Blackie and the Rodeo Kings

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are a Canadian folk rock–alternative country band with blues and country influences, formed in 1996 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing, and Colin Linden. Tom Wilson is the former lead singer of Junkhouse and Tom Wilson & the Florida Razors, Stephen Fearing is a solo artist, and Colin Linden is a guitarist and producer. They started Blackie and the Rodeo Kings as a tribute to one of their favorite Canadian folk artists, singer-songwriter Willie P. Bennett. Their name was taken from Bennett's 1978 album "Blackie and the Rodeo King." What started as a side project soon turned into a full-fledged band after their first album "High or Hurtin': The Songs of Willie P. Bennett" was a critical success. In 1999, the band recorded "Kings of Love," which received a JUNO Award for Best Roots & Traditional Album – Group in 2000. In 2011, they produced the collaborative album "Kings and Queens," which featured duets with some of the strongest female singers in the industry including Roseanne Cash, Pam Tillis, Janiva Magness, Emmylou Harris, Holly Cole, and Serena Ryder. The band has continued to tour and record for nearly three decades, with a core lineup that has included John Dymond on bass, Richard Bell on piano, and Gary Craig on drums and percussion. Their music blends roots rock, country, blues, and folk into a powerful, authentic sound that has made them beloved fixtures of the Canadian music scene.

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