Commercial Hotel Centennial Celebration

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

The Celebration of the Century

eXtRA! eXtRA!

100 THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL TURNS

Commemorating the

CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY of the AMALGAMATION of

olD strathcona and the

city oF eDmonton

FeAtuRing: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH CURRENT AND FORMER STAFF — BLUES LEGENDS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF BLUES ON WHYTE

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

A messAge FRom ouR shAReholDeRs

A welcome FRom the eDitoR

A

CENTURY OF SERVICE TO A COMMUNITY IS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT CELEBRATED VERY OFTEN, PARTICULARLY IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD WHERE

THE PROVINCE OF

ALBERTA ONLY CELEBRATED ITS CENTENARY

SEVEN YEARS AGO.

Over the past few years, we, the owners and staff of the Commercial Hotel have been aware that this important milestone was looming and the countdown to the anniversary, if not marked on the calendar, was being noted with every passing month, week and day.

How many generations of Canadians and visitors from foreign lands have walked up the stairs to the rooms above Whyte Avenue to lay their weary heads down after a hard days work.

Maybe the check in at the front desk came after a long trek from another part of the country, individuals making their way to this province that has been a beacon for those looking for work for so many decades.

The brick wall exterior of the Commercial Hotel has been a welcome site for those seeking entertainment, companionship and camaraderie for just about as long as the hotel has been standing.

How many university and college students, employees in Whyte Avenue shops, CPR railroad workers, young couples patronizing the Princess Theatre, and longtime residents of Strathcona have uttered the words, “meet you at the Commie for a couple” or “we need to catch the band at Blues On Whyte” as the years have passed by?

So here we are, 100 years on, and we, the ownership, management and staff, both past and present, are pleased to look

The late, great bluesman Little Milton sang a terrific song that succinctly reflects what has transpired at the Commercial Hotel thru the years and that song is If Walls Could Talk. In some ways it’s too bad these old walls can’t talk and in some ways it’s just as well they can’t.

But we are going to celebrate the fact that they are still standing and in the kind of shape that could carry the Commercial into another century.

back on what has transpired at 10329 – 82 avenue during that time span.

We began talking about putting a commemorative newspaper together as part of the 100th anniversary about 18 months ago, a paper that would remind us all of what a grand dame of a place the Commercial Hotel has been, through all her incarnations and transitions.

We’re thrilled that so many artists who played the tavern and Blues On Whyte over the years responded to our call and let us know how much they appreciated the venue and how you, the audience, responded to their songs and performances.

We’d like to thank all the sponsors and partners who are helping make this celebration possible.

Most of all we appreciate your being a member of the Commercial Hotel’s large and extended family, so have a great time celebrating 100 years of refuge, refreshment, and regaling with us.

We’ve all talked about the abundance of good and great days we’ve all enjoyed serving you in one way or another at the Commercial Hotel and now here are some memories and flashbacks that stand out in the history of this historic structure.

Here’s to the Commercial Hotel! ~Peter North

Many thanks and heartfelt gratitude go out to Mike Purcell, Peter North, Vue Weekly, Old Strathcona Business Association, Old Strathcona Foundation, all the staff of the Commercial Hotel for all your efforts and enthusiasm in preparing this commemorative booklet and the street party for the 100th Birthday Celebrations!

But perhaps most importantly to all our customers, past and present, those of you that have come to visit or be entertained, we wish to thank you for your patronage and hope you enjoy the festivities.

~Herb Ortlieb and fellow Shareholders

mAstheAD CONTRIBUTORS MESSRS. GRAHAM GUEST, TIM KOSLO, LAWRENCE HERZOG, DAVID WOLOSCHUK MRS. ROSE ORTLIEB-ROSS WORDSMITH — MR. PETER NORTH MASTER TYPESETTER — M R. MIKE SIEK APPRENTICE FONTSMAN — MR. ROSS VINCENT

The Commercial Hotel would like to thank the following sponsors for making this event possible:

© 2012 Postvue Publishing. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without the written consent of the publisher.

To have your guide or promotional product produced, contact Rob Lightfoot, Publisher, at rob@postvuepublishing.com or 780.426.1996

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100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

the commeRciAl hotel THE WOLOSCHUK FAMILY REFLECTS ON A CENTURY OF HISTORY t

he Commercial Hotel has been a gathering place for thousands upon thousands of people for the better part of a century.

One can only imagine how many conversations about politics, the state of the city, the Oilers, the Oil Kings, the Eskimos, music, trends, the oil patch, the cold weather, the droughts, the waitresses, the price of beer, the price of grain, the price of cigarettes, the impending ban on smoking have taken place between these four walls.

Add to that the number of late night get-togethers in the hotel rooms above the tavern that have been inspired by, "just one more case" of off sales and camaraderie, and the total would be enough to cause a hand held calculator to melt down.

You've probably been in on those winding conversations in the Commie and more than likely been the fly on the wall to animated and at times heated conversations that were within ear shot of your table as you sat enjoying a cold glass of ale and a few hot tunes from the stage.

If only walls could talk.

Deanna and David Woloschuk are second generation shareholders of the Commercial Hotel who have taken over partnership responsibilities from their father, the late Russ Woloschuk. They are proud partners in the business and have been working in and around the Commercial Hotel for

many years and have many stories to share. And there is nothing like being privy to a conversation between to people who have been long time contributors to the business and watching them jog them jog each others memories as they look back on the years, reminded of who, what and when has made the meeting place in Old Strathcona so special.

Today, David and Deanna have largely taken over the day to day shareholder responsibilities of the Hotel.

They were young kids when their father joined the investment group that bought the Commercial Hotel in 1971 and have not only heard many great Commercial Hotel stories over the years from their father, they have lived their share of them too.

"I can't remember a time when I didn't hear references to this place, going right back to the days when I was a little kid," says David Woloschuk with an accompanying smile. These days, at least three days a week, David has become more and more like his late father, a "jack of all trades" around the Commercial Hotel.

His sister, Deanna also puts in a number of hours every week to help ensure the business runs smoothly.

Deanna remembers the days when "regulations were different" in the industry and so was technology in the licensed premises that were referred to as beer parlours. You might possibly remember there was a time when one side of a licensed establishment was for men only. The other room was for "ladies and escorts", and such entrance ways were usually marked with neon or painted signs.

"When I first started hanging around the Hotel, there were also employees known as "tap men", guys who just poured beer. That was all they did. Prices were legislated by the ALCB and I remember beer was 15 cents a glass and each Hotel was assigned a particular brewery. For instance, one bar would sell Labatt products and another bar would sell Bohemian Maid or Molson products. The Ladies and Escorts section of the Commercial Hotel was where the VLT Room and Liquor store are now, which was one room at the time, recalls Deanna.

3

Reminding us that the Hotel business is a seven day, 24 hour a day, 365 days a year business, David feels like he is in some ways following in his father's footsteps. Russ Woloschuk, by the way, passed away in 2004.

"There's always something to learn here. Whether it is about stocking a liquor store, being introduced to all the different kinds of maintenance, understanding how to deal with the clientele, or learning civic and provincial government regulations, it's never ending" says the young man who can't remember a time in his life when he didn't hear "references to the place".

Watching the evolution of the place has gone hand in hand with watching the evolution of the neighbourhood as well.

Deanna points to the days when management of The Commercial Hotel, The Strathcona Hotel, and The Park Hotel, which sat where the ATB sits on 104 St and 80 Ave, would "share openings on stat holidays. That way staff of all Hotels would get some holidays and time off".

For all the staff that has come and gone, many employees have worked at the Commercial Hotel for years and some return for second and third terms of duty. It is pretty apparent that the people driving the Commercial Hotel wanted to see the establishment succeed on any number of levels and that vision continues to drive the Hotel today.

After David has just reminded us of how it is a "younger, U of A crowd", coming through the doors on a Friday night, Deanna responds by pointing out that the daytime is a "completely different kettle of fish."

One thing is for sure, the proprietors, management and staff all want to see the customers of Blues on Whyte "have a good time" and that the clientele who book rooms "enjoy their stay."

"We all have a fondness for the Hotel, you really do develop a relationship with the place. You hang around for so long it becomes part of you and I'm sure it's the same for many of the customers" says David with a smile.

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

congRAtulAtions!

MESSAGES FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS i

am very excited to congratulate the owners and staff of the Commercial Hotel on 100 years of success in Edmonton-Strathcona.

In its century of operation in our community, the Commercial has seen countless performers and patrons come through its doors. As time has passed, the Hotel has only grown in importance as a colorful element of Whyte Avenue.

The Commercial has also played a crucial role in keeping live music thriving here in Edmonton. Renowned musicians from all over the world have visited Edmonton because of the Commercial Hotel.

The Commercial is a space where people from all walks of life can come together to enjoy great music. It has for a century served as a vibrant meeting place in Strathcona for all Edmontonians, and will no doubt continue to do so for many years more.

Congratulations! ~Rachel Notley

MLA, Edmonton-Strathcona

o

n behalf of the Old Strathcona Business Association I would like to congratulate the Commercial Hotel for reaching their 100 year milestone and providing a century of diverse entertainment and service. ‘Blues on Whyte’ continues to attract the best that the Blues has to offer, and speaks to a variety of clientele, which plays a significant role in the “Experience that is Old Strathcona & Whyte Avenue!”

All the best and we look forward to another 100 years! ~Murray Davison

Executive Director, Old Strathcona Business Association

c

ongratulations to Whyte Avenue's Commercial Hotel on its 100th anniversary!

This 10329 82 (Whyte) Ave. spot has been a coveted location since 1894.

Two other hotels stood here prior to the Commercial being built in 1911-1912 at a cost of $50,000. Although the hotel still boasts 72 hotel rooms, it's best known today as a place that nurtures young blues talent at its famous lounge, Blues on Whyte.

