Music career
Early career: 1982–1990s Studio musician to Downchild
In 1979, Carey partnered with Tom Jestadt, noted Canadian drummer and formed the Pat Carey and Tom Jestadt Jazz Quartet. Carey then joined Rocki Rolletti, the group went on to win the TransCanada Rock Contest in 1982 which secured them a recording session with producer Bob Ezrin. Working for many years as a studio musician, Carey made several recordings for CBC TV, CBC RADIO, CKY TV and CKND TV. While still a member of the Rocki Rolletti, he opened for the Reunion of The Guess Who. Carey found himself being featured on numerous jingles, radio and TV shows for CBC, CTV and Global Television. In 1984 Carey moved to Toronto, Ontario where he has continued as a working musician and music educator. In 1984 he performed with George Olliver and the Gang Buster, Tony Flaim and with Hock Walsh of Downchild. From 1984 - 1989, he was the Entertainment Director for Madame’s Restaurant in Toronto. In 1985 Carey joined the Downchild Blues Band and has continued to play and record with the band since that time, in addition to contributing to the work of other musicians. While with Downchild, Carey remained a member of the Labatt Double Blues Band from 1986 until 1989. Then with the elite of what Carey considered to be the prime pick of musical talent, he fulfilled his dream of sharing his musical skills in the forming and leading of his own band, the Jazz Navigators. [3]
1990s–Early 2000s Awards
Carey is a multiple Maple Blues Award winner, as horn player of the year and a multiple Juno Award winner. His distinguished musical career was so honoured by the Juno Awards as early as 1992 and with the Maple Blues Award beginning in 1999. [4] [5] Carey has remained a member of The Maple Blues Revue, which was formed by both Carey and Gary Kendall. This eleven member group of Canadian blues musicians whom are all multiple Maple Blues Award winners or nominees, perform at the annual Maple Blues Awards Ceremony in Toronto, Ontario as the Maple Blues Band and have released one recording, Live at Twisted Pines. [6] [7] [8] [9]
2000s–Jazz Navigators to Producer
Over the years, Carey has been an integral part of many Canadian recordings, he co-produced three of Downchild's CD's, with Come On In being nominated in 2004 for a Juno Award. Carey and the Jazz Navigators recorded their first CD Starlight in 2002, in 2007 followed the release of their second CD South By Southeast and in 2008 they released Jumpin in Jersey. In addition to his recordings, Carey has performed with Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Buddy Guy, Sam Moore, Little Anthony, The Drifters, Tommy Roe, Ron Hynes, Powder Blues Band, Dan Aykroyd, Junior Watson, Steamboat Willie, Lesley Gore, Colin James, Lionel Hampton just to name a few, as well as in Israel and Cypress for the Canadian Armed Forces and toured in Europe, North America and Scandinavia. Carey has recorded with Downchild, Gary Kendall Band, Maple Blues Revue, Kenny 'Blues Boss' Wayne, Rita Chiarelli, Raoul and The Big Time, Heidi Lange, Ray Edge, Fathead, New Millennium Orchestra, amongst others. [10] When not performing with Downchild, Carey continues to perform with local bands, the Hogtown All Stars, Lou Pinto, Maple Blues Revue, Raoul and the Big Time, Sophia Perlman and the Vipers, Chuck Jackson's Allstars and Bradley and the Bouncers. [11]
The documentary
In 2012, Carey was involved in a live concert documentary that was produced outlining the 40-year career of the Downchild Blues Band. Through their musical legacy Downchild, had a huge impact on Canadian and American culture, influencing a new generation of young musicians including Colin James, Jeff Healey and many more to continue the blues tradition in Canada. Downchild was the inspiration for actor Dan Aykroyd’s Blues Brothers phenomenon. [12]
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live. Belushi and Aykroyd were lead vocalist 'Joliet' Jake Blues and harmonica player and vocalist Elwood Blues, respectively, donning black suits with matching trilby hats and sunglasses. The band was composed of well-known musicians and debuted as the musical guest in a 1978 episode of Saturday Night Live, opening the show performing "Hey Bartender" and "Soul Man".
Sue Foley is a Canadian blues guitarist and singer. She has released 15 albums since her debut with Young Girl Blues (1992). In May 2020, Foley won her first Blues Music Award, in the 'Koko Taylor Award ' category.
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David Gogo, is a Canadian blues guitarist, singer-songwriter and bandleader who is currently signed to the independent Cordova Bay Records label. He was formerly signed to EMI Records. Between 1994 and 2014, he released 12 solo albums. As of 2014, his touring band includes a Hammond organ/piano player, an electric bass player and a drummer.
JW-Jones is a Canadian blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He is a Juno Award nominee (2015), Billboard magazine Top 10 Selling artist, and winner of the International Blues Challenge for "Best Self-Produced CD Award" for his release 'High Temperature' in 2017 and Best Guitarist in 2020.
The Downchild Blues Band is a Canadian blues band, described by one reviewer as "the premier blues band in Canada". The band is still commonly known as the Downchild Blues Band, though the actual band name was shortened to "Downchild" in the early 1980s. The Blues Brothers band was heavily influenced by Downchild Blues Band.
Michael Fonfara was a Canadian keyboard player who was most notable for his work as a member of The Electric Flag and Rhinoceros in the 1960s, Rough Trade and Lou Reed's backing band in the 1970s and The Downchild Blues Band, from 1990 to the present. He studied classical piano at The Royal Conservatory of Music. He is a multiple Maple Blues Award winner as Piano/Keyboardist of the year and a Juno Award winner with the Downchild Blues Band. His distinguished musical career was so honoured by the Maple Blues Awards as early as 2000 and a Juno Award in 2014.
Chuck Jackson is the Canadian musician, lead singer and one of two harmonica players in the Downchild Blues Band, otherwise known as Downchild, with which he has been associated since 1990.
William Taylor Bryans was a Canadian percussionist, songwriter, music producer and DJ, known as one of the founders of The Parachute Club, among other accomplishments in music. As a producer, he worked on projects for artists as diverse as Dutch Mason, Raffi, Lillian Allen and the Downchild Blues Band. He was born in Montreal, but spent most of his adult life in Toronto, and was particularly supportive of world music as both a promoter and publicist, focusing on bringing Caribbean, Cuban and Latin American music to a wider audience.
Gary Kendall is a Canadian bassist, vocalist and band leader, best known for his longstanding association with the Downchild Blues Band and co-creator of the Kendall Wall Band.
Steve Strongman is a Canadian blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has released several full length blues albums, Honey, Blues in Colour, Live at the BarnA Natural Fact, Let Me Prove it to You and No Time Like Now.
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The Kendall Wall Band originally known as the Kendall Wall Blues Band, was a Canadian blues band formed in September 1983 by award-winning Canadian bassist, vocalist, Gary Kendall and alumnus and collaborator drummer Cash Wall who was the band's co-leader and lead vocalist. Both Wall and Kendall are former members of the Downchild Blues Band which is commonly known as 'the premier blues band in Canada'. The addition of harmonica player Bob 'Cadillac Eddy' Adams and guitarist Richard Smyth, completed the band.
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