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The Blackburn Brothers are a Canadian blues band composed of a core group of three siblings, Duane Blackburn (lead vocals, organ, piano), Brooke Blackburn (guitar, vocals, composition), and Cory Blackburn (drums, harmony vocals). They are most noted as two-time Juno Award nominees for Blues Album of the Year.

Formerly known as Blackburn, the band has been described by Living Blues magazine as a "generational family band plays traditional blues and R&B with a contemporary take."

Additional band members include longtime horn section bandmates Neil Brathwaite on tenor saxophone and Ted Peters on trombone, as well as Andrew Stewart on bass guitar. Their studio production team includes oldest sibling Robert Blackburn (guitar, vocals, composition), Howard Ayee (producer, bass), and cousin Nathan Blackburn (bass).

History

Formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1996, the band's music synthesizes the blues with rhythm and blues, soul and funk. Members of the Black Canadian community, they are the sons of blues singer Bobby Dean Blackburn, a longtime performer in Toronto's music scene.

The band's first album, Soul Searchin', was released in 1997.

In 2010, they released their second album, Brotherhood, and won the Maple Blues Award for Best New Band.

In 2015, Blackburn Brothers released Brothers in This World, which earned them their first Juno nomination for Blues Album of The Year at the Juno Awards of 2016.

Their fourth album, SoulFunkn'Blues, was released in 2023, and garnered the band their second Juno Award nomination for Blues Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2024. Additionally, the album received three Blues Music Award nominations for Album of the Year, Soul Blues Album of the Year, and Song of the Year (a new precedent from a Canadian band), and a record-setting nine nominations in the 2024 Maple Blues Awards, including Entertainer of the Year and Electric Act of the Year.

Discography

• Soul Searchin' (1997, Arctic Records Canada)
• Brotherhood (2010, Make It Real Records)
• Brothers in This World (2016, Electro-Fi Records) (#1 RMR. May 28, 2015)
• SoulFunkn'Blues (2023, Electro-Fi Records) (#1 RMR. Sept 30, 2023)

Awards and nominations

References

1. Robin Caudell, "The Blackburn Brothers, wayshowers of 230 years of Canadian Roots & Blues". Press-Republican, June 13, 2024.
2. Bill Kopp (January–February 2024). "Blackburn Brothers: A Band of Brothers". Living Blues.
3. Austin, Jack (2023-12-03). "Featured Interview – The Blackburn Brothers". Blues Blast Magazine. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
4. Talbot, Michael (February 16, 2023). "The musical legacy of local legend Bobby Dean Blackburn". CityNews.
5. Lenny Stoute, "Band's Soul Searching builds on family musical tradition". Toronto Star, October 2, 1997.
6. Eric Thom (March 10, 2009). "Blackburn: Brotherhood". Exclaim!.
7. ^ Coral Andrews, "The beat of the Blackburn brothers". Waterloo Region Record, April 1, 2016.
8. ^ "Junos 2016: Complete list of Juno Award nominees". CBC News. February 2, 2016.
9. Brian Kelly, "Music 'buzz' best for Blackburn Brothers". Sault Star, February 3, 2024.
10. ^ "Junos 2024: full list of winners". CBC Music, March 23, 2024.
11. ^ "Maple Blues Awards 2024: The Blackburn Brothers earn nine nominations". CJRT-FM. November 1, 2023.
12. Adam Bowie, "Matt Andersen earns three Maple Blues nominations". Telegraph-Journal, October 28, 2011.
13. Adam Bowie, "Province's blues acts earn Maple Blues nominations". The Daily Gleaner, November 3, 2015.
14. Adam Bowie, "Matt Andersen sings his way to fourth straight national award". Bugle-Observer, January 27, 2017.
15. "2024 Blues Music Awards nominees announced". Blues Rock Review, January 25, 2024.

• Canadian blues musical groups
• Musical groups from Toronto
• Musical groups established in 1996
• Black Canadian musical groups