Edmontonians have also enjoyed seeing a long list of famous acts there, including: Lucky Peterson, King Biscuit Boy, Shemekia Copeland, William Clarke and Downchild Blues Band. From Chicago-style, to Mississippi Delta, the Commercial Hotel's Blues on Whyte has dished out a sumptuous diet of music for decades.

The Saturday afternoon blues jam is a staple of our city's thriving music scene – a ritual where everyone from bikers to barristers gather to share a love of music.

This cultural destination has been ably guided by Herb Ortleib – the major shareholder since 1971. Herb officially retired a few years ago but still works at day or two a week at the Commercial.

Again, best wishes to the Commercial on your 100th birthday! May the next 100 years be equally successful. ~kerry Diotte

Edmonton City Councillor, Ward 11

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100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

RemembeR when...

1910-1920 - EARLY HISTORY OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL D

id you know that the Commercial Hotel that we patronize and routinely look at whether we’re strolling, cycling or driving by, isn’t the first edition of the Commercial Hotel to be built on the Whyte avenue site?

While we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the wonderful three storey brick structure, it was actually a wooden framed hotel that was built on the exact site in the mid-1890s, and there was an addition put onto that structure after 1904.

The original structure was designed by George Allan Cameron who had worked his way across the country from his native Ontario, building churches on the prairies.

According to city archives, libraries and reputable sources like newspapers, that wooden structure was painstakingly dismantled board by board in 1911 and once those materials were hauled away the basic structure we recognize today was erected.

The oldest portion of the current Commercial Hotel is the west side of the building and the best vantage point to see what was a modern brick building looked like a century ago is by standing directly across the avenue.

One of the archived sources that remind us of the history of the Commercial Hotel is a supplement or special edition of the Edmonton Journal that was printed in 1913. It was published just after the doors of the new building were opened to the public.

DID YOU KNOW?

The new Commercial was one of the dreams of then owner Stephen Swaboda. However Swaboda sold his interests to a progressive developer named Thomas J. Walsh just as construction of the new building was underway. Walsh was a prominent figure in the Edmonton area who upon his arrival, just after 1880, became the principal at St. Anthony’s school. A number of years later he accepted a position with the young Alberta government in the education department.

TWINNING of the cities of Strathcona and Edmonton came about with the construction of the High Level Bridge that began in 1910. The city of Strathcona contributed a $50,000 grant to construction costs after ratepayers voted 691 in favor to 263 against to build the bridge which was completed in 1913.

AT THE SAME TIME the new Commercial Hotel was being built, construction on the Post Office at 105 street and Whyte avenue had commenced and the construction of first stage of the University Hospital was underway. The Post Office cost $70,000 and the hospital over $100,000.

A few years later, and around the same time Walsh was seeing his vision of the new Commercial Hotel become a reality, he was also elected to the Edmonton City Council in a 1912 election. This coincided with Edmonton amalgamating with the city of Strathcona.

The new Commercial, which cost just under $50,000 to build, was one of five hotels in the Strathcona neighborhood at the time, but certainly the one that gained a reputation as a top flight establishment of the day.

According to records of the day, the hotel could accommodate some 100 patrons, every room had hot and cold running water and the Commercial became a destination point for travelers, one, because of a reputation as a first class establishment, and in part thanks to its close proximity to the CPR station that sits just south of 103 street and Whyte avenue.

Upon opening the new hotel, Walsh hired Mr. J Pendel who was an experienced hotel man-

STRATHCONA is named for visionary entrepreneur Donald Smith who became Lord Strathcona. Smith was one of the most prominent men in the history of the Hudson’s Bay Company and he was also employed by the Canadian government to quell the Riel Rebellion on the prairies. Smith’s most notable achievement, and one of the greatest feats of early Canadian history, was his vision of building a railway from coast to coast. The final spike was driven into the CPR at Craigellachie, British Columbia on November 7, 1885 by CPR railroad financier Donald Smith.

ager, to oversee the day to day operations of the business.

The dining room in the new Commercial Hotel was one of the finest on the prairies, employing a respected chef and boasting a staff of 16 and an impressive menu.

WHYTE AVENUE was the scene of the most construction activity in 1911 and 1912 in the greater Edmonton area.

Just prior to World War I, the real estate boom in Edmonton ended suddenly, causing the city's population to decline sharply—from over 72,500 in 1914 to under 54,000 only two years later. It was a number of years before the city’s population would show rapid growth.

1890-1920

IMAGES COURTESY OF CITY OF EDMONTON ARCHIVES

WHEN WORLD WAR ONE broke out in August 1914, Major Griesbach and many of the 19th Alberta Dragoons volunteered for the 1st Divisional Cavalry Squadron of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Many from the 101st Regiment (Edmonton Fusiliers) joined the 9th Battalion, one of the new numbered infantry units established the existing militia structure was set aside in assembling active service units for overseas duty. The 9th Battalion was sent to England but remained there as a static reinforcement battalion sending troops to other units.

1908 1899

May 29, 1899 Strathcona was incorporated as a town named after Lord Strathcona

1891

ONE OF THE MOST prominent families in the Edmonton/ Strathcona community in the early nineteen hundreds was the Pollard family whose patriarchs were brothers Frank and John Pollard who established a brick yard in the flats. The Pollards, following World War I would also own and operate an auto supply business and open a theatre.

The Calgary and Edmonton Railway arrived in 1891, establishing an urban hamlet on what is now Whyte Avenue

Premier A.C. Rutherford, Strathcona’s MLA established the University of Alberta in the City of Strathcona in 1908, in the building that is now Old Scona Academic High School

1914

World War I began on 28 July 1914

1902

As fires swept through many prairie communities, Strathcona's town council passed an ordinance requiring that all buildings be constructed of fire-resistant materials, such as brick

5

1912

The City of Strathcona was annexed by the City of Edmonton on February 1, 1912.

1918

World War I ends when Germany signs Armistice on 11 November 1918

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

RemembeR when...

BUILDING THE FOUNDATION THE MEN BEHIND THE DESIGN OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL

t

he fingerprints and blueprints of one Arthur Gordon Wilson were all over Strathcona as the district began to take shape at the turn of the twentieth century.

Wilson, and his partner D.E. Herrald were the architects responsible for so many stately buildings that were constructed all over the neighborhood not long after Wilson came to Canada, and specifically Alberta.

Born in 1882, Wilson studied at University College in Dundee Scotland now known as the University of Dundee. He entered the school with the intention of becoming an architect and according to records he began an apprenticeship, articling with John Murray Robertson in 1901.

Robertson was a highly regarded Scottish architect whose portfolio included the design of many hotels, educational institutes, churches and merchant shops.

A YOUNG ARCHITECT TAKES A LOOK BACK AT THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL

i

n 1996 Christine Anne Lintott was a student at the UBC School of Architecture and in the process of completing and submitting her thesis required for her Degree of Master of Architecture.

The subject of Ms. Lintott’s thesis was titled Re-Membering The Commercial Hotel in Edmonton and the study is the combination of an extensive look at the structure and a proposal to expand on the structure as it stands.

In her thesis, Lintott, who now has her own architecture firm in Victoria, runs through the existing structure, mentions the significance of the Commercial to the existing neighborhood and outlined a prospective plan for expansion of the Commercial.

So why would a architecture

1920-1940

1920

student on our west coast decide to put her focus on a 90 year old building on the Canadian prairies for her thesis?

“Well the reason I chose the hotel as my thesis subject was because I am offspring of the Radomsky clan that has been a shareholder in the Commercial Hotel. So I grew up on the prairies and understood what a major piece of the cultural fabric The Commercial was, going right back to the settlement of Strathcona and the days when the railroad was built,” says Lintott from her business offices on the west coast.

Lintott was interested in the “nature of the architecture”, as well as the structural specifics of the walls and “how the Commercial Hotel grew and expanded structurally.”

While there is not an abundance of early twentieth century structures similar to the Commercial Hotel still standing on the prairies, Lintott says it is a very good representation of design that was once popular in urban prairie communities in that era.

Lintott’s thesis took a look at what possible expansion of the hotel could look like if the owners were ever interested in yet another remodeling of the structure.

The music venue stayed a centrepiece in my plans as The Commercial and Blues On Whyte continue to be a mirror on the culture of the community,” added Lintott who incorporated the idea of a brew pub and upgraded accommodations for more transient individuals into her plans and thesis that were submitted to the University of British Co-

“I wasn’t really expecting anything to come of it,” says the architect who took the needs of less privileged members of the Strathcona community into consideration while creating her new plans.

July 1, 1920

The Dominion Elections Act, uniform franchise is established and the right for women to be elected to parliament is made permanent

Prohibition period (banning the sale of alcohol) begins in the U.S.

After apprenticing with Robertson for four years and acting as an assistant for an additional year with Robertson's firm, Wilson emigrated to Canada in 1906, making his way to Winnipeg where he was hired by the

“It wasn’t pie in the sky stuff.

Eaton's Department Stores open a regional mail order headquarters in Moncton, New Brunswick. Eaton's mail order business peaks at 60 million dollars

The two set up shop in Edmonton by 1908 and Wilson was admitted to the Licentiate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1912.

Wilson and Herrald quickly won a number of commissions in their new community and the design of the expansion of the Commercial Hotel is just one example of their work that today reflects the history of Strathcona.

The Strathcona Firehall, which has been home to the Walterdale Playhouse since 1974, was one such commission as is the Strathcona Public Library that was also completed in 1912.

Their imprint on the neighborhood doesn’t stop there as the Princess Theatre, the long time neighbor to the west of the Commercial, was also designed by the team of Wilson and Herrald, and that historical structure was constructed between 1914 and 1915.

Across the city, Wilson and

lumbia School of Architecture School in June of 1996.

Obviously the Masters thesis committee at the UBC School of Architecture was impressed

by Lintott’s work, assessments and vision as she has gone on to establish herself in the architecture community in the lower mainland area of British Colum-

1926 November 21, 1921

Canada is granted a coat of arms by Royal Proclamation. Canada's official colours declared to be red and white

December 3, 1921 1920

firm of Stevenson & Paterson with whom he stayed for a year before forming his partnership with Herrald.

