 "Wes Mackey is a Bluesman who has a totally unique, individual sound and identity and very few emerging artists can lay claim to those very important and refreshing traits. Wes Mackey has definitely paid-his-dues in full and he's got a special gift that he wants to share …. Wes Mackey has arrived."
Andy Grigg Real Blues Magazine
After more than 46 years in music audiences everywhere are finally taking notice of Wes Mackey. He has toured Europe touring 3 times in the past 2 years and when Blues Revue Magazine took in one of performances in Germany they noted in their glowing review...he had to beg the audience to let him leave the stage!”
Even while working on his next album, going on the road with Chicago blues diva Zora Young, planning his next tour and shooting a new piece for TV you will find Wes consistently affable, energetic and funny. It's an attitude that took years to refine and one that some might say does not fit squarely into the profile of a bluesman. But Wes is no stranger to the blues, he's just chosen to deal with his in his own way.
 See Magazine' said it best about Wes." a reminder” they say “that the blues is not about being down on yourself; it's about using the music to lift your spirit and celebrate…” Peppermint Blues echoed the same sentiment writing Wes Mackey is a wonderful showman. Charming and charismatic, he captivates the audience.. and it's an attitude that he always brings to the stage with his upbeat earthy swingin' style.
He learned to play the guitar from the seasoned old blues players of the deep South where he was born and raised and he is glad to have been part of that great bygone era. Part Cherokee he grew up in a rural area where his father was a Baptist preacher and sharecropper who also worked at the local fishing club. He eventually moved to Augusta, Georgia and began working in small juke joints and dusty honky tonks where his first “professional” gig paid 50 cents and a chicken sandwich.
He soon found himself playing in the local bands that backed up greats like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Stevie Wonder and many others. Affectionately known as Static for his troublesome stutter he spent many years on the road and found himself recording in New York and gigging in Paris. Where many of his contemporaries from the south migrated to cities like Chicago Wes path took a different course and he eventually moved to Canada.
He settled on the east coast, had a family and established a solid career. Aside from performing in bands he became a semi-regular on CBC TV's Performance and played with Canadian icons like Gordie Tapp and Dutchy Mason.
 For a while Mackey faced some deeply troubling challenges and was forced to drop out of the music scene entirely. When he was finally ready to get back on stage he felt like he had to start all over again. There were some artistic compromises but in order to keep working he had to become an eclectic player and started to sing and took up the foot bass pedals. In the long however it helped Mackey to develop his unique and sometimes undefinable style. A hard working man his travels took him far and wide including places like Russia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Iceland and others.For years he traveled under *the radar* in search of both his personal and musical identities. After a happy reunion with both his roots and his family he returned exclusively to the blues and put out his aptly titled album Second Chance. Much to his own surprise it reached near the top on many Canadian charts including CUIT of the Toronto Blues Society and was chosen by Real Blues Magazine as its # 7 Best Canadian Release for 2003.
His latest release Mr. Blues continues to receive accolades. The original song Angelgirl was chosen as a semi-finalist in The International Songwriting Competition and was recently featured on the nationally broadcast TV show Beyond Words.
He is now working on his next release also called Beyond Words and is set to release the single Full Moon in Lamanon online in April 2008.
Now living in Vancouver Wes is a local favorite and busier than ever he is now working on his new album and has another European tour in the fall.
L Fisher
*Blueslamp*
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