STONY PLAIN RECORDS CELEBRATES 35 YEARS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 13, 2011

Contact: Richard Flohil/ rflohil@sympatico.ca/416-351-1323

EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records proudly announces the May 10 release of a special 3-disc set to celebrate its 35^th anniversary. Titled simply 35 Years of Stony Plain, the set includes 41 tracks on two CDs, plus a bonus DVD of 11 videos featuring such artists as Jeff Healey, Jay McShann and Johnnie Johnson, Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters, Duke Robillard, Corb Lund, Ian Tyson, Downchild and Long John Baldry. The DVD also includes a tour of Stony Plain’s offices in Edmonton, Alberta. 35 Years of Stony Plain is a specially-priced set with extensive liner notes and annotations of each track. Stony Plain Records is distributed in the U.S. by ADA, in Canada by Warner Music Canada, and in Europe by CRS.

The music on the two audio discs includes eight previously unreleased tracks, featuring four by legendary bluesman Robert Nighthawk, recorded at a Toronto session in 1965; one track from Canadian blues pioneer King Biscuit Boy; and three tunes by the late songwriter, Bob Carpenter, whose songs were recorded by such artists as Billy Joe Shaver and Tom Rush. Other tracks of note include advance previews of songs from the upcoming albums by Harry Manx and Kevin Breit and Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne; plus rare tracks from Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Asleep at the Wheel and many more. The core of Stony Plain’s current roster is well-represented with material from Duke Robillard, Maria Muldaur, Rory Block, Ian Tyson, Joe Louis Walker and Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters.

The bonus DVD includes some real treasures for music fans. Toronto filmmaker Mako Funasaka created a special tribute to Jeff Healey by melding video of Jeff performing with guests from Kim Wilson to Downchild’s Donnie Walsh and Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan, plus some rare in-studio footage, all set to Jeff’s version of Neil Young’s classic “Like a Hurricane,” as the soundtrack. Another archival video gem is the meeting of blues, boogie and swing piano titans Jay McShann and Johnnie Johnson performing “Going to Kansas City,” shot in 2001 during the “two piano only” session recorded in Kansas City and released on the Grammy-nominated McShann CD, Goin’ to Kansas City.

Established in 1976 by Holger Petersen and Alvin Jahns, Stony Plain Records has released almost 400 albums of blues, classic R&B, folk, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, and music that is impossible to put into pigeonholes. The common element in all of these forms of music is that the musicians, regardless of current fad or fashion, put their hearts and souls into the music they make. Stony Plain released the results – and almost invariably found that people responded.

Holger Petersen remains a self-confessed music junkie, but in addition to his day-to-day work with the label, gives his time generously to music industry organizations. Along the way, he helped found the Edmonton Folk Music Festival (and was its artistic director for three years), and was a founding member of Alberta Music..

Stony Plain has received six Grammy Award nominations for its artists, including Maria Muldaur, Jay McShann and Duke Robillard. The label and its artists have also garnered numerous awards from the Blues Foundation, ten Juno Awards, Canadian Country Music Association Awards, Maple Blues Awards and Western Canadian Music Awards. And on a personal level, Petersen was honored for his contributions to Canadian arts and culture with an honorary Doctorate from Athabasca University in 2002 and was awarded the country’s highest honor, membership in the Order of Canada, in 2003.

All that said, Petersen’s much better known in Canada for hosting “Saturday Night Blues,” CBC Radio’s only long-running national blues show, on the air for 25 years. In addition, he hosts a weekly show called “Natch’l Blues,” on CKUA Radio Network in Alberta and programs the “BluesTime” channel on Canada’s Galaxie Satellite Network.

Today, 35 years on, Stony Plain has built a remarkable reputation. The late Jerry Wexler, the great producer and one of the founders of Atlantic Records, praised Stony Plain “as an independent company, an endangered species in a dangerous world – and a source of wonderful music.”

For more information on the label, visit www.stonyplainrecords.com.

STONY PLAIN 35^TH ANNIVERSARY TRACK LISTING

CD 1 Singers, songwriters and much, much, more…
1. MARIA MULDAUR The Diplomat
2. JEFF HEALEY The Wildcat
3. HARRY MANX & KEVIN BREIT Looking for a Brand New World
4. CORB LUND Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier
5. STEVE EARLE Ben McCulloch
6. IAN TYSON Blaino’s Song
7. TIM HUS Country Music Lament
8. VALDY & GARY FJELLGAARD Still in the Running
9. RAY BONNEVILLE Canary Yellow Car
10. ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL That’s Your Red Wagon
11. SUNNY & HER JOY BOYS Strictly from Dixie
12. AMOS GARRETT Get Way Back
13. DAVID WILCOX Bend a Little
14. NEW GUITAR SUMMIT Shivers
15. SPIRIT OF THE WEST Our Station
16. EMMYLOU HARRIS Wheels
17. BLUE RODEO Four Strong Winds
18. RODNEY CROWELL Closer to Heaven
19. BOB CARPENTER Dreaming
20. BOB CARPENTER Magdelana
21. BOB CARPENTER Chameleon Man

CD 2 Blues, R&B, swing, jazz and even more…
1. DUKE ROBILLARD Stomp the Blues Tonight
2. JOE LOUIS WALKER Black Widow Spider
3. JAY McSHANN & THE DUKE ROBILLARD BAND Moten Swing
4. KENNY ‘BLUES BOSS’ WAYNE Heaven Send Me An Angel
5. DOUG JAMES & SUGAR RAY NORCIA Dirty, Dirty People
6. JEFF HEALEY I’m Torn Down
7. ROSCO GORDON No More Doggin’
8. AMOS GARRETT, DOUG SAHM, GENE TAYLOR BAND Teardrops on Your Letter
9. RONNIE EARL & THE BROADCASTERS Miracle
10. RORY BLOCK Mississippi Man
11. BIG DAVE McLEAN Police and High Sheriff
12. LONG JOHN BALDRY Gallows Pole
13. SONNY RHODES Honey Do Woman
14. ELLEN McILWAINE Crawling King Snake
15. BILLY BOY ARNOLD Hello Stranger
16. KING BISCUIT BOY Ain’t Broke and Ain’t Hungry
17. ROBERT NIGHTHAWK Nighthawk Boogie
18. ROBERT NIGHTHAWK I’m Gonna Murder My Baby
19. ROBERT NIGHTHAWK You Missed a Good Man
20. ROBERT NIGHTHAWK Backwater Blues

FREE BONUS DVD
1. A TOUR OF THE STONY PLAIN OFFICES
2. JEFF HEALEY Like a Hurricane
3. JAY McSHANN & JOHNNIE JOHNSON Going to Kansas City
4. RONNIE EARL & THE BROADCASTERS Bobby’s Bop
5. DUKE ROBILLARD Workin’ Hard for My Uncle
6. CORB LUND The Truth Comes Out
7. IAN TYSON Springtime in Alberta
8. DOWNCHILD Bop ‘til I Drop
9. LONG JOHN BALDRY Shake That Thing
10. JR. GONE WILD I’m So Glad
11. THE PAPERBOYS After the First Time

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"Listen to the music all the time."

Beth Ward

Richard Flohil and Associates

416-351-1323

bethward.rflohil@bell.net

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