The first East-West Grey Cup game took place between the Toronto Argonauts and the Edmonton Eskimos

Alberta general election, 1930: Premier John Brownlee’s United Farmers of Alberta win a third consecutive majority

October 29, 1929

The crash of the New York Stock Exchange marks the beginning of the Great Depression

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The firm also bid on the some of the designs for the University of British Columbia campus plans but did were not successful in those bids.

According to records, Wilson’s name was last listed in the 1916 Edmonton Directory, a time when he held the post of government munitions inspector and from 1920 through ’23 the business kept an office in Calgary.

bia.

“I’m proud of my thesis about the Commercial Hotel. It was very well received and sparked a lot of interesting discussion,” says the woman who still thinks the Commercial is the best place to listen to the blues in western Canada.

Trans-Canada Airlines, the predecessor of Air Canada, was created as a subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway

1930

The Bank of Canada is formed

As you can see, the Commercial Hotel is one of the handful of buildings designed and built to last by the firm of Wilson and Herrald and one of those that reminds us of the rich heritage of Strathcona.

1937

John Brownlee's United Farmers of Alberta win a second consecutive majority

1934

Herrald also won the commission to design the First Presbyterian Church that stands south of Jasper Avenue on the east side of 105 street. That was to be the firms’ only church related commission. They were also responsible for designing and building the mansion for the then premier A.C. Rutherford. Today, Rutherford House is one of the jewels of the U of A campus.

June 26, 1935

1938

Vaccination for tuberculosis is introduced

"Regina Riot": Royal Canadian Mounted Police fire into unarmed crowd of unemployed marchers in September 10, 1939 Regina, Saskatchewan World War II: Canada declares war on Germany, one week after Britain

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

RemembeR when...

1950S - NEW OWNERSHIP, NEW CAFE, NEW PROSPECTS w

e all know that today the Commercial Hotel and Blues On Whyte is a destination point for both residents of our city and visitors to the great Edmonton area.

establishment and through the years the Commercial Café was a popular stop for residents of Strathcona, visitors and those working in the Whyte Avenue area.

While the demographics may have changed a bit over the years, the Commercial has been a hub of activity since the first edition of the hotel was built just after the turn of the last century, and of course we’re speaking of the early 1900’s.

In 1951 a fire caused considerable damage to the café which was operated by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Constantine, who leased the café from the owners of the Commercial.

Hotels were the most prominent gathering places in urban communities in the post World War II era as most of the better known establishments were designed with the amenities to attract those in need of a meal, and those who wished to socialize in a comfortable and inviting setting.

By the time the Commercial Café re-opened on Thursday May 29 1952, at 2:00 p.m., the space featured three brand new horseshoe-shaped counters complete with arborite tops. The counters would seat 29 patrons on swivel stools upholstered with leatherette.

'50S FACTS! ACCORDING TO material found in the City of Edmonton Archives, the Commercial Hotel changed hands in late 1951, as was reported on November 26.

Along with the new counter space, the café added seven deep and spacious booths that brought the capacity of the 24 hour a day eatery to 61.

According to archival files of the day, the two parties decided that an upgrade of the café was in order and that a larger kitchen should replace the old and damaged one.

THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (Edmonton) Co. Ltd, a partnership of four individuals, sold the hotel to another group of purchasers known as the Whyte Ave. Hotel Co. Ltd. For a purchase price of over $300,000.

The new owners took possession of the Commercial on January 1 1952 and the deal was handled by the real estate firm of Maber and Hauptman.

As a café space, it provided continuity in the culinary end of the operation as the Commercial was known for hosting and maintaining “one of the finest dining rooms on the prairies” as far back as the early part of the century.

That decision started a series of changes to the layout and design of the entire facility that was closed for three months following the fire.

In the back end of the operation, the Commercial Café kitchen was outfitted with a new four compartment dishwasher, spacious new cupboards, and top-of-the-line grill.

The Commercial was one such

uated next to the tavern entrance.

Above that entrance way of course sits the sign that was erected in the roaring twenties.

The “hotel” sign is classic neon lighting and a beacon for patrons strolling the avenue.

A new state-of-the-art hot and cold air heater was also installed, providing improved ventilation and comfort for the patrons.

During those renovations and expansion the manager of the Commercial Hotel was Mike Richter who was also a shareholder in the company.

The owners of the hotel in that era, operating as Whyte Avenue Hotel Co. Ltd. decided to embark on a modernization plan for the hotel as well.

New rugs for the hotel expansion were also imported from England and all of the additional rooms had their own bath and/or shower.

That same year, 1952, an extension which expanded the number of rooms to 58 was completed, although construction began a year earlier. Demand was such that the hotel outfitted the new rooms with walnut furniture and desks with affixed wall mirrors.

Looking back through records and interviews with staff and management in eras gone by, one has to take note of comments from Ann Macdonald whose father was one of the owners of the hotel after World War II and her take on the day is a reminder of the changes

The addition extended east from where the tavern windows are sit-

1940-1960

June 28-30, 1940

World War II: The Canadian navy stations seven destroyers in the English Channel; these play an important role in evacuating Allied troops from France

August 15, 1945

VJ Day marks the end of the Second World War. Over a million Canadians had fought in the conflict and 42,000 were killed

May 1943

in our culture in just the past few decades.

Macdonald was quoted as saying in community publications that “she recalled when there was a ladies section of the bar and men’s beer parlour because men and women were not allowed to frequent the same part of the tavern.”

In those days the only time men and women could drink together was on Halloween as patrons came dressed in costumes where gender could be concealed.

Not surprisingly, Commercial Hotel business boomed in the past WW II era, especially once the oil boom was underway. It was common that the hotel would act as lodging for workers attending to the oil fields in close proximity to Edmonton, notably those employed in Devon, Redwater and Leduc.

The oil pipeline linking Edmonton to Sarnia is completed

Alberta election: William Aberhart’s Social Credit Party wins a second consecutive majority

1941

The news division of CBC is founded

1944

Joey Smallwood becomes the first premier of Newfoundland as a Canadian province

1951

The Duke of Edinburgh, and The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (now Queen Elizabeth II), attend an Edmonton Eskimos home game. In the western semi-final, Edmonton beat Winnipeg 4–1

Alberta election: Ernest Manning's Alberta Social Credit Party wins a third consecutive majority

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THE EDMONTON ESKIMOS also won three consecutive Grey Cups in ’54, ‘55 and ’56.

JACKIE PARKER, EDMONTON ESKIMOS 1954 - 1962

Alberta election: Ernest Manning’s Social Credit Party wins a fifth consecutive majority

1949

1940

BETWEEN 1952 AND 1959 Edmontonians saw the completion of the Clover Bar Bridge (1952) and the completion of Groat Road and the Groat Bridge (1955). Westmount Centre opened as the city’s first shopping mall (1955), the Jubilee Auditorium opened in 1957 while the Storyland Valley Zoo opened its gates in 1959.

1952

1950

William Aberhart, premier of Alberta, dies in office. Ernest Manning becomes premier

AS THE FIFTIES unfolded in Edmonton it was apparent this was a city going through significant changes and blossoming into a more cosmopolitan centre.

1953

The Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline is completed

1958

John Diefenbaker leads the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada to a massive election victory

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

heRb oRtlieb GUIDING THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL FOR 40 PLUS YEARS Commercial and what brought them back and made it a regular stop for them. It was a good, prosperous time in Alberta then and the place, like the province, was booming from ’71 until ’79.”

For those of us old enough to remember, the Commercial tavern from the forties through the late eighties was one long rectangular room and the entertainment stage was set at the south-west end corner of the room, just to the right of the men’s washroom entrance.

The patrons were a mix of CPR railroad workers coming off shifts, oilfield workers, tradesmen, the odd table of university students and fans of traditional country music.

One thing never changed while Herb was the innkeeper and man in charge. You might see him mingling with his clientele, but you’d never see him socializing by having a beer with any of his regulars.

i

t was just over 40 years ago that Herb Ortlieb took a personal risk when invited to invest with a group of complete strangers in order to buy The Commercial Hotel, but to hear the longtime major shareholder speak about those days with such clarity, you’d think that he had just walked in the doors of the Whyte avenue establishment for the first time only a few weeks ago.

Anyone who has spent any time hanging at the Commercial, or Commie as it is affectionately referred to by so many patrons, knows Herb to see him and many long time patrons of the hotel and members of the business community have had numerous chin wags with this somewhat unassuming but very approachable gentleman.

On the flip side of the coin, patrons from younger generations may not be aware of Herb’s place in the history of the century old establishment, but they recognize him none-the-less.

Whether you know of Herb’s association with the Commercial or not, anyone over 40 years of age,

who has spent numerous Saturday afternoons tipping a few brew and listening to the blues at the legendary weekly jam sessions, has seen Herb attending to any number of tasks. Perhaps he’s pointing out a few chores that need to be taken care of to a new staff member, he might be talking to a resident of the hotel, or Herb could be scouring the place taking note of things that could be tweaked or refined down the road.

The good news for Herb is that the days of a full blown overhaul at the establishment are long gone, although the Commercial Hotel is in the midst of some extensive renovations on the second and third floors as the 100th anniversary celebrations take place.

“It's not like it was in April of 1971 when we purchased the Commercial,” says the soft-spoken man who has no absolutely no regrets about taking on the challenge of writing a new chapter in the hotel’s history book. Of course, that chapter has turned into a few chapters after 4 decades of guiding the operation.

‘I remember that there were no empty storefronts around us.

Everything was leased and business was good,” recalls Herb of an area where pizza joints, book stores, greasy spoons, pool halls, other licensed establishments, lumber yards, the south side Army and Navy and even the odd strip club thrived.

