Big Hank’s Christmas Blues Show

For well over a decade Big Hank Lionhart and his band of merry bluesmen have delivered a sparkling set of tunes that are as hot as the hearth of a Yuletide fire, to blues and roots music fans over the Christmas Season.

Blues Songs of Christmas is a unique, variety filled concert comprised of blues-basted Yuletide tunes and one that has left audiences drenched in the Christmas spirit as this ensemble has visited communities across Alberta, the interior of B.C., Vancouver Island and the lower mainland.

The roots of this show started when Hank was fronting Fistful of Blues out of Edmonton and the show got a foot hold in venues like Festival Place in Sherwood Park, Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove and the Bailey Theatre in Camrose.

Once Hank relocated to the greater Victoria area a few years ago, he enlisted a west coast team of musical elves and continued taking the Yuletide spirit and cool Christmas blues to audiences who were more than ready to attend a show tailor made for the season.

“This Christmas show is like a time capsule of the history of the blues told through the many Christmas songs written and performed by many of the greats. We’re talking about songs originally written and or performed by the likes of Big Joe Turner, Blind Blake and Amos Milburn onto B.B. King, Charles Brown and Etta James,” says Big Hank who is always tweaking a new list of songs for the show, some naughty, some nice.

In fact, this year the show has a number of new songs including Ghost of Christmas Past, a newer tune by young blues sensation Kingfish, as well as another Charles Brown number in Cool Santa Blues and one from the great book of Roomful of Blues, that being Santa Claus Do You Ever Get The Blues.

There’s also an original component to the set lists and “one that always draws a great response is Sweet Christmas Angel,” says Lionhart, who will be visiting the communities of Vancouver, Victoria, Sidney and Parksville this holiday season.

This respected unit of The Smokin’ Hot Toasters is an all-star outfit. The group includes Big Hank Lionhart on Lead Vocals, Sax Ace Jerry Cook who is best known for his work with Colin James and Powder Blues, Steve Cross on Guitar, Mick Woodhouse on Bass, Steve Ranta on Keys, Dave Emery on Drums, Jonnie Bridgeman – Sax

Lionhart is armed with a muscular voice, one that can rattle the rafters and shake the snow off a 30 foot Christmas tree, but when called for, a voice that can pull in the reins and deliver a touching, tempered tune that tugs at the heart.