Amos Garrett
Encyclopedia
Amos Garrett is a Juno Award
-winning American-Canadian
musician, performer, and author. He holds dual citizenship
and was raised in Toronto
and Montreal
. He is best known for his guitar solo on Maria Muldaur's
recording "Midnight at the Oasis
".
Over the course of his career, Garrett has recorded with more than 150 artists, ranging from Stevie Wonder
, Todd Rundgren
and Pearls Before Swine
to Emmylou Harris
, Bonnie Raitt
and Martin Mull
. He can be heard on Anne Murray
's chart-topping rendition of "Snowbird
".
, USA on November 26, 1941. When he was five, he was moved to Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. He studied piano
and trombone
through the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto
.
At twelve, Garrett relocated to Montreal
, Quebec, Canada, where he began playing guitar at fourteen. There, at the Esquire Club, he would learn while watching performers such as Ben E. King
, T-Bone Walker
, Fats Domino
and B. B. King
. After an attempt to study English literature at a university in the USA, he chose a career in music and moved back to Toronto in 1962.
at Carnegie Hall
in the winter of 1963. Settle was the opening act for comedian Vaughn Meader
.
From 1964 to 1967, Garrett played in the Toronto jug
/string band, The Dirty Shames, which included Chick Roberts, Jim McCarthy and Carol Robinson. It was during this period that Garrett and Roberts took John Hammond, Jr. to see Levon & The Hawks
for the first time. The Hawks would later be recommended by Hammond to Bob Dylan
.
In 1968, Garrett began a two-year stint of touring and recording with Canadian duo Ian & Sylvia, which led to becoming a founding member of Great Speckled Bird
. This band is featured in the film Festival Express
. They are shown playing the song "C.C. Rider" with members of the Grateful Dead
and Delaney Bramlett
in 1970. As a special feature on the DVD
release of the film, Great Speckled Bird are shown playing the Dylan
/Manuel
song, "Tears of Rage".
Garrett moved to Woodstock
, New York in 1970 to play in Maria
and Geoff Muldaur
's band. Based there, he performed and recorded with artists that were part of Albert Grossman
's Bearsville
stable, such as Bobby Charles
, Todd Rundgren
and Jesse Winchester
, and as a member of Paul Butterfield
's group, Better Days. He was also a member of Hungry Chuck, another Bearsville act, which was formed of ex-Great Speckled Bird members. They released an eponym
ous album in 1972. Garrett also played trombone on two songs for Jerry Garcia
's second solo album, Compliments
, released in 1974.
After living in Boston for two years, Garrett moved to San Francisco
in 1976 to pursue session work. There, he continued as member and bandleader
of Maria Muldaur's group until 1978, toured the R&B circuits of North America
, and recorded with more than 150 artists.
In 1978, Garrett decided to pursue fronting his own project, left Muldaur's group, and began releasing material through Stony Plain Records
, a label based in Edmonton, Alberta
, Canada. His first solo album was 1980's Go Cat Go, which was followed by Amosbehavin in 1982. He formed his back-up band, The 'Eh Team, around this time.
Garrett shared performing and recording duties, and co-wrote two songs, on 1988's The Return of the Formerly Brothers with the late Doug Sahm
and pianist Gene Taylor
. Queen Ida
sat in on accordion. The album was awarded the inaugural, 1989
, Juno Award
for Best Roots & Traditional Album. A follow-up live album, Live In Japan, was recorded in 1990 as Garrett, Sahm and Tayor played clubs and concert halls in Tokyo
, Osaka
and Kyoto
.
