He’s been flooded out of his home, lost belongings beyond repair and held his wife’s hand through the loss of her job due to the June crisis in High River.
Through it all, he’s found his way to the stage, performing his signature simultaneous note-bending style of blues and jazz with his solo, acoustic show, the Eh! Team (blues band) and his Jazz Trio – his favourite project.
Touted as one of the top guitarists in the west, with a heavy hand in music for more than four decades, Amos Garrett will be making his way to Cochrane with the Amos Garrett Jazz Trio (Kevin Smith on guitar and Greg Carroll on bass) on Nov. 23 for an 8 p.m. show, accompanied by their premier album Jazzblues.
For years, recording a jazz album has been at the top of the bucket list for the 72-years-young musician. His first kick at the can and the album has already found it’s way into the pool of selections for Grammy nominations.
It’s been a bittersweet year for Garrett, whose house was part of one of the most hard-hit areas in High River.
Bitter, as Garrett lost many personal treasures and saw extensive damages to his home.
Sweet, as in the flurry of supporters, fellow musicians and fans who have stepped up to the plate to support Garrett and his wife, Denise, during this time of need.
“We are extremely touched by the generosity of everyone, including all the work crews and volunteers,” said Garrett.
“The stress was beyond anything I had experienced. We had 90 seconds to evacuate our home,” reflected Garrett, adding that as he and Denise were gathering what they could fill their arms with, fireman were pounding on their front door.
Across the country, various musical friends have joined forces to put on ‘Amos Garrett Relief Concerts’ in Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg, as well as an Edmonton concert slated for Nov. 16.
A once upon a time player with Ian and Sylvia Tyson and the Great Speckled Bird as well as with the Paul Butterfield Better Days band, Garrett’s career has seen him perform and record with more than 150 artists, including Geoff and Maria Muldaur and churn out some dozen solo albums through Alberta’s premier roots and blues label, Stony Plain Records.
Garrett has also garnered recognition for his signature guitar solo on the hit Maria Muldaur tune, “Midnight at the Oasis” (1974) and can be heard on Anne Murray’s rendition of ‘Snowbird” (1970).
It’s all just a day in the life for Garrett – a man of rather humble means, who enjoys fly-fishing and hunting when he’s not performing.
Born in Detriot, MI, but raised in Toronto, Garrett’s nearly 60 years of wielding his musical ax continues to see him as a highly sought-after musician on the festival circuits on both sides of the border.
It was at the 2013 Vancouver Island MusicFest this past summer, held in Comox, B.C., that saw Garrett ticking off another bucket list item: playing with his personal guitar hero James Burton, alongside long-time pals, Albert Lee and David Wilcox.
“I was scared to death with that show,” he laughed. “James (Burton) came up to me and threw his arms around me and said ‘man, you’re one of my most favourite guitar players’…I almost cried….and I played better than I had ever played in my life.”
Garrett has been able to return to his home in High River, where he and his wife are in the midst of waterproofing and mould-proofing their basement and getting their house back in working order.
Tickets to Amos Garrett are available at Legacy Guitar and Coffee House or by visiting legacyguitarhouse.com.
