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Stony Plain Records: Canada's Roots, Rock, Country, Folk & Blues Label
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 Index of Artists
 3-B |  C-E |  F-H |  J-L |  M-O |  P-S |  T-W Y to Y
 3
 Stony Plain Records 30th Anniversary
 A
 Arthur Adams
 Luther Allison
 Dave Alvin
 Billy Boy Arnold
 Asleep At The Wheel
 The Asylum Street Spankers
 Renee Austin
 The Austin Lounge Lizards
 B
 Mr. B
 Long John Baldry
 Carey Bell & Tough Luck
 Eric Bibb & Leon Bibb
 Big James & The Chicago Playboys
 Elvin Bishop
 Rory Block
 Deanna Bogart
 Ray Bonneville
 Brave Combo
 Kevin Breit & Harry Manx
 Sarah Brown
 Nappy Brown
 Norton Buffalo
 Jim Byrnes
 C
 Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band
 Tommy Castro
 Bobby Charles
 Rita Chiarelli
 Chicago Rhythm And Blues Kings
 Christmas Blues
 Popa Chubby
 Cindy Church
 Otis Clay
 David Clayton-Thomas
 Deborah Coleman
 Commander Cody
 Joanna Connor
 James Cotton
 Pee Wee Crayton
 Crowbar
 Rodney Crowell
 Albert Cummings
 Nick Curran & The Nitelifes
 D
 Debbie Davies
 Jesse Dayton
 Downchild
 E
 Ronnie Earl
 Steve Earle
 Herb Ellis
 F
 Gary Fjellgaard
 Gary Fjellgaard & Valdy
 Rosie Flores & Ray Campi
 Chris Flory
 Sue Foley & Peter Karp
 Damon Fowler
 Lowell Fulson W/ Powder Blues Band
 G
 Amos Garrett
 Amos Garrett, Doug Sahm, Gene Taylor
 Jay Geils
 Rosco Gordon
 Great Speckled Bird
 Grievous Angels
 Buddy Guy W/ Jr. Wells
 H
 Harper
 Emmylou Harris
 Jeff Healey
 Jeff Healey And The Jazz Wizards
 Jimi Hendrix
 High Noon
 Tish Hinojosa
 Dave Hole
 Holmes Brothers
 Walter Horton
 Tim Hus
 J
 Pj Jackson
 Doug James
 Waylon Jennings
 Santiago Jimenez, Jr.
 Kristi Johnston
 Lloyd Jones
 Jr. Gone Wild
 K
 Peter Karp
 Chris Thomas King
 King Biscuit Boy
 Smokin Joe Kubek & B'nois King
 L
 Frankie Lee
 Little Mike & The Tornadoes
 Professor Longhair
 Hamilton Loomis
 Charlie Louvin
 Corb Lund
 M
 Magic Slim & The Teardrops
 Charlie Major
 Harry Manx and Kevin Breit
 Bob Margolin
 Iain Matthews
 Ellen Mcilwaine
 Big Dave McLean
 Linda Mcrae
 Jay Mcshann
 Katy Moffatt
 Hugh Moffatt
 Coco Montoya
 John Mooney
 Big Bill Morganfield
 Maria Muldaur
 Charlie Musselwhite
 Shirley Myers
 N
 Kenny Neal
 Willie Nelson
 John Németh (John Nemeth)
 Bob Neuwirth
 Aaron Neville
 Neville Brothers
 New Guitar Summit
 O
 Carla Olson
 Omar & The Howlers
 P
 The Paperboys
 Pine Top Perkins
 Bill Perry
 Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers
 George Porter
 Preacher Boy
 Snooky Pryor
 R
 Sonny Rhodes
 Duke Robillard
 The Rockin' Highliners
 Robin Rogers
 Roy Rogers
 Jimmy Rogers
 Roy Rogers & Norton Buffalo
 The Rounders
 Otis Rush
 Tom Russell
 S
 Walter Salas-Humara
 Savoy Brown
 E.C. Scott
 Johnny Shines & Snooky Prior
 George Smith
 Jo-El Sonnier
 South Mountain
 Jeremy Spencer
 Spirit Of The West
 Studebaker John & Nighthawks
 Sunny And Her Joy Boys
 T
 Eric Taylor
 Jimmy Thackery
 Jimmy Thackery & John Mooney
 Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers
 Rosetta Tharpe
 Dr. Duke Tumatoe & The Power Trio
 Sylvia Tyson
 Ian Tyson
 V
 Valdy & Gary Fjellgaard
 Various
 W
 Joe Louis Walker
 Monte Warden
 Muddy Waters
 Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
 Barrence Whitfield With Tom Russell
 David Wilcox
 Webb Wilder
 Willie & The Poor Boys
 Reverend Billy C. Wirtz
 Jimmy Witherspoon
 Carolyn Wonderland
 Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88's
 Y
 Mighty Joe Young
 
