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C L I
F F S T E V E N S After spending years as a
sideman playing with different groups –
for crowds of 14000 at the Montreal International
Jazz Festival, 1400 at
the Medley Club in
Montreal, or 14 drunks in Moose Jaw (moose),
Canadian blues guitarist
C L I F F S T E V E
N S decided to go solo. While in Paris in 1997 he wrote three tunes
that set him on his course. Two of
them - Said The Wrong Thing and Crying My Heart Out - were released that year on
Preservation Records' Preservation Blues Review to critical acclaim. |
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Playing guitar professionally for more than 30
years, CLIFF STEVENS' two original influences were the British
and British and American blues rock guitarists of the day, Eric Clapton and Johnny Winter. In 1968, he saw The Cream in Montreal.
"Clapton just jammed all night long and I was blown away. I then saw
Johnny Winter And four times in 1970 and memorized every lick I could".
Stevens says that when he was thirteen "all we did was jam slow blues
all day...that's how I Iearned to play" - at the legendary 'coffee
house' in Montreal - known as a breeding ground for Canadian guitarists
(Frank Marino, Ricardo Formosa, Bobby Cohen, Jimmy James) as well as the
place to get "any drug anytime...it was a pretty loose place"
according to Stevens. It was about this time that he acquired his 1961 Gibson SG Les Paul that he
still uses today, mostly for slide guitar. Through the 70's and 80's Stevens did stints with various groups
travelling across Canada and working non-stop six nights a week in
bands playing the basic rock of the day. "It was a living but I always
missed my first love - the blues". He ended up in Toronto in 1980,
worked for a year with Ray Materick, who had a good regional following. They recorded the
album Bring On The Light in 1981..."the solo on 'Might Take Some
Muscle' is still one of my favorites - kind Stevens then jumped head first back into
the blues, discovered blues guitarists Albert King, Albert Collins and
Otis Rush and started writing tunes in the genre. He worked with powerhouse
soul singer Bobby Lee
for four years before deciding to go solo. Although often compared to Eric
Clapton both in his playing and singing, Stevens is no Clapton clone.
While there similarities (in fact, he heads a Clapton tribute group, Slowhand he claims the blues as his first love, while acknowledging
a powerful pop influence in his writing. This pop and roots
combination creates a roots crossover style that satisfies both novice and
ardent blues fan. From 1996 through 2000, Stevens worked more
than sixty-five six night weeks with various bands as a guitarist singer at a
house gig in Casablanca, Morocco, developing his natural singing abilities
and learning how to work an audience as a front man. "I was the
'Canadian blues connection' over there" Stevens says, "there is
something undeniably universal about a slow blues or a shuffle...the blues
numbers were always a highlight of the night both for me and the
audience." On his return, he wowed audiences with his seemingly
effortless energy and entertaining live shows, playing to enthusiastic crowds
throughout Canada and the United States. His original tunes including Said The
Wrong Thing, Crying My Heart Out,
Don't Do Me No More,
Don't Walk Away
& Finger Express have become live repertoire staples and crowd favourites.
His raspy voice, catchy tunes and accessible lyrics make him an instant favorite
with crowds. His incredible intensity and lyrical ability on the guitar pays
tribute to the cream of the great blues guitarists while expressing a
tone and feel that is truly his own. C L I F F S T E V E N S truly has ...a heartload of blues!
© 2004 Red Flagg Productions
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