For the past twenty five years plus Andy Grigg has been an advocate and champion of the Blues, R&B, Soul, Gospel and Zydeco music styles. His great passion for the execution and performance of the music and his burning desire to research the literary and artistic expression of these cultural forms has seen him work hard to get Canadians hip to this music.
Andy 'Blues Boy' Grigg was a resident of Montreal in the 1960s when he was first introduced to the blues via TV and radio. Montreal also had two excellent blues clubs, the Esquire Show Bar and later the Rising Sun, where he spent a great deal of his time getting to know Chicago bluesmen like Big 'Moose' Walker and Kansas City Red.
In the 1970s Andy became Living Blues Magazine's Canadian correspondent and also started the long-running "Nothin' But The Blues" radio show on CHSR-FM in Fredericton, N.B. After moving back to Toronto in 1980, Andy set about trying to rejuvenate that city's blues scene by attempting to organize a Toronto Blues Society. By this time he was working as manager for famed bluesman King Biscuit Boy (aka Richard Newell), publicist for Louisiana blues guitarist Kenny Neal (then a Toronto resident), and acting as a booking consultant to Derek Andrews who was just starting out as booking agent for Toronto's great blues club Albert's Hall.
In 1981, Andy also attempted to get the first prototype of the Toronto Blues Society off the ground but bowed out due to other commitments, namely producing recording sessions on King Biscuit Boy. The King Biscuit Boy sessions were released in Britain on the Red Lightnin' label as "Mouth of Steel" and it was hailed by critics the world over as a bluesabilly masterpiece. With a lineup that included Jack deKeyzer and John Lewis on guitars and Stan Szelest a.k.a. the "White Otis Spann" on piano, it's no wonder.
After relocating to Kitchener, Ontario in the mid-1980s Andy continued with his blues journalism by writing for the entertainment magazine "Spotlight". In 1988 he went back in the studio to produce King Biscuit Boy's "A.K.A." album and it too was a critical hit being nominated for a Juno Award in 1989.
Westcoast Blues Review After moving to Vancouver Island Andy quickly became involved in the local Vancouver/Victoria blues scenes and eventually started a publication called Westcoast Blues Review. The magazine's first issue was published in 1993.
WBR'S Ratso Awards Andy's deft support and constant recognition of the Canadian Blues Musician appears once again with his magazine's "Ratso Awards". WBR presents these awards for all the categories and artists the other more well known awards shows seem to forget about every year. As well as recognizing the Canadian artists, the "Ratso" includes the U.S. and International Artists as well. These awards are unbiased and are based on the artistic merit of the artist.
On August 20th, 1996 WBR went through a metamorphosis and is now published under the name Real Blues. Real Blues has a mandate (just as the title says, folks) to present to the public as a consumer's guide the very best in real, authentic blues, soul, gospel and zydeco music. There's a focus on neglected artists who've been short-changed by the recording industry and also on artists who deserve more exposure given their talents.
Andy is a vocal advocate of the blues 'underdogs' and has helped many a career blossom. One of Real Blues' proudest accomplishments was the rediscovery of famed Alabama blues artists The Carter Brothers. Roman, Albert and Jerry Carter are now on the verge of a major comeback, highlighted by the release of their first recordings in thirty years.
"That is our greatest joy here at Real Blues. We try to bring recognition to those who deserve it most. The blues world, just like politics, sports and religion, has been over-run with phonies, false prophets and pretenders, and if we get the public to recognize some of the legitimate true blues artists, then we're happy."... Andy "Bluesboy" Grigg
Real Blues Magazine
Visit the Real Blues Website Real Blues Magazine
PO Box 1201
Victoria, BC
Canada
V8W 2T6
E-Mail Real Blues Magazine "Real Blues is one of the finest blues publications I've seen in two decades. The Big Canadian Blues Camp is very proud to support our brother's efforts one hundred percent. Great job Andy. Keep up the positive work you're doing. Hats off to Andy 'Blues Boy' Grigg a hard working sincere Canadian."... J.V.
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