Big Dave McLean (born August 23, 1952) is a Canadian

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

guitarist, harmonicist, singer and songwriter. A veteran performer, his work has had an influence on many western Canadian blues musicians, including

Colin James Colin James (born Colin James Munn; August 17, 1964) is a Canadian blues rock singer and songwriter. James has been very successful in Canada, having attained seven Gold-certified albums in Canada during his career, including four Platinum alb ...

and

Wide Mouth Mason Wide Mouth Mason is a Canadian blues-based rock band, consisting of Shaun Verreault (lead vocals, guitar) and Safwan Javed (percussion, backing vocals). Former bassist Earl Pereira was also co-founder of Wide Mouth Mason. The band hails from Sa ...

. Notable McLean songs include "She's Got the Stuff", "Kanadiana", "Up On Waverly", and "St. Mary At Main". ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' noted that "Big Dave's been the quintessential behind-the-scene bluesman. He's done more to shape the Western Canadian blues scene than perhaps any other artist". In 2019, Big Dave McLean was awarded the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

for his musical influence of Delta and

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but is performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of African Americans of the fi ...

and for mentoring musicians.

Life and career

McLean was born in

Yorkton Yorkton is a city located in south-eastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is about north-west of Winnipeg and south-east of Saskatoon and is the sixth largest city in the province. Yorkton was founded in 1882 and incorporated as a city in 1928. ...

, Saskatchewan, Canada, to a concert pianist mother, and a Presbyterian minister father. They later lived in

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the List of cities in Saskatchewan, fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina, Saskatchewan, Re ...

, before relocating to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, Manitoba when Dave was at the age of 10. Introduced to the blues as a teenager via his older brother's record collection, the two siblings travelled to the

Mariposa Folk Festival Mariposa Folk Festival is a Canadian music festival founded in 1961 in Orillia, Ontario. It was held in Orillia for three years before being banned because of disturbances by festival-goers. After being held in various places in Ontario for a fe ...

in Toronto in 1969. While there,

John P. Hammond John Paul Hammond (born November 13, 1942) is an American singer and musician. He is the son of record producer John H. Hammond, and is sometimes referred to as John Hammond Jr. in order to distinguish the two. Early life and education Hamm ...

gave McLean an impromptu lesson on guitar playing, to supplement the latter's rudimentary efforts thus far at playing the harmonica. This meeting saw McLean learning how to play

Bo Diddley Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...

's, " I'm a Man". McLean much later recalled the incident stating that Hammond was "one of the most courteous gentlemen on this planet, you know, totally helpful, inspiring". McLean starting playing at the Regina Folk Club, and at the

Winnipeg Folk Festival The Winnipeg Folk Festival is a nonprofit charitable organization with an annual summer folk music festival held in Birds Hill Provincial Park, near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The festival features a variety of artists and music from around t ...

, where he gained experience before releasing his debut album, ''Muddy Waters For President'' (1989), which was recorded at the Bud's On Broadway club in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

. McLean had previously opened for his musical hero,

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

. The follow-up was ''For The Blues... Always'' (1998), an attempt to spread his music to a wider audience. The album was produced by

and recorded in Vancouver, with musicians James (guitar), Norm Fisher (bass), Eric Webster (piano) and Chris Norquiest (drums), all augmenting McLean's work. The track listing included McLean's cover versions of "

Little Red Rooster "Little Red Rooster" (or "The Red Rooster" as it was first titled) is a blues standard credited to arranger and songwriter Willie Dixon. The song was first recorded in 1961 by American blues musician Howlin' Wolf in the Chicago blues style. Hi ...

" (

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

), " Just Your Fool" (

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...

), "

Dust My Broom "Dust My Broom" is a blues song originally recorded as "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" by American blues artist Robert Johnson in 1936. It is a solo performance in the Delta blues-style with Johnson's vocal accompanied by his acoustic guitar. A ...

" (

Elmore James Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...

