Anne Walker

Jowi Taylor is a multiple award-winning writer, broadcaster, consultant and cultural entrepreneur. Six String Nation, conceived in 1995, took eleven years to bring to life and is centered around a single acoustic guitar nicknamed Voyageur. This unique instrument has been crafted from 64 pieces of wood, bone, metal, stone and horn, representing a variety of cultures, communities, characters and events from every province and territory of Canada. The project combines music, media, community engagement, and the dynamics of Canadian history and multicultural identity.

Six String Nation is a multi-media presentation that is informative, entertaining, inspiring and profoundly moving for Canadians of all backgrounds. The show distills stories of Canada's diverse cultures, communities, and characters. Jowi’s presentation goes beyond Canada’s cultural clichés, galvanizing audiences with a story that is as deeply personal as each individual in the room and as vast as the country itself. Voyageur is an object that is at once a touchstone, a talking-stick and a living instrument that will be brought to life through performances by guest artists: Patty McLaughlin, Anne Walker and John Prince.

With musical roots firmly planted in the soil of the Canadian Prairies and a passion for lyrical vocal harmonies, Tannis Slimmon has been singing, song writing, recording and touring for over 35 years. She has three solo albums and numerous guest vocal appearances on others, including those by Willie P. Bennett, Valdy, David Francey and Rheostatics. In fact, her name appears in the credits of over 100 recordings. Through the years, Tannis Slimmon has been involved in The Bird Sisters, The Lucky Sisters, Boreal, Ondine Chorus, Essentia and has been described as “a breathtaking vocalist with a bright and angelic disposition”. https://tannis.ca/

Lewis Melville is a Guelph, Ontario, composer, producer, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist (guitars, banjo, pedal steel, mandolin). His musical adventures have taken him across Canada, North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa with Canadian bands Skydiggers, Rheostatics, and others. His playing can be heard on scores of albums by other artists including the multi-million selling album “Gordon” by The Barenaked Ladies.

Wendell Ferguson won the Canadian Country Music Association’s Guitar Player of the Year Award so many times (7!!!!) that he is no longer eligible to receive the honor. From the first time that he heard Chet Atkins’ recording of “Mister Sandman” he was hooked, and only one thing ever held his interest…the guitar. He’d already been taking lessons for 3 years when The Beatles came on the scene and he was soon hard at work lifting their licks, along with Ventures, the Stones, Les Paul and of course the aforementioned Mr. Atkins.

Years of touring, radio and television appearances and recording with some of the biggest names such as Shania Twain, The Wilkinsons, The Dixie Chicks, Chely Wright, Deana Carter, Gary Allen, Patty Loveless, Tracy Byrd, Gordon Lightfoot, Sylvia Tyson along with many more, have given Wendell’s songwriting a unique perspective. http://www.wendellferguson.com/

A haunting voice that is strong, clear and expressive. Well-crafted songs that range from deeply-moving to downright funny. This is singer-songwriter Anne Walker. A gifted storyteller, her songs have a timeless quality that draws the listener in. Anne's rich voice lends itself well to the variety of her material--a pleasing blend of folk, country, ballads and blues. And humour! A powerful voice delivering beautiful songs, she will engage your heart strings and your sense of humour. Raised on a small farm in Ontario, Anne’s rural roots are evident in the beauty of her music and the quiet strength of her words.

In pursuit of the perfect song, Blair Packham is usually up to something cool. Influenced by everyone from Elvis Costello to John Prine, Blair Packham long ago found his own voice as a writer, and loves sharing his songs—and some laughs—with audiences everywhere. First and foremost, Blair is a storyteller. The Toronto-based performer’s songs themselves are stories of joy, triumph, heartbreak and loss; in between songs, Blair reliably adds something funny or quirky to the narrative.

Blair has been writing songs for over 40 years. For the past 15 years, he has taught songwriting at Toronto’s Seneca College, and via SongStudio, his annual songwriting workshop. Blair’s band The Jitters, crossed Canada countless times in the 1980s--headlining, and opening shows for legends like The Kinks, Heart, Huey Lewis and the News, The Beach Boys, or sharing stages with Blue Rodeo, Gowan, and the Northern Pikes.

More recently, Blair has placed songs in TV and film soundtracks, such as Dawson’s Creek, Beyblade, Spliced and many more. Zombie Town, the 2023 feature film starring Dan Ackroyd and Chevy Chase, showcases Blair’s song “Lucky Me.” https://blairpackham.com/