In 1989, Garrett relocated to Turner Valley
, Alberta. That year also brought the album I Make My Home in My Shoes, which paid tribute to his boyhood days, especially on "Stanley Street", a song written in recollection of the Esquire Club. Garrett began his intermittent role as bandleader and/or member of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival
's Festival House Band in 1990, reprising it from 1994–2000, from 2002–2006, and from 2008–2011. With Garrett, the band has backed such acts as Richard Thompson, Solomon Burke
, Ruth Brown
, Rick Danko
, Jay McShann
, Johnnie Johnson
and Rosco Gordon
. Third Man In, released in 1992, was a collection of covers
and originals. Garrett's covers were written by the likes of Bobby Charles and Percy Mayfield
. Off The Floor Live followed in 1996. It was recorded live with the 'Eh Team at the Sidetrack Club in Edmonton.
The Cold Club was a collaboration with Oscar Lopez
, David Wilkie, Karl Roth and Ron Casat. They released an eponymous record in 1996. Maria Muldaur, Mike Lent and Teddy Borowiecki guested on the album. Garrett released Amos Garrett's Acoustic Album in 2004. It features tracks written by Leadbelly
and Hoagy Carmichael
, among others. It was nominated for a 2005 Juno Award. This was followed by 2008's release, Get Way Back: A Tribute to Percy Mayfield, which was also nominated for a Juno Award. Garrett was living in High River
, Alberta in 2008.
On November 6, 2011, Garrett will be conducting a clinic and then performing as part of the Sleepwalk Guitar Festival in Toronto. The festival is presented by Six Shooter Records
and will be curated by Luke Doucet
.
Garrett enjoys fishing, and hopes to one day catch an Atlantic Salmon
of twenty pounds
or greater.
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
-winning American-Canadian
Canadians of American origin
American-Canadians are people of Canadian citizenship who were born in the United States of America. They account for a significant portion of Canada's population. Canada and the United States share much culturally but are separate geopolitical entities in North America.According to the Canada 2006...
musician, performer, and author. He holds dual citizenship
Multiple citizenship
Multiple citizenship is a status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen under the laws of more than one state. Multiple citizenships exist because different countries use different, and not necessarily mutually exclusive, citizenship requirements...
and was raised in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. He is best known for his guitar solo on Maria Muldaur's
Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur is a folk-blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s...
recording "Midnight at the Oasis
Midnight at the Oasis
A version of this song was recorded by the group Brand New Heavies, attributed to "Brand New Heavies featuring N'Dea Davenport". This version reached #13 in the UK in 1994 and was their biggest hit up until the departure of Davenport, when Sometimes made #11....
".
Over the course of his career, Garrett has recorded with more than 150 artists, ranging from Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
and Pearls Before Swine
Pearls Before Swine (band)
Pearls Before Swine was an American psychedelic folk band formed by Tom Rapp in 1965 in Eau Gallie, now part of Melbourne, Florida. They released six albums between 1967 and 1971, before Rapp launched a solo career.-Early years, 1965-68:...
to Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
, Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
and Martin Mull
Martin Mull
Martin Mull is an American actor who has starred in his own television sitcom and acted in prominent films. He is also a comedian, painter, and recording artist...
. He can be heard on Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
's chart-topping rendition of "Snowbird
Snowbird (song)
"Snowbird" is a song by the Canadian songwriter Gene MacLellan. Though it has been recorded by many performers , it is best known through Anne Murray's 1970 version, which launched her into a long career of international exposure. It was a #2 hit on Canada's pop chart and went to #1 on both the...
".
Early years
Garrett was born in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, USA on November 26, 1941. When he was five, he was moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He studied piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
through the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto
Royal Conservatory of Music
The Royal Conservatory of Music is a music school and performance venue in Toronto, Canada. Other uses of the term include:*The Madrid Royal Conservatory, Spain*The Royal Academy of Music, London, United Kingdom...
.
At twelve, Garrett relocated to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec, Canada, where he began playing guitar at fourteen. There, at the Esquire Club, he would learn while watching performers such as Ben E. King
Ben E. King
Benjamin Earl King , better known as Ben E. King, is an American soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me", a U.S...
, T-Bone Walker
T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the...
, Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
and B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
. After an attempt to study English literature at a university in the USA, he chose a career in music and moved back to Toronto in 1962.
Guitar for hire
Garrett's first professional gig was accompanying Mike SettleMike Settle
Mike Settle, is an American songwriter, journalist, broadcaster and singer. He is most famous for being a member of the Rock band Kenny Rogers & The First Edition between 1967 and 1970...
at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in the winter of 1963. Settle was the opening act for comedian Vaughn Meader
Vaughn Meader
Abbott Vaughn Meader was an American comedian and impersonator whose achievement of fame with The First Family album spoofing President John F...
.
From 1964 to 1967, Garrett played in the Toronto jug
Jug band
A Jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments. These home-made instruments are ordinary objects adapted to or modified for making of sound, like the washtub bass, washboard, spoons, stovepipe and comb & tissue paper...
/string band, The Dirty Shames, which included Chick Roberts, Jim McCarthy and Carol Robinson. It was during this period that Garrett and Roberts took John Hammond, Jr. to see Levon & The Hawks
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
for the first time. The Hawks would later be recommended by Hammond to Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
.
In 1968, Garrett began a two-year stint of touring and recording with Canadian duo Ian & Sylvia, which led to becoming a founding member of Great Speckled Bird
Great Speckled Bird (band)
Great Speckled Bird was a country rock group formed in 1969 by the Canadian musical duo Ian & Sylvia. Ian Tyson sang, played guitar and composed. Sylvia Tyson sang, composed and occasionally played piano...
. This band is featured in the film Festival Express
Festival Express
Festival Express is a 2003 documentary film about the eponymous 1970 train tour across Canada taken by some of North America's most popular rock bands, including The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends...
. They are shown playing the song "C.C. Rider" with members of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
and Delaney Bramlett
Delaney Bramlett
Delaney Bramlett was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Bramlett's five decade career reached peaks in creativity, performance, and notoriety in partnership with his then wife Bonnie Bramlett, in a revolving troupe of professional musicians and Rock superstars dubbed Delaney...
in 1970. As a special feature on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of the film, Great Speckled Bird are shown playing the Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
/Manuel
Richard Manuel
Richard George Manuel was a Canadian composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his contributions to and membership in The Band....
song, "Tears of Rage".
Garrett moved to Woodstock
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
, New York in 1970 to play in Maria
Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur is a folk-blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s...
and Geoff Muldaur
Geoff Muldaur
Geoff Muldaur is an American founding member of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band of Cambridge, Massachusetts; a member of Paul Butterfield's Better Days; and an accomplished solo guitarist, singer, and songwriter....
's band. Based there, he performed and recorded with artists that were part of Albert Grossman
Albert Grossman
Albert Bernard Grossman was an American entrepreneur and manager in the American folk music scene and rock and roll. He was most famous as the manager of Bob Dylan between 1962 and 1970.-Biography:...
's Bearsville
Bearsville Records
Bearsville Records was founded in 1970 by Albert Grossman. Artists included Todd Rundgren, Elizabeth Barraclough, Foghat, Halfnelson/Sparks, Bobby Charles, Randy VanWarmer, Paul Butterfield's Better Days, Lazarus, Jesse Winchester, and NRBQ. The label closed in 1984, two years before Grossman's...
stable, such as Bobby Charles
Bobby Charles
Bobby Charles was an American singer-songwriter.An ethnic Cajun, Charles was born as Robert Charles Guidry in Abbeville, Louisiana and grew up listening to Cajun music and the country and western music of Hank Williams...
, Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
and Jesse Winchester
Jesse Winchester
Jesse Winchester is a musician and songwriter who was born and raised in the southern United States. To avoid the Vietnam War draft he moved to Canada in 1967, which is where and when he began his career as a solo artist. His highest charting recordings were of his own tunes, "Yankee Lady" in 1970...