Ronnie Earl
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enlarge Ronnie Earl

SPCD 1347
Genre: blues
Released: 24 August 2010
$ 20 CDN

Spread The Love
  1. Backstroke
  2. Blues For Dr. Donna (Listen to mp3 clip)
  3. Chitlins Con Carne
  4. Cristo Rendentor (Listen to mp3 clip)
  5. Happy
  6. Patience
  7. Miracle
  8. Spann's Grove
  9. Skyman
  10. Blues For Slim
  11. Tommy's Midnight Blues
  12. Eleventh Step To Heaven
  13. Ethan's Song (Listen to mp3 clip)
    * free full length download *
  14. Blues For Bill


SPCD 1340
Genre: Blues
Released: 2 June 2009
$ 20 CDN

Living In The Light
  1. Love Love Love (8:47)
  2. S.O.S (9:04)
  3. Take A Little Walk With Me (7:34)
  4. River Charles Blues (5:46)
  5. What Can I Do For You (8:00)
  6. Recovery Blues (7:17)
  7. Blues For Fathead (3:40)
  8. Child Of A Survivor (9:28)
  9. Blues For The South Side (3:24)
  10. Ain't Nobody's Buisness (5:56)
  11. Donna Lee (5:30)
  12. Pastorale (3:47)

Reviews:

Toledo Blade
By T.H.
One of the more intensive, heartfelt blues albums released recently, this is a treasure deeply rooted in the soul and gospel. You'll get your soul nourished and come away with a little religion from this album, for sure.





SPDVD 1326
Genre: Blues
Released: 14 October 2008
$ 25 CDN

Hope Radio Sessions DVD
  1. Intro (1:30)
  2. Bobby's Bop (6:01)
  3. Blues For The Homeless (8:02)
  4. Eddie's Gospel Groove (5:20)
  5. I Am With You (8:13)
  6. Kay My Dear (6:44)
  7. New Gospel Tune (4:26)
  8. Blues for Otis Rush (9:58)
  9. Blues for the West Side (8:42)
  10. Lightnin' Hopkins Thing (4:33)
  11. Interview (10:58)
  12. I Shall Not Be Moved (2:15)
    Note: This is a DVD disc, and will not work in a CD player.

Reviews:

The Alternate Root
By Reb Landers
With backing band The Broadcasters in tow, Earl moves through the ‘Hope Radio’ repertoire with spellbinding grace and ease even adding alternate arrangements to the set list. The intimacy of the small gathering allows Earl to shine and shine he does. (more)
When Ronnie Earl released ‘Hope Radio’ in 2007 little did we know that plans were in the works for those songs to subsequently be filmed at Wellspring Sound in Acton, MA before a small (and very fortunate) private audience over two nights in April 2007. The resulting ‘Hope Radio Sessions’ DVD, released in mid October brings us closer to the magic that was released during those two nights. With backing band The Broadcasters in tow, Earl moves through the ‘Hope Radio’ repertoire with spellbinding grace and ease even adding alternate arrangements to the set list. The intimacy of the small gathering allows Earl to shine and shine he does. When Ronnie Earl interacts with his audience the two-time, (only two?), W.C. Handy Award winner for ‘Guitarist of the Year’ is in his element and his playing communicates to his audience the soulful mastery of his chosen instrument.
 
The set opens with a minute and a half of Earl running through his warm-up. Like a world class athlete that’s warming up before a big performance…you know what’s coming is going to be special. You can tell by the look on his face and the attentiveness of the audience who seem aware that they have been plucked from a legion of fans to bear witness to the moment.
 
Night one continues with a musical journey through a myriad of styles that Earl has mastered. The jazz overtones of ‘Bobby’s Bop,’ reminiscent of the west coast swing of Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith, highlight the interplay between Earl and keyboardist Dave Limina. Earl touches on subjects dear to his heart as in ‘Blues for the Homeless’ which finds him at his most soulful bluesy moment on night one. Earl beckons the audience to stand and be healed on ‘Eddies Gospel Groove’ another foray into Earl’s unique blend of traditional gospel and blues styles. ‘I Am With You’ and ‘Kay My Dear’ are tone rich blues numbers that reinforce the acclaim of Ronnie Earl as one of his generations most gifted players. It’s not all about speed with Ronnie Earl although he could possibly shred with the best of the over-playing-speed-demons that tend to muck the blues waters from time to time. No, with Ronnie Earl it’s about tone, soul and making every note seem as though it’s a piece in a complex puzzle assembled within the imagination of the listener. The first night closes with another jazz infused spiritual journey, the beautiful ‘New Gospel Tune’. It is here that the juxtaposition of Limina’s brilliant piano playing against Earl’s mesmerizing guitar is most assuredly the musical highlight of the evening.
 
