Diana Braithwaite is a Canadian electric blues singer, songwriter and screenwriter. She is a multiple Maple Blues Award winner. More recently she has teamed up with Chris Whiteley and they have been acclaimed as "blues icons" by the Toronto Star,[2] and collectively have won nine Maple Blues Awards and had six Juno Award nominations.[3] Although they are little known in the United States, Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley are mainstays of the Canadian blues scene.[4]
Diana Braithwaite | |
|---|---|
 Diana Braithwaite, May 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Electric blues, country, jazz[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Labels | Various including Electro-Fi Records |
| Website | hotblues.ca |
Life and career
editBraithwaite is a Black Canadian and a descendant of the Wellington County, Ontario pioneers. Her ancestors escaped slavery in America through the Underground Railroad, and lived in the first African-Canadian pioneer settlement in Ontario.[5] She was born and grew up in Toronto, as the second youngest of six children of Bob and Rella Braithwaite.[6] She began performing professionally as a singer-songwriter in her teenage years, and opened John Lee Hooker in Toronto, before touring as Albert Collins's opening act.[2] In 1999, Braithwaite performed at Lilith Fair. In the same year, she released her debut album, In This Time.[1]
Her solo shows have seen her share the stage with Mel Brown, T-Model Ford and Jeff Healey, and she issued a single in the UK and Europe entitled, "Rollin' and Tumblin'".[2]
Braithwaite performs with multi-instrumentalist Chris Whiteley.[7] The duo recorded live at BBC Radio in London, England, with Bob Hall. Braithwaite and Whiteley have often worked together over the years, and in 2007 they released the album Morning Sun, a collection of original songs penned in a musical styling reminiscent of the 1930s and 1940s.[8] It was issued by Electro-Fi Records.[2]
They then toured North America, Europe, and the UK. Night Bird Blues (2009) had a five-week promotional tour in the UK, Russia, and Europe. The album peaked at number 2 on XM Satellite Radio.[9] The follow-up release, Deltaphonic, reached number 1 on the same network.[3] They performed at the Great British R & B Festival in Colne, Lancashire, England in 2011,[10] and the Monaghan Harvest Blues Festival in Ireland, plus the Hudson River Park Blues Festival in New York City, and had appearances on National Public Radio.[3]
Their fifth joint album, Blues Stories, was released by Big City Blues Records in 2014.[4] It contained a mixture of original songs and cover versions of older numbers.[11]
Awards
editBraithwaite and Whiteley were named "Songwriter of the Year" at the 13th Maple Blues Awards.[12]
Braithwaite is also the winner of the African-American Women in the Arts Award.[1]
Films
editBraithwaite's film, Underground to Canada, aired on national television.[6] Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad, a 1994 film produced by Atlantis Films was nominated for a CableACE Award. Her songs, "Bad Luck Man" and "Blame It on the Bourbon", were featured on the soundtrack Gracie, which won a Gemini Award for Best Short Drama.[1] Survivors was nominated for a Gemini Award and won the Golden Sheaf Award for 'best musical score'.[6]
Family
editHer mother, Rella Braithwaite (née Aylestock), has written a number of books on African-Canadian history.[13]
See also
editDiscography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Title | Record label | Credited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | In This Time | Aural Tradition Records | Diana Braithwaite |
| 2007 | Morning Sun | Electro-Fi Records | Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2009 | Night Bird Blues | Electro-Fi Records | Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2010 | Deltaphonic | Electro-Fi Records | Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2013 | Scrap Metal Blues | Electro-Fi Records | Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2014 | Blues Stories | Big City Blues Records | Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2016 | Blues Country | Big City Blues Records | Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2018 | I Was Telling Him About You | Download only | Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Diana Braithwaite – Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley". Electrofi.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ a b c "Braithwaite & Whiteley Bio". Braithwaiteandwhiteley.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ a b "Big City Blues". Bigcitybluesmag.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley – The Registry Theatre". Registrytheatre.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ a b c "Diana Braithwaite". IMDb.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Braithwaite & Whiteley". Braithwaiteandwhiteley.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Chris Whiteley and Diana Braithwaite". Hellodarlinproductions.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Chris Whiteley". Borealisrecords.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Great British R & B Festival 2011". Efestivals.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley – Blues Stories – Album Review – Blues Blast Magazine". Bluesblastmagazine.com. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Toronto Blues Society's 13th Annual Maple Blues Awards 2010 – Winners of the Toronto Blues Society's 13th Annual Maple Blues Awards 2010". Blues.about.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ Henry, Natasha L. (7 January 2012). Talking About Freedom: Celebrating Emancipation Day in Canada. Dundurn. p. 46. ISBN 9781459700499. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Diana Braithwaite". Discogs.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Diana Braithwaite – Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 June 2016.