, and as a member of Paul Butterfield
Paul Butterfield
Paul Butterfield was an American blues vocalist and harmonica player, who founded the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the early 1960s and performed at the original Woodstock Festival...
's group, Better Days. He was also a member of Hungry Chuck, another Bearsville act, which was formed of ex-Great Speckled Bird members. They released an eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous album in 1972. Garrett also played trombone on two songs for Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
's second solo album, Compliments
Compliments (Jerry Garcia album)
Compliments, also known as Garcia, is Jerry Garcia's second solo album, released in 1974. It includes one newly-written song by John Kahn and Robert Hunter but is otherwise cover versions...
, released in 1974.
After living in Boston for two years, Garrett moved to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in 1976 to pursue session work. There, he continued as member and bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
of Maria Muldaur's group until 1978, toured the R&B circuits of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and recorded with more than 150 artists.
Frontman
“I wanted to sing. I loved to sing, but there was no way I could do so being a hired gun for bands.” - Amos Garrett
In 1978, Garrett decided to pursue fronting his own project, left Muldaur's group, and began releasing material through Stony Plain Records
Stony Plain Records
Stony Plain Records is a major Canadian independent record label, which specializes in roots music genres such as country, folk and blues. The label was the recipient of a 2003 Western Canadian Music Award for "Independent Record Label/Distributor of the Year"....
, a label based in Edmonton, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada. His first solo album was 1980's Go Cat Go, which was followed by Amosbehavin in 1982. He formed his back-up band, The 'Eh Team, around this time.
Garrett shared performing and recording duties, and co-wrote two songs, on 1988's The Return of the Formerly Brothers with the late Doug Sahm
Doug Sahm
Douglas Wayne Sahm , was an American musician from Texas. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he was a child prodigy in country music, but became a significant figure in blues rock and other genres. Today Sahm is considered one of the most important figures in what is identified as Tejano music...
and pianist Gene Taylor
Gene Taylor (musician)
Gene Taylor is an American blues rock and boogie-woogie pianist.-Biography:Taylor began his musical training as a drummer at age eight but two years later he had picked up both the guitar and his initial piano skills from boogie-woogie pianist-neighbours...
. Queen Ida
Queen Ida
Ida Lewis "Queen Ida" Guillory is an Louisiana Creole accordionist. She was the first female accordion player to lead a zydeco band...
sat in on accordion. The album was awarded the inaugural, 1989
Juno Awards of 1989
The Juno Awards of 1989, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 12 March 1989 in Toronto at a ceremony in the O'Keefe Centre. André-Philippe Gagnon was the host for the ceremonies, which were broadcast on CBC Television.Blue Rodeo won in three of its...
, Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for Best Roots & Traditional Album. A follow-up live album, Live In Japan, was recorded in 1990 as Garrett, Sahm and Tayor played clubs and concert halls in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
.
In 1989, Garrett relocated to Turner Valley
Turner Valley, Alberta
Turner Valley is a town in Alberta, Canada. It is located southwest of Calgary.Situated on Highway 22 , the town was once the centre of an oil and natural gas boom. For 30 years, the Turner Valley Oilfields was a major supplier of oil and gas and the largest producer in the British Empire, but is...
, Alberta. That year also brought the album I Make My Home in My Shoes, which paid tribute to his boyhood days, especially on "Stanley Street", a song written in recollection of the Esquire Club. Garrett began his intermittent role as bandleader and/or member of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival
Edmonton Folk Music Festival
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is an annual four-day outdoor music event held the second weekend of August in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, established in 1980 by Don Whalen. The festival continues to draw many people from around the world as both spectators and performers. The current producer of...
's Festival House Band in 1990, reprising it from 1994–2000, from 2002–2006, and from 2008–2011. With Garrett, the band has backed such acts as Richard Thompson, Solomon Burke
Solomon Burke
Solomon Burke was an American singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the United House of Prayer For All People. Burke was known as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", and as the "Bishop of Soul", and described as "the Muhammad Ali of soul", and as "the most...
, Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress, noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and " He Treats Your Daughter Mean".For these...
, Rick Danko
Rick Danko
Richard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canadian musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band.-Early years :...
, Jay McShann
Jay McShann
Jay McShann was an American Grammy Award-nominated jump blues, mainstream jazz, and swing bandleader, pianist and singer....
, Johnnie Johnson
Johnnie Johnson (musician)
Johnnie Johnson was an American pianist and blues musician. His work with Chuck Berry led to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.-Career:...
and Rosco Gordon
Rosco Gordon
Rosco Gordon was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known for his 1952 #1 R&B hit single, "Booted", and two #2 singles "No More Doggin'" and "Just a Little Bit" .-Biography:...
. Third Man In, released in 1992, was a collection of covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
and originals. Garrett's covers were written by the likes of Bobby Charles and Percy Mayfield
Percy Mayfield
Percy Mayfield was an American songwriter famous for the songs "Hit the Road Jack" and "Please Send Me Someone to Love", as well as a successful rhythm and blues artist known for his smooth vocal style.-Career:...
. Off The Floor Live followed in 1996. It was recorded live with the 'Eh Team at the Sidetrack Club in Edmonton.
The Cold Club was a collaboration with Oscar Lopez
Oscar Lopez
Oscar Lopez is a Chilean-Canadian folk and nouveau flamenco guitarist. He has won many awards from the Latino community....
, David Wilkie, Karl Roth and Ron Casat. They released an eponymous record in 1996. Maria Muldaur, Mike Lent and Teddy Borowiecki guested on the album. Garrett released Amos Garrett's Acoustic Album in 2004. It features tracks written by Leadbelly
Leadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
and Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagy Carmichael
Howard Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
, among others. It was nominated for a 2005 Juno Award. This was followed by 2008's release, Get Way Back: A Tribute to Percy Mayfield, which was also nominated for a Juno Award. Garrett was living in High River
High River, Alberta
High River is a town in southwestern Alberta, Canada with a population of 10,716. It is south of the city of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23...
, Alberta in 2008.
On November 6, 2011, Garrett will be conducting a clinic and then performing as part of the Sleepwalk Guitar Festival in Toronto. The festival is presented by Six Shooter Records
Six Shooter Records
Six Shooter Records is an independent record label, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The music label was founded by Shauna de Cartier in 2000. Artists who have released material on the label include Jenn Grant, Amelia Curran, Elliott Brood, Luke Doucet, Christine Fellows, Ford Pier, Captain...
and will be curated by Luke Doucet
Luke Doucet
Luke Doucet is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He writes and performs both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock band Veal....
.
Other endevours
Garrett has authored a number of instructional albums, books and videos.Garrett enjoys fishing, and hopes to one day catch an Atlantic Salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
of twenty pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
or greater.
