David Vest
Friday, April 21 | Doors 7:00 PM, Show 7:30 PM
$30 in advance, $35 at the door | Weekend pass for both shows $50, in advance only.
They don't make them as real as David Vest anymore. Long revered as one of the great boogie-woogie piano players, he's the son of an Alabama sharecropper, but he's also a Fulbright Scholar and award-winning poet. He grew up in genuine juke joints and tells amazing stories that really bring the blues to life. Along the way, he played with many blues greats, from Big Joe Turner to Jimmy T99 Nelson. A six-time winner of Canada's Maple Blues Award for piano player of the year, he's the living embodiment of that classic Fats Domino line: "Clap your hands and stomp your feet, you got to move when you hear that beat."
A songwriter of the year nominee, Vest has had his tunes recorded by artists ranging from Downchild to Tammy Wynette.
John Rutherford
Saturday, April 22 | Doors 7:00 PM, Show 7:30 PM
$30 in advance, $35 at the door | Weekend pass for both shows $50, in advance only.
Songwriter, storyteller and blues guitarist, John Rutherford has a long running association with the Okotoks music and arts community contributing to the programming and artistic direction of the RPAC season’s annual Roots & Blues series. With the arrival of a new recording it seems appropriate to launch the long awaited project as part of the 2022/2023 Roots & Blues weekend in Okotoks. Rutherford is an award winning blues guitarist with a studied interest in the history and culture of the music he has been immersed in most of his life. His new writing and recording explores his great passion for the people, the artists, the records and the places where the music lives and breathes. Join us to celebrate the release of John’s new work.