“The place wasn’t in good shape when I took it over,” recalls Herb, whose purchase of the hotel coincided with the Alberta Liquor Control Board dropping the legal age of consumption from 21 to 18.

The Commercial had a reputation of sorts and he had to show the ALCB inspectors that he would be ushering in a new era for the hotel.

It was also an era when Klondike Days was a still a major civic event and enough Edmontonians responded to the theme that every bar in town held Klondike parties and every banjo and clarinet player within 500 miles had a guaranteed ten day gig, playing not only the licensed establishments like the Commercial but pancake breakfasts in hotel and public parking lots.

“We had to apply all over again for a liquor license and I remember that it was a very tough inspection.”

Herb isn’t kidding when he then talks about the days of “being willing to sleep in the hotel.”

“The city really got behind Klondike Days and the rodeo in those days and country music was very popular with our crowd,” says the businessman who long ago earned a reputation as an individual with an amazing work ethic.

That’s what was required to get everything in line, and make sure that his goals for the establishment were being met.

“The clientele needed to feel safe here and the same went for the staff. You also have to have an open mind about people and give them the benefit of the doubt to a point. I was always communicating with the customers, finding out what they liked about the

Proof of that work ethic is still evident today as Herb, although officially semi-retired, can be found working on the Commercial premises every Monday.

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In that era of the early seventies and into the eighties, Herb and his partners continued to expand their Hotel Portfolio all over Alberta and into BC. He can list off the names of well known Hotels such as The Voyageur Inn in Banff, The Mount Robson in Jasper, The Riviera in Fort McMurray, two more Hotels in Dawson Creek, The Bonaventure Hotel and The Ambassador Hotels of Edmonton, and land in Westlock.

Everyone endured through a recession and a drop in oil prices and production that hit in 1981, but the economy got another shot in the arm by ’87 and Herb and his shareholders hatched a plan to expand the tavern.

“Some of our shareholders had construction business savvy and we had a pretty big parking lot that allowed us to extend the bar on the east side of the hotel. It cost us $200,000 dollars to build that extension with the sunken dance floor and the new stage.

That happened in 1987.”

By that time Edmonton was becoming known as a roots music Mecca of sorts, at least in Canada.

A few years earlier the ALCB had made it easier to acquire stand alone licenses where cafés like The Sidetrack and Andante could sell liquor and provide entertainment without insisting patrons had to eat. Competition for the entertainment and nightlife dollar was suddenly more intense and wasn’t confined to the taverns, lounges and cabarets in hotels.

Herb could see that there was an impending changing of the guard in terms of the demographic that patronized the Commercial tavern and he responded accordingly.

Admitting that he was and never will be a blues or R&B aficionado, the proprietor was astute enough to notice that many of the young musicians participating in at the jam sessions were leaning towards the sounds of the blues.

“I hired a new bar manager named Steve Cohen. I sent him on a trip to Chicago to find out who the agents were that we could work with and meet some

musicians who might be interested in coming up here for week or two week engagements. I think the first Chicago musician that Steve brought up after that trip was the Professor,” says Herb in reference to Professor Eddie Lusk.

Lusk became a regular in the hotel tavern that had a new name, Blues On Whyte.

The keyboard player injected a shot of authenticity into the Blues On Whyte entertainment calendar as he had been a session player for stars like Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor and Jimmy Dawkins, and the Professor’s Blues Revue usually included singers like Zora Young and Karen Carroll.

It didn’t take long to see that Herb’s intuition about which way to head when presenting entertainment was right on the money.

Speaking of employees who have served the Commercial with a similar work ethic and commitment, Herb can rattle off a number of names but one of the first on the list is that of Ann McDonald.

“Ann was our book keeper from 1971 to 2007 and if you really wanted to know what was going on here financially and how we were doing, she was the one to go to. Ann played an important part in the success here. She never did use a computer, everything was entered into ledgers by hand and she’s still available to us for advice or if we need to know anything about transactions that happened while she was here,” said Ortlieb before mentioning the name of his current manager.

“I am pleased that Mike (Purcell) is back at the Commercial.

He went and did some other things for a while but he’s done a good job with the music and kept the room safe for the patrons and employees.”

Patrons can see that Commercial Hotel staff stick around for lengthy terms of employment, which speaks to both the quality of management and the patrons

CONT ON PAGE 9 >

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

A DAughteR's View ROSE TELLS US ABOUT HER THOUGHTS ON HER FATHER HERB ORTLIEB today.

I had the distinct pleasure of working as a Front Desk Clerk for many years starting at the age of thirteen. I took great pleasure in the old switchboard and its octupus like chords. I have memories of the streetscape which at that time still included Uncle Alberts, Houston Pizza (my personal favourite), Hub Cigar, the Prudhams Hardware Store, The Park Hotel, and the Blue Danube then Tracy Stars. Some of the great old fixtures were the beautiful penny weigh scales that used to stand on the public sidewalks, old wall mounted pay phones, the old sliding coolers for Pepsi and Coke, and the famous old pull-button cigarette machines. Sadly a few great pieces from the Hotel have been lost overtime such as the ornate cash register (likely from the late 1800's) as seen in the photo, and the working mini oil rig that was displayed in the tavern for years!!

w

hen I think of perserverance, I think of my Dad. For forty years and counting he has hung his hat in the office, rolled up his sleeves and gone to work at The Commie (as it is fondly referred to). I remember as a child following him around and thinking he could do it all.

He would check in guests, operate equipment in the basement, fix the plumbing, patch the roof, count the stock, hire staff, chat with beer and liquor reps, sling beer and make time for customers all in a days work.

When the group of partners bought the Hotel in 1971, it came with an amazing asset, Ann MacDonald. The daughter of one of the previous owners, Ann agreed to continue to work for the new owners and was in-

< CONT FROM PAGE 8

of the establishment.

Over the course of the conversations Herb laughs when he remembers having to confront

valuable to the office and day to day business until she retired a few years ago. Ann brought great class and integrity to The Commie and there wasn't anything she didn't know. She was instrumental in ensuring the smooth operation of all aspects of accounting and office procedures.

Being a Hotelier for an aging building at that time presented many challenges. Space was at a premium and rooms were not up to par with other Hotels.

There was plenty of work to do and several renovations ensued.

Times and trends were changing rapidly back then and Dad knew that if you're not moving forward in your business, then you are sure to fall behind. With silent motivation, and always keeping his customers and staff in the

clientele for back rent, having to explain to long time customers that the music and entertainment policy was changing from country to blues, and working with the ALCB as the powers that be experimented with gambling and

I can't count how many guests I checked in over my teenage years, but some were more colorful than others and some of the names that still come to mind and make me chuckle whether customers or staff were (Leona, The Magnuson Family, John Nud, Bill Raines, (all regulars), Irene (our waitress), Rick Martin (our waiter), and Merv Bunse (outstanding long time and loyal Front Desk Clerk). But perhaps my favourite character was "Take It Easy" (yes that was the name he went by), a happy, older, regular patron who lived out this name and brought a smile to anyone in his company.

forefront of all his decisions, he introduced Blues music to the entertainment scene in early 1984. I remember the talk one day around the family kitchen table, hearing names being tossed around for the new music and the changes to the Tavern.

"Blues on Whyte" was hands down the winner and so it is famously called today.

It was for many years a family affair where both my parents worked tirelessly throughout the Hotel. My brother also worked his junior high school years there where he studied maintenance 101, roof repair, and painting the old trim on the windows while scaling the side of the building. This experience I am sure has laid the foundation of knowledge in renovations and construction that he embodies

The Commie provided me with the best possible education about life. I enjoyed listening to the stories of our guests and hearing the action in the tavern.

On most Saturdays some of that "action" would spill into the Lobby if you know what I mean.

There wasn't a more exciting place to be at in Edmonton and I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world. I always had the best stories to tell at school on Monday mornings!!

Ah, yes, those were the days!

I witnessed that my family and the waiters and waitresses were never walking, it was more like a jog, especially during the Saturday afternoon jam sessions.

People would flood into the Tavern, coming and going through the Lobby, staff needing change, the place was just crazy fun!

To this day the Saturday afternoon Jam has its own pulse. The Hotel just comes alive with music from live bands, and the patrons fill the place with laughter, dancing and socializing. People from every walk of life, every profession have experienced the "jam". If you haven't, it's hard to describe, it can only be experienced. It's an atmosphere to be enjoyed.

The shareholders were a distinguished group of keen investors who to this day enjoy their meetings together and collectively they share a mutual pride in this particular business and the grand old Hotel it has become.

As time passes by the second generation is stepping in where parents have passed on. Today the Boardroom Table seats: • Ron Radomsky (and his wife) (son of original shareholders Gus and Olga Radomsky) • Peter Kule (and his wife Doris) (original shareholders) • David Woloschuk (and his sister Deanna) (son and daughter of the late original shareholders Russ and Anne Woloschuk) • Debbie Lupul (and her brother Lorie) (daughter and son of the late original shareholders Peter and Ruth Lupul) and

and such.”

VLT’s.

“I’m really pleased with the renovations to the hotel rooms.

The Commercial Hotel will always offer clean and comfortable rooms."

“There’s never been any shortage of things to deal with when a business caters to so many people and has to work with so many government departments

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“That the hotel is putting on a street dance and extra entertainment in July is also exciting. 100 years of the Commercial is something to celebrate and we get to pay something back to the com-

• Herbert Ortlieb (and his wife Johanna) (original shareholders).

Dad has always had the utmost respect for his partners, especially Russ Woloschuk, who assisted him for several years in running the Hotel. As the group expanded their investments in Hotels, Russ went on to Manage the Bonaventure Hotel and then the Ambassador Hotel, both of Edmonton.

Dad has recently handed over the reigns of responsibility to David Woloschuk (a second generation shareholder). Although Dave has mighty big shoes to fill, he also comes with a wealth of first hand accounts of what it takes to be a Hotelier. He too has witnessed our fathers' perseverance through many challenges that one can only imagine after forty years in the business.

