2023 CONTEMPORARY ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR | Blackie and The Rodeo Kings | | The JUNO Awards

If any band was uniquely positioned to withstand the impossible demands made by despicable COVID-19, it was Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. The proof is in their blazing new album, O Glory.

The veteran roots-rock (and blues and folk and then some) trio featuring ace singer/songwriter and guitarists Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden, and Tom Wilson has never fit a typical mold. For starters, the members live in different cities: Victoria, BC, Nashville, TN, and Hamilton, ON, respectively. 

They formed over 25 years ago as a one-off saluting late folk hero Willie P. Bennett but kept going when smitten crowds demanded it. Before forming Blackie, all three had highly accomplished careers, having played solo, in bands, and alongside the planet’s biggest names, among them Richard Thompson, Steve Berlin, Andy White, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, The Band, T-Bone Burnett, Leon Redbone, and Daniel Lanois. All three had also written for and/or produced countless others, demonstrating a collective versatility.