Canadian Blues Musicians by Instrument - Canadian Blues Guitarists, Canadian Blues Singers, Back Alley John, Jeff Healey, John Witmer (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 186. Not illustrated. Chapters: Canadian Blues Guitarists, Canadian Blues Singers, Back Alley John, Jeff Healey, John Witmer, Richard "Hock" Walsh, Michael Kaeshammer, Bernie Labarge, Jackie Washington, Colin James, Jw-Jones, David Wilcox, Colin Linden, Drew Nelson, Catriona Sturton, Tony Flaim, Travis Macrae, King Biscuit Boy, Derek Miller, Jeremy Fisher, Roxanne Potvin, Ndidi Onukwulu, Jim Byrnes, Sue Foley, Amos Garrett, Marshall Lawrence, Dutch Mason, Shane Simpson, Doug Cox, Heather Blush, Chuck Jackson, Aaron James Sorensen, Jesse Rivest, Rita Chiarelli, David Gogo, Michael Pickett, Salome Bey, Sheree Jeacocke, Wolf Krakowski, Mendelson Joe, Lester Quitzau, Orin Isaacs, Tom Lavin, Wolf Mail, Madagascar Slim, James Anthony, Jani Lauzon, Shakura S'aida, Tony Springer, Chan Kinchla, Robyn Pauhl, Russell Foreman. Excerpt: Back Alley John (b. John Carl David Wilson, Ottawa, Ontario, February 10, 1955; d. Calgary, Alberta, June 22, 2006) was a Canadian blues singer, songwriter and harmonica player. Born into a strict military family in Ottawa, Ontario, a young John Wilson rebelled and ran away from home, travelling to Venice Beach, California at the age of 14 in a stolen truck. He stayed in Venice for approximately two years, making a living as a busking harmonica player, and it was in Venice that he acquired the name "Back Alley John." As his brother, Peter Wilson, recalls, "When he got (to Venice), he needed money and he had been playing harmonica since he was little, so he started busking. The street people there kind of took him under their wing and they said 'Listen John, you can't busk on the street 'cause you'll get arrested. You've gotta busk in the back alleys.' So he busked in the back alleys of Venice for a couple of years and that's how he was named Back Alley John." Deported back to Canada, Back Alley John continued ...