Big Dave McLean

For close to three decades, Big Dave McLean has been playing and singing the blues. It was through the folk revival of the '60s that Dave was introduced to the acoustic sounds of the country blues. He started out on harmonica in the early '60s and had his first guitar lesson from John Hammond at the Mariposa Folk Festival in 1969. Hammond and Muddy Waters became Dave's lifelong musical heroes and friends. Over the years, Dave has continued to perform at folk and blues festivals, clubs and pubs across Canada, including more than a dozen appearances at the Winnipeg Folk Music Festival. In 1993, in cooperation with CBC Radio, Stony Plain Records released a compilation of Canadian blues performers that included Dave's original song, "TV Preacher Blues." It went on to win a Juno in the best blues/gospel category. Over the past year, Dave has finished two new recordings, one with long-time friend Colin James and his band, and an acoustic blues duo recording with bluesman extraordinaire Tim Williams.

  -- CW