Concert headliners include Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar, as well as Angel “Blues” Brown, Mel’s widow
Mel Brown brought blues to Kitchener and some KW music lovers believe it’s time to immortalize his legacy.
Run by THEMUSEUM, a fundraiser concert is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 29 to raise money for a plaque and bronze statue on the Mississippi Blues Trail. Representing Brown’s story and his contributions to Canadian blues, the statue will be the first Mississippi Blues Trail marker in Canada and only the fourth outside of the US
Concert headliners include Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar, as well as Angel “Blues” Brown, Mel’s widow, who will perform at the fundraiser along with Shawn Kellerman, Steve Strongman, and Cheryl Lescom.
THEMUSEUM started The Mel Brown Legacy Project last year to pay for the bronze statue of Brown and is now on track to unveil the statue at the 2023 Kitchener Blues Festival.
A blues musician who moved to Kitchener in the 80s, Brown was born in Mississippi where his first album, Chicken Fat became a classic among blues fans in 1967.
However, it wasn’t until he got married 13 years later in Texas that Kitchener landed on Brown’s radar, moving to the city in 1989 to host a weekly jam night at Pop the Gator, a local music venue that closed in the 90s.
While he occasionally did shows in Toronto or London, Brown rarely ventured from Kitchener during his 20 years in the city, playing the Boathouse in Victoria Park many times.
A regular at the Blues Festival, an annual award is now given in his name that highlights local musical talents
Brampton-based visual artist and sculptor, Abiola Idowu, will make the statue.
Tickets for the concert are $75, or $150 for VIPs. More information is available here.
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