Selected long-plays
| Year | Album | Album Artist | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | This Way Is My Way This Way Is My Way This Way Is My Way is the second studio album by Anne Murray issued in 1969 on Capitol Records. Upon its initial release, the album was only issued in Canada . The album included recordings of songs by Eric Andersen, Gene MacLellan and Bob Dylan... |
Anne Murray | Capital |
| 1970 | Great Speckled Bird Great Speckled Bird (album) Great Speckled Bird is a country rock album by Great Speckled Bird, a band formed in 1969 by Canadian musicians Ian and Sylvia Tyson. The other group members at the time of recording were Buddy Cage, on pedal steel guitar, Amos Garrett, on guitar and backup vocals, and N.D. Smart, on drums... |
Great Speckled Bird | Ampex |
| 1972 | Hungry Chuck | Hungry Chuck | Bearsville |
| 1973 | Maria Muldaur Maria Muldaur (album) Maria Muldaur is the eponymous 1973 first solo release of musician Maria Muldaur. The album includes Muldaur's best-known single, "Midnight at the Oasis", which charted at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Three Dollar Bill", which charted at #7 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts... |
Maria Muldaur | Reprise Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:... |
| Paul Butterfield's Better Days | Paul Butterfield's Better Days | Bearsville | |
| It All Comes Back | |||
| 1978 | Amos Garrett & Geoff Muldaur | Amos Garrett & Geoff Muldaur | Stony Plain |
| 1980 | Go Cat Go | Amos Garrett | |
| 1981 | Amosbehavin | ||
| 1988 | The Return of the Formerly Brothers | Amos Garrett, Doug Sahm, Gene Taylor Band | |
| 1989 | I Make My Home in My Shoes | Amos Garrett | |
| 1990 | Live in Japan | Amos Garrett, Doug Sahm, Gene Taylor Band | |
| 1992 | Third Man In | Amos Garrett | |
| 1996 | Off the Floor Live! | ||
| The Cold Club | The Cold Club | Cold Club | |
| 2005 | Acoustic Album | Amos Garrett | Stony Plain |
| 2008 | Get Way Back: A Tribute to Percy Mayfield |
Compilation inclusions
| Year | Song | Album | Label | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Bert's Boogie" | Saturday Night Blues Saturday Night Blues (album) Saturday Night Blues is a compilation album of live performances by Canadian blues performers, released by Stony Plain Records and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1991... |
Stony Plain/CBC CBC Records CBC Records is a Canadian record label, owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which distributes CBC programming, including live concert performances in album and digital format.... |
*composed by Amos Garrett |
| "Home In My Shoes" | 15 Years of Stony Plain | Stony Plain | ||
| "Sure Is A Good Thing" | *w/Doug Sahm and Gene Taylor | |||
| "Talk To Me" | *w/Doug Sahm and Gene Taylor | |||
| 1996 | "Long, Long Time to Get Old" | 20 Years of Stony Plain 20 Years of Stony Plain -Disc Two:... |
*w/Great Speckled Bird *composed by Ian Tyson Ian Tyson Ian Tyson CM, AOE is a Canadian singer-songwriter, best known for his song "Four Strong Winds". He was also one half of the duo Ian & Sylvia.-Career:Tyson was born to British immigrants in Victoria in 1933, and grew up in Duncan B.C... |
|
| "Small Town Talk" | *w/Maria Muldaur *composed by Bobby Charles |
|||
| "Wrong Lake to Catch a Fish" | *composed by Chuck Willis Chuck Willis Harold "Chuck" Willis was an American blues, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll singer and songwriter. His biggest hits, "C. C. Rider" and "What Am I Living For" , both reached no. 1 in the Billboard R&B chart... |
|||
| 1997 | "Walkin' Blues" | Absolute Blues Vol. 1 | ||
| "Sure Is A Good Thing" | Absolute Blues Vol. 2 | *w/Doug Sahm and Gene Taylor | ||
| 2001 | "Bert's Boogie" | 25 Years of Stony Plain | *composed by Amos Garrett | |
| 2006 | "Sam's Song (The Happy Tune)" | 30 Years of Stony Plain | *composed by Jack Elliott/Lew Quadling | |
| "Poor Fool Like Me" | *video performance | |||
| 2007 | "Some Kind Of Fool" | The Gift - A Tribute To Ian Tyson | *composed by Ian Tyson | |
| 2011 | "Get Way Back" | 35 Years of Stony Plain | *composed by Percy Mayfield | |
| "Teardrops On Your Letter" | *w/Doug Sahm and Gene Taylor |
See also
- BluesBluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
- JazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- Great Speckled BirdGreat Speckled Bird (band)Great Speckled Bird was a country rock group formed in 1969 by the Canadian musical duo Ian & Sylvia. Ian Tyson sang, played guitar and composed. Sylvia Tyson sang, composed and occasionally played piano...
- GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...