NEWS
January 2012
O World... Wes Mackey is pleased and honored to be a part of The O World Project.
The ‘O WORLD’ project is a multi-media initiative that encompasses the Arts, the Sciences and Religious/Spiritual practices/traditions. The mission of the project is to promote unity among the worlds peoples and inspire global community ...
The Arts aspect of the project involves the world-wide release of an original song called ‘O WORLD’ on Earth Day 2012, (April 22). They have enlisted musicians representing many genres of music and a multitude of musical traditions from around the world, and Wes Mackey has just finished recording the blues version of this project.
Other versions include Hip Hop, Roots, Opera, Flamenco, Classic Rock, Folk Rock, Classical Pop, Symphonic, Samba, Choral, a cappella, Jazz, and Taiwanese Opera,Country, Blues, Rap, Gospel and Reggae among others. .
There are also children choirs from Argentina, India, and others representing the Philippines and Taiwan, all creating their own versions of O World, in their native languages and in their traditional styles. Other artists and groups from Vietnam, Peru, Canada, Japan, Czech Republic, US, China, Russia
and others are all taking part in this amazing project
November 2011
Federico's Experiment a Great Success!
Wes Mackey's stint at Federico's Supper Club wraps up a great season of blues and blues dancing with his band and blues dancers Diane Garceau and David Yates. The troupe appeared on Vancouver's entertainment news show Urban Rush on October 25th. Look for Wes to be performing at Federico's a lot over the Holidays!
October 2011
New Album Release
Wes Mackey is recording new album to be released in early spring 2012. He is also collaborating with hip hop sensation Remi Cityreal Huot on his upcoming release penning two new titles I Been Down and Hellhound.
August 1, 2011
Video Nomination
Stu Ray, director of Remi Cityreal Huot's music video Passing Me By Ft Wes Mackey receives WCMA Nomination for Best Multimedia (video) The video is now being aired on Much Music and can be seen on the Much Music website at Much
April 8, 2011
WES MACKEY Gets
 2nd Contemporary Blues Artist Nomination
For the second year in a row The Jus Blues Music Foundation has nominated Wes Mackey and he is thrilled is thrilled to join the ranks of former Jus Blues nominees like Bobby Rush, Taj Mahal, Joe Louis Walker, John Lee Hooker JR, Lucky Peterson, Koko Taylor, Shemekia Copeland and many others.
The 11th Jus` Blues Awards and events will take place in early August at the Historical Daisy Theatre on world famous Beale Street in downtown Memphis, Tennessee.
 March 8, 2011
 Buy this song on CD Baby, Itunes, Napster
2011 International Songwriting Competition Semi-Finalist
February 16, 2011
Remi Cityreal Huot and Wes Mackey recording music video for the song
Passing Me By ft Wes Mackey. Directed by Stu Ray
 February, 2011
Wes pens a new theme song for Blues Rules Festival in Crissier Switzerland
February, 2011
Arts & Entertainment
Whistler Question
Dan Mesec
Blues will never be the same with Mackey
American musician brings his experience, sound to Whistler’s Mallard Lounge
August 17, 2010
Blues and Rap ?
Wes Mackey and Cityreal make it work
Cityreal's Debut CD The Beginning Gets Best Hip Hop/Rap Nomination
Wes Mackey and Rap Artist Cityreal collaborated on two original songs for Cityreal's debut release The Beginning and now it has been nominated for the Best Hip Hop/Rap CD for a WCMA (Western Canadian Music Award)
Cityreal describes the album as an organic, classic hip hop sound but with instruments like piano and guitar. The end result is an extraordinary experiment gone completely right. For Wes it was an incredible opportunity to further his quest to bring the blues to a young music fans. The songs entitled Passing Me By and It's Time can be heard and purchased through http://www.myspace.com/cityrealmusic
July 11th ,2010
June 21, 2010
Only two weeks after an amazing time at Crissier in Switzerland Wes Mackey is headed back to perform in Rapperswill at their annual Blues and Jazz Festival. This is a return for Wes who performed there last summer. Having heard that Wes had penned a tune the town of Lamanon in Provence, France (where he will also be performing July 9) organizers challenged him to come up with a tune for Rapperswill and much to their surprise he did just that! You can hear the song at their website at.