Between Dave and his sister Deanna and their great passion to continue to provide the regulars and the community alike a fun, safe and historical place to call home, I think the Hotel is in good hands.

It takes character, integrity, and compassion to stick with a business for 40 years. I admire Dad most for unknowingly making sacrifices and commitments to ensuring that this wonderful old treasure called The Commercial Hotel still stands today in all its original glory for people to enjoy.

You can still find Herb stopping in the Hotel on a regular basis. I love to tell the story about Dad's retirement party 15 years ago. Truth is, you can't retire from family and that is what the place and all who enter has become. The Commercial Hotel has not only remained true to its brick and mortar structure but the very life she breathes inside, the heartbeat of hospitality has remained intact for 100 years.

munity,” concludes this man who has made sure that over the last 40 years the Commercial Hotel has been a vibrant destination point for locals and visitors to the city alike.

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

Ann mcDonAlD FORMER STAFFER SHARES HER MEMORIES OF THE COMMERCIAL w

hen it comes to taking a walk down the Commercial Hotel’s memory, few individuals can talk with the kind of authority on the modern day history of the hotel that Ann Mcdonald speaks with.

Mcdonald, in so many ways, also served as management and staff continuity from the fifties, when her father and his associates owned the hotel, until Herb Ortlieb and his associates purchased the Commercial as the seventies began.

“It was December 31, 1950 that my father Terry Wakulich and his business partners took possession of the Commercial. I was very young at the time and of course it was just a business to me and the subject of many conversations I would hear,” says Mcdonald, who would eventually be attached in her own way to the hotel, in one capacity or another for half a century.

“Well I did start working part time in the late fifties, taking care of the front desk on Sundays to make a little extra money.

Then I really got involved in the sixties, even though I had a full time job working for Imperial Oil,” recalls the woman who is spoken of so highly by her onetime co-workers and former employers.

is where the liquor store is today and of course additional rooms upstairs.

“It was a very busy hotel in those days and a great number of our guests were rig hands on days off from their jobs. They’d come in from Drayton Valley and Devon and it would be party time for a lot of them, that’s for sure,” says Mcdonald who saw various changes in the liquor laws applied to licensed premises.

“There was no hard liquor in beer parlors until the early seventies, and that brought about a big change in clientele. For a long time live music wasn’t allowed in beer parlors either,” added the woman who balanced more ledgers than one can imagine.

It was the sounds of country bands and entertainers that Macdonald first heard in the Commercial tavern but she also

ing part time, a couple of days a week, at the hotel in the sixties, it was actually the new ownership under Ortlieb that saw her become a day to day fixture around the place. She and Ortlieb shared the small office situated behind the front desk and the lobby.

Macdonald feels that part of the appeal of the Commercial Hotel tavern was that people from all walks of life felt comfortable dropping by for a cold beer and casual conversation.

“A person could be by themselves and feel comfortable stopping by and having a drink and reading the newspaper, They wouldn’t get bothered or disturbed by anyone. It’s part of the best aspects of Old Strathcona. There aren’t as many small businesses on Whyte avenue as there were in the seventies, but it’s never been about big business. Independent shop and business owners create their own appeal,” figures this longtime Commercial Hotel employee who doesn’t have single regret about spending all those years crunching numbers and tallying figures on room rentals and tavern sales.

“A person could be by themselves and feel comfortable stopping by ... it’s part of the best aspects of Old Strathcona.”

Mcdonald’s precise and detailed expertise as a book keeper and accountant came to be relied upon by hotel management as the years rolled by and as everyone involved watched changes occur in the organization of the business and the physical structure of the Commercial.

“I remember my father’s group buying the strip of land next to the existing building, so that would be to the east of the main doors. There was a little store there if I remember correctly.

The extension was built and that

remembers a disc jockey being employed for a spell in the popular Whyte avenue gathering spot.

“Then when the legal age for drinking dropped from 21 years of age to 18, that changed the make-up of the clientele again,” continues Macdonald, who has nothing but good memories of working for Herb Ortlieb.

“When Herb took over he asked me stay on. We always got along and it was a good decision on my part. It was the same with Michael (Purcell) when he came on board, we just all seemed to work toward the same goals.”

Although she had been work-

“I do still keep in touch with my friends from the Commercial. I’m sure many of the hotel regulars remember Merv who ran the front desk for so many years, he’s one of those friends. There were so many great characters, those who worked there and those who were regular customers.”

Ann Macdonald hopes to see a few of those faces during the 100th anniversary celebrations, which she plans on attending.

“It’s just so nice that this celebration is happening and I remember how ‘the blues music’ brought in change again to the Commercial and it really drew the crowds. So I’m looking forward to hearing some great music as well.”

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100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

DAViD woloschuK A NOTE FROM THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL PRESIDENT s

OME OF MY EARLIEST MEMORIES INVOLVE THE MERCIAL

HOTEL. SEEING

COM-

DID YOU KNOW?

ME TYPE THOSE WORDS

NOW, IT SEEMS BOTH STRANGE AND COMFORTABLE.

BUT IT’S TRUE. THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL IS A GRAND OLD GIRL

AND HAS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART.

It was 41 years ago when my father, Russ Woloschuk, and a group of partners were given the rare opportunity to buy into a legend. Herb Ortlieb, Peter Kule, Peter Lupul, Gus Radomsky and my father seized the opportunity, not knowing how important the Commercial Hotel would become to them over the years.

The Commercial Hotel was old even then. It was a little rougher around the edges in

the early years, my father and Herb Ortlieb, both hands-on no-nonsense operators, spent a lot of time and effort to make it better. And it was not just them, but their families.

APRIL 1912 the Hotel was sold for $46,000.00.

THE 1911 PORTION called the "rear wing" contained a dining room, kitchen and large number of rooms at a cost of $20k.

Over the years, my mother, Anne, worked for the hotel too, doing office work and being where she was needed. So did my sister, Deanna, who worked the front desk and helped out my parents. And I was there too. I was the little blond kid lurking

“A lot of people have their “Commercial Hotel” story and are more than happy to share it. After 100 years, there are a lot of stories.” a neighbourhood that was not quite a crown jewel of Edmonton that it would become in the decades that followed. And in

THE ORIGINAL BASEMENT and floor from the 1870's still exists today.

Making the Commercial Hotel site the oldest property known.

in the office. I wish I could remember more about those crazy fun times, but can’t recall too much before the mid-seventies.

THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL was considered "first class" in western Canada with the finest dining room and a top rated chef.

First Hotel to make a leap forward with and provide its guests with hot and cold water to each room!

A CEMENT WEIGHT bearing wall exists in the basement that is 18" wide.

FIRST SKYLIGHT ever built in a Hotel in western Canada.

watch the people mill about. I remember running up and down the hallways oblivious to their history. I remember some of the customers.

In 1976 I was six years old.

I remember the time my father and Herb spent at the hotel. I remember the hard work and long hours. I remember the Oil Derrick model at the back of the bar that moved up and down as the band played on. I remember sneaking in to the bar to

In fact, one customer in particular stands out. I was behind the front desk when one of the people staying in the hotel, for no reason, gives me a rumpled paper bag. He said I could have it and walked away before I could even say thank you. In the bag was a treasure beyond imagining…COMICS! There were dozens of comics he bought from HUB Cigar. All kinds of comics: humor, superhero, Archie and even horror (which were far too scary for a wee lad like me).

I still have these today and I still treasure them and the memories they bring (even the scary ones).

The memories are large part of what makes the Commercial Hotel so unique. Whether it is a guest on a stop-over to a new job, or a patron listening to a legendary musician, or a staff member who spent the best years of their life working there, or the married couple who met at the bar one night… the memories of the people who

11

come there are what makes the place so special. A lot of people have their “Commercial Hotel” story and are more than happy to share it. After 100 years, there are a lot of stories.

And here we are now. I am honored to be President of this fine organization celebrating its 100th birthday. I am privileged to be working here alongside my sister Deanna, General Manager Michael Purcell, partner Herb Ortlieb and all the other fine folks at the Commercial Hotel.

And we all hope that you too will discover your own Commercial Hotel memories to have and share. ~David Woloschuk President

HOTEL WAS SOLD again in 1945.

HOTEL WAS SOLD AGAIN in January 1952 for $300k.

IN 1953 THE NEW 40 foot frontage with 14 additional rooms featuring private bathrooms and rugs brought in from England gave the Hotel a total of 58 rooms.

THE OLDEST WRITTEN accounts about the Hotel date back to 1894 by the Edmonton Bulletin.

A SECOND WOOD FRAME Hotel was built on this site in 1904 reaffirming the original Hotel dates back to the 1870s.

THE PORTION of the Hotel built in 1911 cost a staggering $50,000.

RESTAURANT REBUILT with rooms on top in 1977.

1987 SAW the completion of a 2200 sq ft expansion to the Tavern.

ORIGINAL BACK DOOR and coal chute from 1911 still exist.

ORIGINAL NEON vintage signage one of the best surviving signs gracing the front of the Hotel to date.

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

meet michAel PuRcell KEEPING THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL RUNNING SMOOTH a story about a friend or relative who hung their hat here. It’s really quite amazing.”

As Purcell glances around the tavern that has hosted so many fine musicians over the years, he sees the hotel as a place that has maintained a “down home and inviting” environment.

l

ife has been known to take many of us down roads we weren’t quite expecting to travel and Michael Purcell, the manager of the Commercial Hotel and Blues On Whyte, is an individual who can certainly back up that line of thought.

We all know Michael, as he could fill the doorway of any entrance into the Commercial as he stands 6’ 3” and looks like he was no more than ten minutes away from his last serious workout in a weight room.