), "

Rollin' and Tumblin' "Rollin' and Tumblin'" (or "Roll and Tumble Blues") is a blues standard first recorded by American singer-guitarist Hambone Willie Newbern in 1929. Called a "great Delta blues classic", it has been interpreted by hundreds of Delta and Chicago b ...

" (

) and "Cakewalk Into Town" (

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

). The three-day recording's budget was only $1,600. In addition to performing and recording, McLean spent around 20 years regularly doing odd jobs, such as construction work, to supplement his income. In 1998, he played in a duo with Tim Williams at the

Calgary Folk Music Festival The Calgary Folk Music Festival (also known as "Calgary Folk Fest", or CFMF) is a Canadian music festival held on the fourth weekend of July each year at Prince's Island Park (Calgary), Prince's Island Park, Calgary, Alberta. The four-day event fe ...

. McLean has also appeared solo at the Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Fest. ''Blues from the Middle'' (2003) was his second Stony Plains release, and included guest contributions from

Sue Foley Sue Foley (born March 29, 1968) is GRAMMY®-nominated multi-award-winning blues guitarist and singer/songwriter known for her fiery Texas blues style and refined acoustic touch. A five-timBlues Music Award winnerfor Traditional Female Artist, and ...

and Duke Robillard. It was followed by ''Acoustic Blues (Got 'Em From The Bottom)'' in 2008. ''Faded But Not Gone'' was released in 2014 on Black Hen Music, and dealt with the aftermath of the deaths of McLean's mother and brother. Recorded in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, the album contained contributions from

Colin Linden Colin Kendall Linden (born 16 April 1960) is a Canadian guitarist, songwriter and record producer. Linden plays acoustic and electric guitar, specializing in slide guitar, country blues, and ragtime fingerpicking, who frequently collaborates wi ...

, Colin James, and

Kevin McKendree Kevin Yates McKendree (born April 27, 1969) is an American electric blues pianist, keyboardist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to having a lengthy and varied career as a session musician, McKendree has released two solo albums. Li ...

, with Ann and Regina McCrary on backing vocals. In 2015, McLean starred in a low budget film documentary, ''Ain't About the Money'', exploring the trials and tribulations in performing the blues.

Other ventures

Patrick Friesen Patrick Frank Friesen (born 5 July 1946) is a Canadian author born in Steinbach, Manitoba, primarily known for his poetry and stage plays beginning in the 1970s. Life and career Friesen was born into a Mennonite family in Steinbach, Manitoba i ...

wrote ''Singer'', a docu-drama on

Richard Manuel Richard George Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as a pianist and one of three lead singers in the Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of F ...

for CBC Radio Manitoba (1989), which featured McLean; as well as ''Voice'', a 1996 radio documentary (featuring McLean and Tracey Dahl), by CBC Radio Manitoba and produced by Andrea Ratuski. In 1991, '' Saturday Night Blues'', a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

of recordings by Canadian blues performers, was released by Stony Plain Records and the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

. It contained the Big Dave McLean and the Muddy-Tones track, "T.V. Preacher Blues". In 2006, McLean contributed the track "Howlin' for My Baby" to '' Saturday Night Blues: 20 Years'', a double compilation album also released by CBC. In 2005, The Perpetrators contributed to a

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

to McLean, entitled ''We Best Choose to Pick the Blues''.

Awards

*Whisky Award, 2005 **Runner-up for Singer of the Year * Western Canadian Music Award, 2004 **Outstanding Blues Recording – ''Blues from the Middle'' *Prairie Music Award, 1999 **Outstanding Blues Recording – ''For the Blues... Always'' * Great Canadian Blues Award, 1998 *

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

(winner – ''Saturday Night Blues'') **

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

(nominated) **

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

(nominated) * Maple Blues Award nominations: **Acoustic Act Of The Year, 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2003 **Blues With A Feeling Award, 2007 (winner) *Toronto Blues Society Lifetime Achievement Award *

, 2019

Discography

Solo albums

References