From the CBC Workshop Stage on July 5, 2015, here is the " Baby Plays the Banjo Now" workshop, showcasing a collaboration between Pat Ryan, J.P Cormier, Alfie Smith, Jayme Stone, Joe Phillips and Sudbury's own Duncan Cameron.
Pat Ryan is a Singer - SongWriter - Producer - Story Teller. 10+ million hits and 1,000+ dedicated fans have joined Pat on his music web site. He has a truly International following from 100+ Countries. Pat's genres are: Country, Soft Rock, Pop. Pat collaborates with some amazing musicians to create his music. Each song is Creatively Unique + Thought Provoking.
John Paul "J.P." Cormier, is a Canadian bluegrass/folk/Celtic singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. To date he was won thirteen East Coast Music Awards and one Canadian Folk Music Award. Cormier was born in London, Ontario and began playing guitar around age five.
Alfie Smith is a prolific songwriter, an accomplished performer and talented multi-instrumentalist. Known best for his resophonic guitars, brazen slide licks and uncompromising vocals, Alfie is endorsed by several luthiers including Goodman Guitars (who have recently named a guitar model after him) and Goldtone Banjos. He has been nominated for a dozen Hamilton music awards including Best Male Vocalist and Best Guitarist, and has represented Toronto in the Memphis International Blues Challenge. To date, Alfie has released six records, his most recent being Sometimes the Rain. He is currently signed and distributed through Busted Flat Records.
Jayme Stone is a musician, composer, instigator, producer, and educator. On any given day, you might find him in his studio reworking a little-known hymn learned from a field recording, producing a session with musicians from Bamako or New York, creating experimental soundscapes, or tucking his kids in on time so he can get back to writing the next verse of a new song.
Duncan Cameron is a Celtic singer and multi-instrumentalist currently living in Sudbury, Ontario. His late father Stewart Cameron’s mastery of Scottish ballads was his first inspiration, and in his teens, Duncan started singing with his family. At folk festivals The Cameron Family performed not only music and storytelling, but also traditional mummers' plays. He chose the fiddle as his first instrument, but now also plays mandolin, guitar, Irish bouzouki, tin whistle, harmonica, bodhrán and English concertina. Traditional Irish, English and French-Canadian groups have contributed much of Duncan's repertoire, but classical, country, and other popular styles of music have also added to his creative approach.
Born and raised in Toronto, Joe Phillips started studying classical guitar at age 9 at the University Settlement House Music School. He attended Oakwood Collegiate, and after some time playing the clarinet, he discovered the double bass. Time spent playing in various blues bars, Irish pubs and booze cans and four years studying with renowned classical virtuoso Joel Quarrington have led to a busy and diverse career. When not playing principal bass in Orchestra London Canada, Joe can be found making music with artists as varied as The Art of Time Ensemble, Via Salzburg Chamber Orchestra, Group of 27 Chamber Orchestra, cabaret siren Patricia O’Callaghan, songwriters Jenny Whiteley, Sarah Slean, Ruth Moody, the Wailin’ Jennys, Corin Raymond and Rita Chiarelli, jazz bassist/cellist/composer Andrew Downing, banjoist Jayme Stone, Canadian fiddlers Pierre Schryer and Shane Cook and Irish flute and whistle virtuoso Nuala Kennedy.