Imposing yes, and from time to time that has more than worked in Purcell’s favor and to his advantage. But this former Calgary resident, who has had a working relationship with the Commercial Hotel since 1991, is as most patrons and artists who attest, approachable and engaging when it comes to talking about any aspect of the historic hotel and watering hole.

“For a guy who was supposed to be getting out of this industry, I guess that just didn’t quite work out,” laughs Purcell who is pleased that his plans to exit the world of hospitality have appar-

ently, been delayed indefinitely.

That was some 20 years ago when Michael had come to Edmonton from Calgary for, surprise, a try out with the Edmonton Eskimos football team. One look at Michael and you know that he wasn’t roaming the field as a running back or receiver, this was frame made for contact down in the trenches of the football world.

“I was approached to do a bit of shift work at the hotel when Steve Cohen was managing the place and I took a few shifts and got to know Herb and the staff.

The Commercial had a reputation as a place where people gathered and listened to good music back then. Before long I was bartending regularly and then a few changes happened, one being that Herb was retiring. Suddenly I went from being a bartender to general manager and I’d like to think that was because it was recognized that I have the same kind of business sense that Herb has,” says Purcell, who like most individuals in a very demanding industry, makes his presence felt one way or another seven days a week in the hotel.

“You can find university age patrons dancing and socializing on any given night and they are mingling with people who have been coming here once a week to see a band since the seventies. It can be a coming of age place for some and then we get people who maybe haven’t stepped inside the tavern for 15 years because they’ve been raising families. All of sudden their kids are a little older and more independent and these music fans start coming back for the Saturday afternoon jam.

They can hear a couple of sets of music and be back home at 7:30 for dinner,” says Purcell of the music destination point that is one of a handful of places on the continent that can still offer a touring, or for that matter, local bands a six night stand.

safe here, and there’s no violence. It really continues to be a destination point in this city and community,” says Purcell who has also been focused on renovations to the rooms situated above the bar and lobby.

“Like anything, the better it looks, the better it feels. We’ve been gutting rooms a few at a time. We’re retaining a historical look during the restorations, but even the new sinks have that old style look and the new wood banisters in the stairs have a look from another era. The rooms are being updated with new furniture and new carpets,” adds the manager who has never shied away from doing some of the labor intensive work himself and who can be the walking definition of the term multi-tasking on any given day.

Whyte has been a two-chapter affair as he took a break from the Commercial and was part of the management/ownership team at the Sidetrack Café in the early part of the new millennium.

He was also responsible for the start up of the Labatt Blues Festival and a founding partner of that successful event and many of the artists who have played the blues fest continue to play Blues On Whyte from time to time. A couple of examples of musicians with a history at both the Edmonton Blues Festival and Blues On Whyte are Ohiobased guitarist Sean Carney and ex-Elvin Bishiop Band instrumentalist and vocalist Terry Hanck who is one of the finest R&B sax players on the circuit today.

Returning to the Commercial Hotel in 2007, Purcell is proud of the fact that the rooms at the historic hotel are booked solid on weekends as many visitors from out of town, “take a room for a couple of nights, go out dining, shopping and strolling in Old Strathcona, basically enjoying the entire avenue.

Plus they spend an evening or an afternoon dancing and listening to a great band at Blues On Whyte. We get a lot of return business that way.”

“Everyone you meet or end up in a conversation with seems to have a great memory about the place.”

If walls could talk, Michael Purcell could up the ante when it comes to stories about the Commercial over the past ten years, but the ones he likes to tell are the ones that will leave a smile on your face.

“What a place this is. Yes, once in a while you have to kick some of “the characters” out,” adds Purcell in reference to a few of the resident clientele who might have overstayed their welcome. Then there is the odd patron of the tavern who just needs to hit the streets, suck up some fresh air and re-think their approach to how they interact with the other patrons and staff.

Plus Blues On Whyte serves up music on Sunday nights, making it a venue that hosts music 363 days a year with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day being the silent nights.

It was in 1996 when regulations were passed allowing a tavern to serve alcohol after 10 p.m. on Sundays. So the Commercial didn’t hesitate to start booking bands on Sundays, and wisely Purcell decided that many of those Sundays would host non-blues artists. That allows patrons to enjoy everything from reggae to rock and it broadens the demographic draw of Blues On Whyte.

“We’ve come to the place where we are serving the people whose grandparents were hanging out here decades ago. There are people whose families have lived for a few generations in the heart of Old Strathcona and there are patrons who are visiting the city and coming back to the place they were introduced to when they were attending college or the U of A back in the seventies. Everyone you meet or end up in a conversation with seems to have a great memory about the place, or can tell you

“It’s also a great sounding room and I think we make a point of focusing on prompt service and service with a smile. People feel

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While the patrons, old and new, have a common understanding of what makes the Commercial and Blues On Whyte tick, Purcell and his staff find themselves reminding members of the Strathcona community from time to time that opinions about the establishment may be a bit skewed.

“For sure half the proprietors of other businesses in this area love the Commercial, just like the average guy on the street who has wandered in and out of here. But I think the other half still consider it a “biker bar” and there’s a big difference between blues fans who ride motorcycles and a place being a “biker bar,” says Purcell with a laugh, and why shouldn’t he, as he sees individual perceptions of the place change via weekly feedback from newcomers who have ventured through the tavern doors for the first time.

Purcell’s history with Blues On

“In general we do incredibly well,” continues Purcell who loves his work and is more than a little pleased that the idea of making an exit from “the hospitality industry” never came to pass.

It’s been a long time since Michael first booked an act and helped with the logistics of a fashion show in Calgary in 1984, but years of experience in so many facets of the industry have added up to a resume that has been a perfect fit for the management position at the Commercial Hotel and Blues On Whyte.

For more on Michael Purcell see page 18

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

it's ouR heRitAge THE HISTORY OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL t

he Commercial Hotel we know today at 10329 82nd Avenue isn't the first incarnation of the Commercial Hotel to call Whyte Avenue home. The earliest reference I could find to a Commercial Hotel on Whyte Avenue is found in 1894 issues of the Edmonton Bulletin.

Back in those days, it was a wooden framed affair, as were most buildings of the time. But with the threat of fire, many communities began moving towards non-combustible construction materials. In 1895, the Edmonton Bulletin reported that a new brick building was to be constructed on the site.

But that apparently wasn't to be for several more years. In 1904, the Plaindealer informed its readers that an architect named Cameron had prepared plans for the new building which "promises to be a fine structure." The following month, the contract for the brickwork was let to local contractors Pheasey and Batson, while the carpentry commission was awarded to a gentleman named William Deitz. There's confusion, however, if that brick building was immediately started or if the project was put on hold. In 1911, owner Stephen Swaboda announced plans for the construction of a three-storey brick addition at to the rear of the wood framed building - a $50,000 project that was delayed by reasons unclear.

The following April, after Swaboda had purchased most of the construction materials and was ready to proceed, he sold the hotel and three prime lots to Alderman T. J. Walsh for $46,000.

Walsh quickly set to work on the addition and citizens watched with interest as the wood framed structure was dismantled board by board and hauled away.

The Strathcona Plaindealer provided an update of the work in its August 6th, 1912 edition: "Within a short time nothing will remain of the building which sheltered the strangers in the little village on the south bank of the Saskatchewan nearly two score years ago." That indicates the Commercial Hotel actually dates to the late 1870s, but I was unable to find any evidence

of such an early operation. The Edmonton Journal was gushing in its estimation of the modernized hotel, which opened in late 1912. It called it "spic and span as a new pin" and praised "polite servants" and "hot and cold water placed on every floor and in the rooms."

"It really was an exceptional achievement for the day," notes Strathcona historian Judy Berghofer. "Running water wasn't a very common feature and to have that gave the Commercial a real boost to its image."

A special edition of the Edmonton Journal, published in 1913, reported there was no more modern hostelry in the city. "The Commercial Hotel is known throughout the length and breadth of the west for its splendid accommodations in the past, and its excellent table service. With the remodelling, these comforts have been retained, while every demand and want of the traveler has been met."

structure just to the left of the two large windows above the vertical Commercial Hotel sign.

That grand sign - one of Edmonton's best surviving examples of vintage neon - may have been erected sometime in the 1920s and, if so, has lit the way for guests and bar patrons through the Great Depression, the Second World War and through the boom brought by oil and the last half of the 20th century.

In 1984, the hotel began featuring live blues bands and the Blues on Whyte Pub was on its way to becoming an Edmonton tradition. From well known performers to up-and-coming artists, this is a place you can almost hear the smoke soak into the walls.

In a building of stories and chapters from the past, the oldest tales of them all may reside in the bar. Parts of the room may date to 1894 or perhaps even earlier. If only walls could talk!

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM REAL ESTATE WEEKLY AND LAWRENCE HERZOG

The comforts included rooms for 100 overnight guests and handsome furniture, carpets and interior decorations. The remodelled dining room, the Journal gushed, "cannot be excelled. A force of 16 people care for the wants of the traveling public, and public servants are alert to serve every desire." The hotel was under the management of J. Pendel, a long time hotel operator, and the kitchen was run by "one of the best chefs obtainable . . . anything that will please the palate and can be obtained in the resourceful local markets will be found on the daily menu."

What's fascinating about the Commercial Hotel and what sets it apart from many of Edmonton's early buildings is the way it has grown. The trail of documents at the City of Edmonton Archives shows that the Commercial Hotel isn't just one building - it's several, spun together over time. If you look at the current building from across the avenue, the oldest portion is westernmost, to the right.

Another addition was added in 1952, joined to the 1912

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100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL AND THE BLUES ON WHYTE PROUDLY PRESENT

the

celebRAtion oF the centuRy!

SUNDAY, JULY 8

FREE ADMISSION!