 
June 16, 2010
Inspiration leads to Crissier return 2011
After an inspirational and amazing time at Blues Rules first Festival in Crissier Switzerland (just outside Geneva) Wes was determined to re-live the experience and has signed on for a return booking next year."This was so good for me" he says. "It was all about the music. They had such a diverse group of musicians there, everybody playing their own special brand of the blues. Everything from blues grass to rockin blues..it was truly great and so much fun to be around so many creative people." Organizers Thomas Lecuyer and Vincent Delsupexhe put together a videos that captured the spirit of the event..
November 2009
Blues in the Schools Program gets great review
   Letter from Chabah 11/09
Thank you very much that you agreed to give a presentation in Bad Krozingen (Germany) and for the discussion at Chabah. I felt very happy at how excellent these presentations and Q&A sessions went with the kids.
The feedback I got from the teachers at Bad Krozingen (and indirectly from their students) and from Detlef (and his students) was very positive. Both schools plan to send an Email to you with a pic. You may also check the Chabah web page www.chabah.de and click on the “Fotogalerien”. Heiner has done some excellent Photographs.
Finally, I must say, this was one of the really great, touching concerts for me. I join a live concert once a week at Chabah and I can really say, the audience reacted quite different during your concert. What we sensed, was not only the music, but the person and it’s story, it’s fate, it’s message behind it.
I hope to see you again at Mehlsack or Chabah. We would enjoy to have you back.
Take care and have a good time.
Best regards,
Klaus
November 2009
Breaking New Ground
Wes Mackey first black artist to perform in Skalica Slovakia
The 26th concert of The Music in the Town took place on 24th of November 2009 at The Culture House in Skalica. For the first time in the history of the concerts a black artist performed. At 68 years old guitarist and singer Wes Mackey was not only the eldest player of the concert series his show was also the only show in Slovakia to take place in front of a full house. Even the stage was full and fans had to even sit next to the drummer. Wes Mackey´s was accompanied by drummer (Simon „Shuffle“ Boyer) and harmonica (Vincent Bucher). The blues sounded natural and original and the audience was very satisfied. The co-organizer Luboš Bena has maintained the level of quality and produced a great experience for us before Christmas.
Article, photos and video from concert can be found on www.hvm.lubosbena.sk.
Different town, same full moon
The "Full Moon in Lamanon" story was featured by mainstream media in Thor France during Mackey's latest European tour. Why the villagers of LAMANON wear black shades in the middle of the night is a mystery tied to the American Bluesman's experiences there two summers ago. In the video clip below he performs the song he wrote about it, FULL MOON IN LAMANON"
Also check out the video put together by promoter Vincent Bertomeu explaining the Full Moon In Lamanon story.
Have Blues Will Travel
Wes Mackey recently made front pages (click here) as one of the first to bring the his style of blues to communities in Croatia and Slovenia. The tour which included stops in Switzerland and Belgium had him teamed up with legendary Croation drummer Peco Pete and harpist promoter Ray Fricke. (pic below) The six week road trip ended in Halifax Nova Scotia where Wes performede at The Dutchy Mason Festival. Wes will continue to break new ground with his tour in November when performs in Italy Vienna, and Austria for the first time.
  Wes Mackey, Sonny Rhodes and Carl Weathersby in Zolfingen, Switzerland July 2009
 In 1960, The Comblain Jazz Festival featured 200 artists and 48 orchestras from 15 countries which broke the world record held by Newport. Wes Mackey was proud to have part of it's comeback July 5th, 2009 some fifty years later.
Artists like John Coltrane, Chet Baker,Philip Catherine, Jacques Pelzer, Bud Powell, Connonball Adderley, Jimmy Smith, Ray Charles, Bill Evans and many more have played at the iconic festival.
To learn more read this fascinating article from the
Cannonball Adderly website
 An honorary citizen and Patron Of Lamanon France's annual blues festival L'am du Blues Wes Mackey will host the event although he will actually be miles and miles away the festival will feature African born blues fusion artist Roland Tchacounte and two generations of Chicago's greatest living blues traditionalists including Billy Boy Arnold,John Primer, Billy Branch and Lurrie Bell.
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