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maurice richard libby aka Whiteboy Slim
Gritty blues with a contemporary point of view. Searing guitar and passionate vocals. Harmonica, slide guitar, sardonic humour, and a deep respect for the traditions of Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and all the other greats who came before.
Maurice became interested in music when he heard Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong for the first time. After the usual highschool cover bands, he sang and played harmonica in the blues group Red Meat, which featured his brother Michael on Drums and Ray Montana, the Regina guitarist who went on to back up Sawyer Brown, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Paycheck.
Maurice spent a year at the Berklee College of music in Boston studying Jazz and Composition where he met, studied with, and hung out with musicians like Jazz great Gary Burton, pianist Al Copley (cofounder of Roomful of Blues), and bassist Ron McCLure ( bassist with Charles Lloyd, Wynton Kelly, Quest, The 4th Way, Joe Henderson, Blood, Sweat & Tears, The Pointer Sisters, Sarah Vaughan, Thelonious Monk)
After playing guitar in a number of club acts in Regina, Saskatoon, and Kitchener he moved to Toronto where he started Dirty Movies, a power pop band that featured drummer Mark French, who left the band to tour with Blue Rodeo. Dirty Movies was a staple of the Toronto club and campus scene for the three years of its existence.
Finally he returned to his true musical love and formed the blues unit Automatic Slim, which was a popular live act playing Toronto venues like The Silver Dollar Saloon, the Black Swan, and Grossman's Tavern, and downstairs at the El Macombo where they had the highest grossing Wednesday night in the club's history, As well as jamming with the likes of Michael Picket and the Kendall-Wall Blues band.
After Automatic Slim, Maurice played solo in Toronto and Saskatchewan and with his new unit aka Whiteboy Slim.
Maurice is an explorer of the blues. He says, “I stay true to the spirit of the music, walking the tightrope between the spiritual and the profane. I play old tunes by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf–all the greats --and some unusual stuff like some Fats Waller. I do a lot of original tunes as well – twelve bar blues with lyrics that speak to contemporary experience. I'm sure not going to try to write like a sharecropper from Mississippi. I want to see the Blues as a living art form–not an exhibit in a museum. I think there is room for experimentation and creativity in the blues without losing respect for the roots.”
Maurice released the CD HOMEMADE, with eleven original tracks, in 2003 as a tribute to the Year of the Blues. “I tried to cover as many blues genres as I could here, from Delta blues to hip hop, but it's still all blues.” He was chosen as Artist of the Week on Music75.com and Musiquenet.com and has been played around the world notably on Musicbox 92.8FM in France. |
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maurice richard libby aka WHITEBOY SLIM
Music-Tech.Net Indie Artist Showcase Review
Maurice Richard Libby, [aka]Whiteboy Slim, creates a gutsy, throwback version of the blues by incorporating pieces of jazz, hip-hop and DIY recording techniques that feel wholly original. His unique take on the American institution of the blues is memorable. --Music-Tech.com
Improvijazzation Nation
Another kick-butt submission from one of my internet scans (on www.soundclick.com ). I fired off an e-mail as soon as I heard this guys' .mp3's... yeah, th' energy sounded that good. & now, listening to his CD, it's just as impressive. some wicked harp playin', & high-energy blues (in many different styles) that will rock yer' sockzoff!
All th' way from delta to uptown "jump". "I Found A Woman", track 3, is heavy & hot.. my favorite track on th' CD. . . . if you like blues that gets yer' blood pumpin', your ears deserve it... this album is a KEEPER.
He's been giggin' all around Canada, but you might be able to catch him on th' site at www.whiteboyslim.com/ This is one of th' best blues albums I've heard this year, & gets a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from our ears! Mighty fine blues, good sound & definitely HOMEMADE! Rotcod zzaj |
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| Date |
Venue/Club |
Location |
| June 07, 2004 |
Good Time Charlie's |
Regina SK, Canada |
| April 16, 2004 |
Good Time Charlie's |
Regina SK, Canada |
| April 17, 2004 |
Good Time Charlie's |
Regina SK, Canada |
| May 19, 2004 |
Kingfisher Inn |
Nipawin SK, Canada |
| May 20, 2004 |
Kingfisher Inn |
Nipawin SK, Canada |
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Location:
Moose Jaw SK, Canada
maurice richard libby aka Whiteboy Slim Website
whiteboyslim@whiteboy-slim.com
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