Mendelson Joe (born Birrel Josef Mendelson on July 30, 1944) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, painter and outspoken political activist who uses his art to express political themes.

Career

Born and raised in

Maple, Ontario Maple is a neighbourhood in Vaughan, York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located northwest of Toronto. Maple was founded as the village of Maple, located at the intersection of Major Mackenzie Drive and Keele Street. Geography Maple is located ...

and educated at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institu ...

with a B.A. in 1966, he began performing as a blues musician under the name Joe Mendelson in 1964. Four years later, he joined with guitarist Mike McKenna to form the band

McKenna Mendelson Mainline McKenna Mendelson Mainline was a Canadian blues band that released four albums. In the spring of 1969, the band was signed to Liberty Records (United Artists). History In the summer of 1968, in May, Toronto, Ontario, Canada blues guitaris ...

, which was active until 1972 and reformed briefly in 1975. In 1975, Joe adopted his current name, and began performing as a solo artist, frequently collaborating with musicians such as

Ben Mink Benjamin Mink (born January 22, 1951) is a Canadian songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer best known as a longtime collaborator of Canadian singer k.d. lang. He plays several string instruments, notably the guitar, violin, and the m ...

, Gwen Swick and

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. He frequently collaborates with ...

. He also began to make a name for himself as a

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...

ist, pursuing painting, often of portraits of popular musical figures, as well as music. In 1980, he had a show of his work at the Canadian Cultural Centre, Paris in which his art style was described as "Dauntless Evidentiam". In 1985, he had a show of 25 portraits at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa titled "Working Women", curated by

Joan Murray Joan Murray (born August 6, 1945) is an American poet, writer, playwright and editor. She is best known for her narrative poems, particularly her book-length novel-in-verse, ''Queen of the Mist''; her collection ''Looking for the Parade'' which ...

.Mendelson Joe, "Working Women", Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, 1985. His most famous painting depicted

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political ...

with his face superimposed on a pair of human

buttocks The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are compose ...

."Mendelson Joe paints the town", ''The Globe and Mail'' (October 22, 2005) He published a book of his portraits, ''Joe's Toronto'', in 2005. In 1988, he appeared in an episode of '' Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show'' titled "Sunday in the Park". Around this period, a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for a novelty song he recorded, "Dance with Joe", received extensive airplay on

MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31, ...

. Joe invented the corporate sponsor of

Bob Wiseman Robert Neil "Bob" Wiseman (born 1962) is a film composer, songwriter, author and music teacher. Wiseman discovered or produced many artists including Ron Sexsmith, The Lowest of the Low, Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall, Anhai, and forme ...

's 1991 record on Warner Brothers Lake Michigan Soda and played on the record as its president. Viewers of

Rick Mercer Richard Vincent "Rick" Mercer (born October 17, 1969) is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and author. He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' and ''Rick Merc ...

report will find episodes with Joe on YouTube. He appears in

Derek May Derek May (1932–1992) was a Canadian animation, dramatic and documentary film director who worked primarily for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Originally a painter, his first film with the NFB was the 1966 experimental short, ''Angel''. ...

's 1981 documentary film on the Toronto art scene, ''

Off the Wall ''Off the Wall'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, the label he recorded under until his death in 2009, and ...

''. Joe is the nephew of Ruth Eisenberg, "Ivory" of Ebony and Ivory.

References

External links

Mendelson Joe
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mendelson Joe 1944 births Living people 20th-century Canadian painters Canadian male painters 21st-century Canadian painters Artists from Toronto Canadian blues singers Canadian blues guitarists Canadian male guitarists Jewish Canadian musicians Canadian humanists Canadian male singers Canadian singer-songwriters Musicians from Toronto Anthem Records artists Canadian male singer-songwriters 20th-century Canadian male artists 21st-century Canadian male artists