Night two begins with the addition of guitarist Nick Adams as Earl pays homage to his predecessor, the great Otis Rush. Adams and Earl are a tour de force on ‘Blues for Otis Rush’ ripping through a series of leads that left me speechless. ‘Blues for the West Sideis once again a lesson in tone as a replacement for speed. Each note Earl plays is a word in his composition and when he converses with his audience in such a manner every eye and every ear are glued to him. The live portion switched to ‘Lightnin’ Hopkins
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SPCD 1324
Genre: Blues
Released: 30 October 2007
$ 20 CDN

Hope Radio
  1. Eddie's Gospel Groove (Listen to mp3 clip) (5:07)
  2. Bobby's Bop (5:55)
  3. Blues For The West Side (8:48)
  4. I Am With You (8:15)
  5. Katrina Blues (Listen to mp3 clip) (3:35)
  6. Wolf Dance (8:07)
  7. Kay My Dear (6:39)
  8. Blues For The Homeless (8:32)
  9. Beautiful Child (Listen to mp3 clip) (8:45)
  10. Blues For Otis Rush (9:52)
  11. New Gospel Tune (4:40)

Reviews:

Penguin Eggs - Spring 2008
By Eric Thom
A front runner for this year's Top 10 list, Ronnie Earl has crafted one his best albums ever in Hope Radio. You'll not find a better way to spend 78 minutes. Promise. (more)

A front runner for this year's Top 10 list, Ronnie Earl has crafted one his best albums ever in Hope Radio. Concentrating on his strengths, this is pure instrumental blues, informed by Earl's passion for jazz and fuelled, emotionally, by a release from his troubled past.

Live, the credit for the success of this record must be split with Dave Limina, whose prowess on piano and B3 organ is stupefying, allowing Earl those precious nanoseconds to execute every note with newfound passion, absolute confidence and razor-sharp precision.

Earl's tone rules the day across 11 seamless originals but exceptional inroads are made with Blues for the West Side, an 11-minute opus that wrenches your gut with its soulful range and sheer majesty. Wolf Dance pays an upbeat tribute to Hubert Sumlin, while Kay My Dear - another deliciously languorous assault - demonstrates the subtle power of a taut rhythm section that always knows when to rise or fall between Earl's spirited takeoffs. Blues for Otis Rush, likewise, serves up a 10-minute slow burn of endless gratitude that commands your total attention. You'll not find a better way to spend 78 minutes. Promise.

(less)





SPCD 1303
Genre: Blues
Released: 8 March 2005
$ 20 CDN

The Duke Meets The Earl
  1. West Side Shuffle (Listen to mp3 clip) (7:43)
  2. Two Bones & A Pick (Listen to mp3 clip) (8:06)
  3. My Tears (15:53)
  4. Looking For Trouble (6:42)
  5. What Have I Done Wrong (Listen to mp3 clip) (6:42)
  6. Zeb's Thing (7:27)
  7. I Need You So Bad (8:14)
  8. A Soul That's Been Abused (13:05)


SPCD 1298
Genre: Blues
Released: 1 June 2004
$ 20 CDN

Now My Soul
  1. Blues For J (7:10)
  2. Double Trouble (Listen to mp3 clip) (10:40) Featuring Kim Wilson
  3. Feel Like Goin On (6:40)
  4. Abandoned (7:16) Featuring Kim Wilson
  5. Walkin On The Sea (6:25)
  6. Black & White (5:59) Featuring Kim Wilson
  7. Kay My Dear (8:49)
  8. Maxwell, Mudcat, and Per (4:58)
  9. My Buddy Buddy Friends (3:43) Featuring Kim Wilson
  10. Walter Through Kim (5:09)
  11. #7 (5:49)
  12. The Magic Of Sam (3:50)


SPCD 1289
Genre: Blues
$ 20 CDN

Release Sheet

I Feel Like Goin' On
  1. Hey Jose (Listen to mp3 clip) (5:12)
  2. Blues For Otis Rush (8:29)
  3. Little Johnny Lee (6:33)
  4. Wolf Dance (6:23)
  5. Mary Don't You Weep (6:46)
  6. Howlin' For My Darlin' (7:44)
  7. Blues For The Homeless (11:21)
  8. Big Walter (5:35)
  9. Alone With The Blues (4:26)
  10. Travelin' Heavy (4:48)
  11. Donna (7:21)