10 A.M. - 10 P.M. ON THE STREET (FREE)

2 STAGES, 10 BANDS! FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

10 P.M. - 2 A.M. INSIDE ($25) WE'RE CLOSING OFF WHYTE AVE FROM 103 STREET TO 104 STREET FOR

the biggest PARty oF the yeAR! PANCAKE BREAKFAST — FACE PAINTING FOR THE KIDS — STREET PERFORMERS — VENDOR TABLES — BEER GARDENS ( 18+)

wilDAnD thet

PLUS PERFORMACES BY

e.c. scott

sPiRit

AnD mAny moRe!

E.C. SCOTT : "ONE HONEST-TO-GOD SOUL SINGER"

t

region of the states has been home to many terrific artists and that continues to be the case today, as Oakland vocalist, recording artist, television show host and songwriter E.C. Scott will attest.

here are great soul, R&B and blues musicians planted all over the U.S.A. and most communities can boast of at least a couple of singers or instrumentalists who have achieved national, if not international, headlining status in their chosen artistic field.

Called “one, honest-to-God soul singer” by the legendary Jerry Wexler, the man who produced the likes of Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, knew better than any of us who had serious chops.

But as is the case with anything on this planet, not all playing fields are even, and one only has to look at the history of the San Francisco bay area blues scene to realize that trying to make an impression amidst that talent pool has never been easy.

That endorsement from Wexler was an incredible calling card for Ms. Scott, who is about to coheadline the Commercial Hotel/

Going back to the fifties that

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Blues On Whyte 100th anniversary celebrations.

A dynamic singer, Scott is also an entertainer who turns every waking eye and open ear to the stage she is working, and that always happens within seconds of making her entrance onto a stage. She is what the industry calls “a showstopper.”

Edmonton-area blues fans know that well, as Scott and her fine bands have turned up the heat at Blues On Whyte on more than one occasion over the past 13 years.

When Scott made her first appearance in Edmonton back in

the spring of 1999, we quickly found out that gospel influences like Shirley Caesar and Inez Andrews were rolled next to the influences of pop-soul and blues vocalists including Gladys Knight and Bobby “Blue” Bland.

Scott’s powerful instrument, her great sense of dynamics and sincere, at times angst-ridden, and always emotionally charged delivery had a packed house on Good Friday April 1999 raising the rafters with appreciation after each tune.

Despite the fact that at an early age she was told she should not indulge in secular music, it was CONT ON PAGE 15 >

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

WILD T : "CONTROLLED MADNESS"

s

o have you ever caught Wild T in action during one of his spellbinding shows where Blues On Whyte is packed to the rafters, all eyes are on the stage, and the sounds erupting on the bandstand are eliciting a collective visceral response from the audience?

No? Well, where have you been and do you know what you’ve missed?

And if your answer is yes, you are no doubt one member of a legion of fans who can’t wait for Wild T to light up Blues On Whyte during the 100th Anniversary celebrations.

Well Wild T loves Blues On Whyte as much as Blues On Whyte patrons love Wild T, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when Commercial Hotel management made the call to the guitarist, singer, songwriter, bandleader and showman, extending an invitation to the Canadian star to participate in the celebrations.

Conversing over the phone from his home base of Toronto, Wild T, aka Toney Springer, may create a lot of smoke while on stage but he’s not blowing smoke when he talks with such affection about Blues On Whyte and his relationship with the venue’s audience.

“Playing Blues On Whyte is like doing a mini-concert for me, it really is the best of both worlds,” begins the enthusiastic, sincere and spontaneous musician.

“First off, the sound in Blues On Whyte is amazing and the sound is great on stage, which is very important. The size of the

< CONT FROM PAGE 10

obvious this was her calling, at least part of it.

Her singing career was put on hold for a decade when she married and began raising a family, but once her kids were of school age Scott started to scratch that musical itch again and took her voice to the public.

“It was in a great room called Slim’s, owned by Boz Scaggs, where I started to get some notice and became part of the regular rotation,” recalls Scott, although Biscuits and Blues is the room that she calls home in the bay area these days.

Not long after winning over audiences in her own back yard, Scott cut a solo disc in 1991 which acted as a fine calling

got all the tunes written and the music has come together nicely.

It’s hard to put your finger on why all of a sudden the songs just pour out of you, but I think it has something to do with just being involved with what is going on around you everyday.

Awareness is one of the keys,” figures T, who continues to take a big bite out of life day in and day out.

stage give us room to move and the room allows us to get into a space where the audience can enjoy the show like a concert, or they can boogie on down, all night long,” continues the artist who has been touring in front of western Canadian audiences since the eighties. Many of us were first introduced to the guitarist via his Jimi Hendrix tribute shows that were top drawer affairs.

“Well it has been a journey, and I sure remember coming out west for the first time when we had been booked in a lounge at a Holiday Inn in Calgary.

Things didn’t work out very well and we were fired after the third night. But after a series of events we ended up meeting the manager of a downtown hotel in Edmonton, the one that had the night club at the top which was surrounded by floor to ceiling glass windows. He took a chance on us, gave us an extended booking and I can honestly say that booking resulted in turning my career around,” recalls the animated and soulful character who can’t say enough good things about Edmonton’s music fans and community.

That gig by the way was when the showroom atop the Sheraton Hotel was still being used on a semi-regular basis.

From that point on Wild T and The Spirit started playing on the Whyte Avenue strip, and these were the days prior to Michael Purcell taking over the entertainment reins at Blues On Whyte. Purcell then developed a strong working relationship with the artist and Blues On Whyte eventually became Wild T’s regular stop in Edmonton.

card to potentially interested parties in the recording world.

Inside of three years Scott was cutting tracks for Blind Pig Records which, originally based out of Ann Arbor Michigan, had moved its base to San Francisco.

“E.C. was one of those great backyard finds, and when we started releasing her recordings, reviews in publications like Living Blues and Blues Revue were very positive,” said David McKee who was working those Scott releases for Blind Pig at that time.

Between 1995 and 2000 Scott released three discs on Blind Pig, Come Get Your Love, Hard Act To Follow and Masterpiece.

By ’99 she had received a nomination as Female Soul/Blues

A native of Trinidad who immigrated to Toronto almost thirty years ago, this musicians’ take on creating and performing is a bit of a departure from that of the hardcore blues acts that make up much of the Blues On Whyte musical menu.

“My feeling is that everything has ‘the blues” in it. There are artists who do straight up blues really well, but I like to soak it all in and stir it up. Put in those reggae influences like Marley and Eddie Grant as well as Hendrix and soul music.”

“It didn’t seem to take long to develop an audience that were ‘fans for life’,” remembers T, who would be booked into Ike and Iggy’s, just up the street from Blues On Whyte and find himself being “held over” due to the amazing reception he and his band were accorded night after night.

Continuing to joke about those “good old days”, T continued to crack the one-liners, at one point insisting that “some of my DNA is probably still imbedded in the site where Ike and Iggy’s stood.”

Artist of the Year from the organizing body of the W.C. Handy awards.

Scott had also started to prove that she was a songwriter of substance and while she could kill on an interpretation of a Eurythmics tune like Missonary Man, originals like Don’t Touch Me and Tell Me About had staying power.

Touring was a priority, as it always is in the blues world.

Continuing to record E.C. also wanted to produce a companion video for a song titled These Ain’t Yo Daddy’s Kind of Blues that is found on her 2003 Other Side of Me release.

After heading to Lincoln Nebraska to shoot the video on her own dime, Scott figured she had

No doubt Wild T and The Spirit will be greeted with that kind of affection and appreciation during the Commercial Hotel’s 100th Anniversary Celebrations and the veteran performer is primed to unveil a batch of new material for the fans.

Stating that of late he has been “pregnant with song”, T is getting ready to record a number of new pieces and feels he has enough material “to record two albums.”

“We’ve been checking out locations and studios, and will make a decision soon, but we’ve

a promotional tool that would get substantial airplay in markets where she had fans and others she wanted to develop.

It was no such luck as she discovered there wasn’t one blues video television program in the United States.

On a visit back to Blues On Whyte in 2007, E.C. talked about how that brick wall turned into inspiration to develop an outlet for herself and members of the blues fraternity.

“I started producing a syndicated television show called E.C.’s Jook Joint,” said Scott, who had quickly realized there were more than enough sources for material as friends like Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Charlie Musselwhite and Little Milton

15

Yet even audiences comprised of what are predominately blues fans continue to gravitate and pulsate to what Wild T and The Spirit cook up. A great example of that is an audience-artist connection he made a couple of years ago, after being booked to play an established blues festival in Mexico.

His longtime friend Jack de Keyzer, another favorite at Blues On Whyte, has been playing this particular festival on the Pacific side of Mexico for a few years and the promoters of the event wanted to start mixing a few new acts into the program in the winter of 2011.

“Jack recommended me to the organizers. They took his advice, and there we were doing our thing in the middle of an

provided Scott with quality performance videos ready to air.

The show that was launched in 2006 found homes all over the U.S., and as of last year fans could catch E.C.’s Jook Joint on over 300 stations. Now that’s promoting “the blues” in a big way!

Led by the success of the TV show Scott has also produced a series of five consecutive nights of concerts in San Francisco that she has dubbed “EC’s Jook Joint Series.” The artist/entrepreneur feels that the event “is almost like a festival.”

Respected San Francisco Bay Area journalist Lee Hildebrand called the series of shows “the most ambitious blues event to hit that city since the San Francisco Blues Festival’s 35-year

event that was largely conventional blues music. But they love us and we’re going to keep going back,” continued the musician, who when using the term “we” is speaking of bassist Guenther Kappelle, who has been part of The Spirit for a decade, and drummer Dale Harris.

A hit with audiences in Europe as well, Wild T considers himself “very lucky” to be able to tour Belgium, Germany, Holland and Poland regularly, but his humility is just part of the package, even if his fans consider themselves to be the lucky ones while attending a Wild T show.

Describing his approach to performing as “laying it all on the line and going for broke,” Wild T insists that he’s “refined his show over the years.”

“But it’s still controlled madness,” he jokes, sort of.

