No venue too small for bluesman
DOC MACLEAN is a weathered, wily, and infinitely likeable storyteller. Writing from the dark side of the blues highway, Doc’s distinctive vocals and national steel guitar plot an intense, emotional remapping of contemporary Delta blues and roots music.
He’ll be bringing his Zulu Skies Tour to South Africa during November and December 2016, playing 40 shows nationally.
Son of a civil rights lawyer and a fiddle player, MacLean was by his early teens playing harmonica and washboard in coffee houses and festivals, and was appearing on radio and television variety shows. In 1972 he formed a duo with Colin Linden, (now Grammy nominated producer and recent Dylan guitarist) and became a frequent opener for Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee, Muddy Waters, and John Hammond.
In his early travels Doc met and became friends with many older musicians including Son House, Tampa Red, and Robert Pete Williams. “Who I am what I do and what I carry was gifted to me by the grandchildren of slaves,” says MacLean. “I’m a small link in a big, unbroken chain.”
Youthful work as an accompanist included tours and performances with Peg Leg Sam the Medicine Show Man, Blind John Davis, Sunnyland Slim, Rev Pearly Brown, and Sam Chatmon. Recordings from this period were released on Chicago’s Flying Fish label.
By 2006 Doc MacLean had settled permanently in Canada, releasing the critically acclaimed CD, Narrow House. Produced by Colin Linden, the recording featured bassist Larry Taylor (Canned Heat) and drummer Stephen Hodges (Mavis Staples), who at that time were the core of the Tom Waits band.
During the last decade, MacLean has performed over 200 road dates each year playing all parts of Canadian provinces, two territories and 25 US states. Now with way more than 1000 shows later, he is reaching Africa. “No venue too large, too small, too grand or too humble.” .
See him on December 1 at Cafe Roux, Noordhoek Farm Village (Lindi@caferoux.co.za, 021 789 2538), December 2 at PeriScope Theatre, 381 Crescent Road, Pringle Bay (ali@aligators.co.za, 082 457 9403), December 3 at The Cottage, 33, 2nd Crescent, Fish Hoek, cottageclub@mweb.co.za, 021 782 0931), December 4 at Cafe Alma, 20 Alma Road, Rosebank (021 685 7377), December 7 at Die Boer, 6 Chenoweth Street, Durbanville. (082 574 1651), December 9 at Villa Pascal, 28 van der Westhuizen Avenue, Durbanville (082 569 4147). - Staff writer
Info: www.zuluskies.blogspot. com, www.sonicbids.com/band/ docmaclean/audio, www.youtube. com/watch?v=RWiTEFJf7_8