 

Biography

  RONNIE EARL: Living in the Light

This guitarist creates his most intense, emotional and passionate album to date

It’s a simple question we ask of each other every day: “How are you?” And when Ronnie Earl answers “Fine, really fine,” it’s an indication that all is well with his world, and it means that our lives are greatly improved as well.
In standard music industry terms, Ronnie Earl is a bright and shining anomaly. He doesn’t tour, he doesn’t show up on David Letterman, he doesn’t play at rock festivals, he rarely gives interviews, and he isn’t the slightest bit interested in what Joni Mitchell called “the star-making machinery.”
But he does make some remarkable, memorable and deeply touching recordings, and a wonderfully intimate DVD. And to underscore that point, Ronnie Earl has created Living in the Light, his fifth CD for Stony Plain the international roots music label based in Edmonton, Alberta. Like his other albums, Living in the Light is a varied mix of blues, soul and gospel, all marked by his distinctive guitar style and the passionate conviction he brings to every track.
It is also, perhaps in a contrary way, a record shot through with love, warmth and very real peace.

A brief history
Ronnie Earl, now in his mid-50s, has been part of the music scene for many years. Deeply inspired by Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker and Otis Rush, he started to play guitar in the mid-70s. He left the first major group he worked with in 1988, and moved on to build a solo career with his own band, The Broadcasters. Along the way, he went on to tour the world with Santana, sometimes playing for audiences of as many as 40,000 people.
Recent years, however, found his career sidelined by a variety of health problems, which are thankfully, today, under control. When he says he’s feeling fine, he is, thanks, but the idea of touring again is as far from his mind as it can be.
“I did that for more than 25 years,” he says, “and nothing is better than one’s own home and one’s own family and friends. It makes me feel grounded. I have a wonderful wife, I’m close to our church, I live in the country and I want to be in my own home, every day.”

Living in the Light
In today’s supercharged and often cynical world, Earl’s attitude to his life, and the way he wants to reach his listeners, may strike some as unusual, but it’s the nature of the man.
“I see my music as a way to have a deeper relationship with God, and bring healing and love to the people who listen to it.”
Ronnie Earl’s searing, deeply felt guitar playing permeates every one of the dozen tracks on Living in the Light, but there are many other surprises and deep pleasures to be found. Nine of the dozen songs are originals, written or co-written by Earl.
Dave Keller, a singer and guitar player on the New England blues scene, sings two gospel-influenced songs – the powerful opener, “Love Love Love,” and Bob Dylan’s “What Can I Do for You,” which also features a 10-voice choir from Earl’s Baptist Church.
Kim Wilson, a dear friend, contributes three moving vocals and superbly realized harp parts to the new record. One of them is Robert Jr. Lockwood’s classic “Take a Little Walk with Me;” another is a deeply personal song about the Holocaust, “Child of a Survivor.”
“I’m Jewish, and my parents were survivors, and I never met my grandmother who was killed during the war. I wrote that song with Debbie Blanchard, my minister, and Kim Wilson put his stamp on it. Unusual for a blues record? “It’s the deepest blues,” he responds. “It’s a story that needs to be told; future generations will all need to be reminded of what happened.”
Wilson’s third vocal is another song written by Ronnie and the Rev. Blanchard — and it is an open, frank, and personal song about Donna Lee, his wife. “It’s not the first song I’ve written for her; this is my way of thanking her for saving my life, and it’s a country blues. She did indeed heal a river full of tears.”
The contribution of Ronnie Earl’s Broadcasters is obvious from the first note. Dave Limina’s sterling work on Hammond B3 and piano provides a bedrock for the guitar playing, while drummer Lorne Entress and Jim Mouradian on bass are as solid and uplifting a rhythm section as can be imagined.

How the blues touches souls
Ronnie Earl is a thoughtful, gentle man — not always the signature attitude of many blues artists — and it is simply not in him to want to sound either arrogant or glib.
“My greatest love in music is the blues; this is my ‘mother music.’ And I dig deep — I have no choice; playing, for me, is a very emotional experience. I put every particle of my soul into it.
“I do play live around my home base in Massachusetts, but I reach my wider audiences through my records, and a DVD that Stony Plain released — I’d like to do another live DVD soon, with a larger audience.”
He is not interested in guitar technicalities; he plays Stratocasters and Nash guitars, but always says that the person behind the guitars should always be of more interest than the instrument itself.
As for defining his style, he can’t. “I’m just trying to get into peoples’ souls,” he says. “I’m just trying to reach peoples’ humanity.”
With his new record for Stony Plain, Living in the Light, he has done exactly that.