' Blues" (Attic) * 1981 "Blood Run Hot"/"Coulda Had All Your Loving" (Attic)

Albums

* 1971 '' Bootleg (album)'' (Special) (#62 Can. May 13, 1972) * 1973 ''Straight Up ''(Special) (#66 Can. January 12, 1974) * 1974 ''Dancing'' (Special) (#50 Can. December 21, 1974) * 1975 ''Ready To Go'' (Special) * 1977 ''So Far'' (Posterity) * 1979 ''We Deliver'' (

) (#74 Can. May 24, 1980) * 1980 ''Bootleg'' e-issue(RCA); also later re-issue by Downchild Music * 1980 ''Road Fever'' (Attic) * 1980 ''Double Header'' (Attic) (double album reissue of ''Straight Up'' and ''We Deliver'') * 1981 ''Blood Run Hot'' (with Spencer Davis) (Attic) * 1982 ''Dancing'' e-issue(Attic) * 1982 ''Straight Up'' e-issueAttic) * 1982 ''But I'm On The Guest List'' (Attic) * 1987 ''It's Been So Long'' (Stony Plain/BMG) * 1988 ''We Deliver/Straight Up'' ouble album re-issue(Attic) * 1989 ''Gone Fishing'' (Stony Plain/WEA) * 1992 ''Dancing/Road Fever'' ouble album re-issue(Attic) * 1994 ''Good Times Guaranteed'' (Downchild Music) * 1997 ''Lucky 13'' (Downchild Music) * 1997 ''It's Been So Long/Ready To Go'' ouble album re-issue(Stony Plain) * 1998 ''A Case Of The Blues - The Best Of Downchild'' (Attic) * 2000 ''A Matter Of Time - The Downchild Collection'' (Blue Wave - US) * 2003 ''Body Of Work - The Downchild Collection Volume 2'' (Blue Wave - US) * 2004 ''But I'm On The Guest List'' e-issue(Unidisc) * 2004 ''Blood Run Hot'' e-issue(Unidisc) * 2004 ''Road Fever'' e-issue(Unidisc) * 2004 ''We Deliver'' e-issue(Unidisc) * 2004 ''Straight Up'' e-issue(Unidisc) * 2004 ''Come On In'' (Downchild Music) with Gene Taylor, winner at the 2005 Maple Blues Awards * 2007 ''Live At The Palais Royale'' (Downchild Music) * 2009 ''I Need A Hat'' (True North Records) * 2013 ''Can You Hear The Music'' (True North Records) *2017 ''Something I've Done'' (True North Records)