KITCHNER: Not only were there big sounds and big crowds at the 15th Kitchener Blues Festival this past weekend from Aug 6-9, there were also lots of big names like Burton Cummings (former member of The Guess Who band), Randy Bachman (also former The Guess Who), Edgar Winter, David Wilcox and Robert Randolph, to name a few.
Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, both Canadians, became very popular in India when their hits No time, No sugar Tonight, These Eyes and American Woman hit its shores. Many local bands would do their covers.
The grapevine of the western music scene in Mumbai held that Randy Bachman was once part of a band called The Reflections that was named after The Shadows who played alongside Lucknow-born Cliff Richard, whose music and movies were very big in India. This roundabout connection led to Randy’s popularity.
Edgar Winter and his late brother Johnny Winter were both doubly famous for their bluesy music and their albinism that piqued the interest of Indians.
The weekend at Kitchener (a city about an hour’s drive from Toronto) was filled with lots of blues and rock music.
It was held at various venues in the city and featured more than 50 different acts, mostly free, and many food and beverage trucks including wine and beer. One bistro food truck offered a novel Indian fusion dish- butter chicken gnocchi poutine- an Indian/ Italian/ Canadian combination. There was also a stand that dispensed FREE drinking water to all the festival revelers, something highly appreciated by all.
Randy Bachman and his band not only did the songs mentioned before but also did a mind blowing rendition of “Shakin’ all Over” that really got the crowd going.
They even slammed into Led Zeppelin’s “How Many More Times” totally rocking the grounds. He even recounted stories about Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, and Motown’s Stevie Wonder who he claimed originally did “Superstition” for Jeff Beck, but decided to keep it for himself and instead did another song for him that became Jeff Beck’s signature tune. Randy then treated the patrons to his master version of that heavy tune. Of course, no Randy Bachman concert would be complete without his super hit “Takin’ Care of Business”.
Edgar Winter stunned everybody with his scat singing giving Ella Fitzgerald a run for her money. He then eased into some deadly blues music which he is famous for and showcased his prowess on both the horns and the keyboards. He did a cover of Cream’s legendary “Sunshine of Your Love” bowling over the audience. He finally ended with his big hit “Free Ride” with everybody singing along.
All the acts are too numerous to recount separately. Suffice it to know that everybody had a splendid time grooving away to some hefty rock and blues.
As one of the spectators remarked, “Man we are never gonna see Led Zeppelin, Ella Fitzgerald or Cream ever again. It’s so darn good to see these granddaddies of music not only doing their own stuff but also covers of other legends and keeping their style alive!”
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