One can’t help but be inspired

by Wild T, and it doesn’t matter whether you catch him on stage or in conversation on a street corner. You believe the man when he says, “life is great and I have no regrets.’

It was the late, great Jeff Healey who best summed up the impact of Wild T years ago.

“I saw a man with endless imagination, a man that could combine that imagination with emotion that you couldn’t help but feel. I followed him around town like he was the messiah!

Wild T has been my idol for years!,” exclaimed Healey.

No more needs to be said, just make sure you catch Wild T and The Spirit during the 100th Anniversary Celebrations of the Commercial Hotel.

run ended.”

It’s been interesting watching this multi-talented woman multi-task her way through the music biz maze for the past 13 or so years. Even if Edmonton audiences don’t have access to EC’ Jook Joint on regular cable packages, we can always dial up a performance or two on her website or Youtube.

But for a few days we’ve got it better than that, as we will be able to catch E.C. Scott live and in action while she visits Edmonton to participate in this 100th anniversary celebration of the Commercial Hotel.

It’s guaranteed that no matter what the weather brings, it will be a hot time around Blues On Whyte while E.C.’s in the house.

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

the ReViews ARe in WHAT THE CRITICS HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE BLUES ON WHYTE h

undreds of reviews of artists and bands playing the Commercial Hotel and Blues On Whyte have been written over the past 30 years.

The Commercial’s unique music policy has given many a local music journalist much to write about, whether it has been in the form of a review or interview, or an addition to a notes column covering the entire scene.

That so many artists played Blues On Whyte for six nights gave many of those reviews and interviews a longer shelf life than most. It has always been a bonus for a music journalist to absorb two or three sets of an artists’ show, and respond, with what one hopes is a proper assessment of what was presented on a stage.

But the bar has been set high in the talent department at Blues On Whyte over the years, and that is why so many columnists and staff-

ers from both dailies and weeklies like Vue and See gave artists playing the Commercial so many column inches on a weekly basis. We could even include publications like the Bullet and Culture Shock, remember those?

The ratio of positive reviews to negative would stand at about 95 per cent receiving a big thumbs up.

How many artists have columns and reviews written by local journalists doting their press kits and websites concerning their performances at Blues On Whyte? Just look up Blues On Whyte online and you’ll start getting a good idea of how many artists have pasted, scanned and reproduced reviews and interviews from their stops at Blues On Whyte.

Here are a few slices of notes and impressions from days gone by on the Blues On Whyte stage.

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100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

17

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

it's About the music THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL CONTINUES TO SUPPORT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS took persistence and some serious negotiating but we finally got him and he filled the room night after night,” says Purcell with the kind of smile that confirms how pleased he was when “The Chief” made his appearance at the popular south side tavern.

theatres and festival headliner status and are not as readily available or affordable as they once were, but the memories of such artists performing within arms reach from the sunken dance floor at Blues On Whyte will not be forgotten any time soon.

“... the place was jammed, but nobody was about to complain.”

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here’s no question that live music has taken a hit over the past decade and the number of venues has dwindled no matter what community or city is the focus of discussion.

So how does a venue in the middle of the Canadian prairies continue to be a beacon for local, regional, national and international acts and artists that prefer to play “the blues”?

Blues On Whyte, where you just might be sitting at this moment and reading this article, is one of the last bastions of blues on a six night a week basis on the continent. Yes, you read that right, on the continent!

While there are a few venues, and thank God for them, which continue to promote and present roots music six nights a week, find another that offers the same act a week’s worth of employment, and accommodation in one fell swoop. Those clubs, cabarets, and taverns either don’t exist any more or policy is such that music is on the backburner at best. Without question, Edmontonians are fortunate to have a room like Blues On Whyte where some amazing acts can be heard from Monday through Saturday and for three sets a night. The other kicker to the equation is that for four of those six nights, anyone of legal age can saunter into Blues On Whyte and hear one of those great acts for the price of their favorite beverage.

The cover charge never goes higher than $6 on Friday and Saturday nights!

Michael Purcell is the man who has been in charge of booking entertainment at Blues On Whyte for 11 of the past 15 years and if it isn’t an easy job figuring out what combinations of artists will keep fans coming back for more, it is a satisfying challenge that keeps him answering phones from booking agents, making the calls to artists, signing the contracts, taking care of artist immigration papers, assigning poster design projects, and keeping track of what musicians are having a serious and positive impact on the Blues On Whyte patrons.

“When I first took over the job there was an eight to ten band rotation as I recall. Some of the acts of note that had been coming through here regularly in the nineties were Auntie Kate, Johnny V and the Houserockers, Winnipeg’s Brent Parkin,

American players like Eddie C. Turner, Roy Hightower, Little Mike and the Tornados, and Vancouver bandleader Nigel Mack. They all come to mind,” says the man who is in constant pursuit of instrumentalists, vocalists and band leaders who can create a lasting buzz at Blues On Whyte.

Along with proven veterans like Phillip Walker and Clearwater, emerging stars like Shemekia Copeland and Janiva Magness were also being presented at the venue just as their careers were being boosted by rave reviews, and high profile record labels were producing the artists latest sessions. Both Magness and Copeland have won their share of prestigious awards in the world of roots music and have graduated to

While the aforementioned artists all served the room and patrons well, Purcell hooked up with a number of booking agents who could help him inject some new sounds into the musical menu and expand on that roster.

Over a time frame of two years, artists with impressive resumes, superb discographies and critical acclaim started to show up on the Blues On Whyte calendar.

“I remember finally convincing Eddie Clearwater that he should come up here and play our room for a full week. And it

“It took persistence and some serious negotiating but we finally got (Eddie Clearwater) and he filled the room night after night.”

18

“Lonestar Shootout with Lonnie Brooks, Long John Hunter and Phillip Walker performed here and the place was jammed, but nobody was about to complain,” Purcell recalls.

Trying to keep the broadest demographic possible interested in what was happening in the room on a week to week basis, was also one of the priorities for Purcell and the addition of Sunday night shows

that injected reggae, alt. country, rockabilly, and indie rock bands into the mix meant a younger crowd started making their way into the room on a weekly basis. In turn, some of those music fans became fans of the room, liked the vibe, became more acquainted with “the blues” and started walking through the doors routinely.

The weekly Saturday afternoon jam session has also been a terrific way to constantly build a younger clientele. Take in a set any Saturday at Blues On Whyte and you are bound to catch young blues musicians accepting an invitation to sit in with familiar faces and veterans of our local scene.

Purcell is reminded on a weekly basis of “the incredible talent pool” we have in Edmonton and that the musicians come from all kinds of disciplines and schools.

“That we always have 300 people in this room coming out on a weekly basis on Saturday afternoons is never taken for granted by anyone on the Blues On Whyte staff. It always amazes us."

The manager of Blues On

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION) keep the bar maids hopping and the dance floor full.

bluesmen who have appeared on daytime CKUA shows. Of course many artists who have played Blues On Whyte have also been interviewed and played live on local television shows like Big Breakfast and

One band Purcell has championed for the past few years is Edmonton’s own Boogie Patrol.

“You can’t buy publicity like that. Those kinds of bookings give the place a shot and remind everyone of how important the room is.”

“It’s really rewarding as a music fan to watch a group get better and better with each visit and Boogie Patrol are at the top of the list in that category. Not only does the band improve on the making music end of things, Dan and the rest of the guys in Boogie Patrol work hard on the promo and do all the necessary legwork to make it a good week when they are here. You build special relationships with the audience and staff when you are that committed to doing things right.”

Breakfast TV. Recalling the Lucky Peterson show, Purcell smiles.

Whyte is also reminded of the non-musicians in the industry who lent and gave of their expertise and advice to the establishment over the years.

The late, internationally respected literary scholar Bruce Stovel, who taught for so many years at the U of A and hosted Calling All Blues on CJSR with his son Grant and pianist Gra-

As it has been with Calling All Blues, dozens of artists who have played Blues On Whyte have guested on CKUA’s Natch’l Blues with Holger Petersen through the years.

In recent months blues aficionados have heard Dave Weld and Ab Locke from the CKUA studios and early in

“Now there was a show that not only drew all the blues fans in town, but Lucky also had a room full of great players watching everything he was doing on that stage. He filled the club every night and it was one of the few weeks of -30 weather that we experienced all winter. You can’t buy publicity like that. Those kinds of bookings give the place a shot and remind everyone of how important the room is. Plus Lucky

Then there are those nights that no amount of planning can

member Burton Cummings dropped into the club with his entourage after playing a major concert venue.

Johnny V was playing a week long gig at Blues On Whtye and the guitar slinging V had brought B.B. King’s daughter Shirley up from the states for a western Canadian tour. The band was doing a good job of keeping the patrons interested and entertained.

Cummings had apparently expressed to his crew that he wanted to keep playing after his concert and someone came up with the idea to head to Blues On Whyte. Upon arriving, the rock and roll legend asked if he could sit in with the band. Believe it or not, V had to do a bit of negotiating with Ms. King to make room for Cummings.

A big guffaw rolls comes from V, who now lives in southern Ontario, when he pulls out that memory of playing the Strathcona nightspot.

“Shirley had no idea who Burton Cummings was or what his stature in the world of music is, and she certainly wouldn’t have had any idea about the Guess Who so I finally had to put my foot down. Burton didn’t want to sing, he just wanted to get up and play vintage rock and roll and blues piano with us and once we got rolling it was a ball.

You could see people walking into the room and sitting down and getting ready to order a drink when all of sudden they’d realize who was playing the piano. Their jaws would literally

unexpected musical fireworks.

“What happens is one band that has just finished wrapping up a week long stand might still be hanging around and a band that is starting on Monday might arrive a day early.

It wasn’t all that long ago that we had Maurice John Vaughan and his band from Chicago still staying in the hotel when Andrew “Jr. Boy” Jones came up from his gig in Calgary on the Sunday. They all got together for an impromptu jam that night and it was incredible. People couldn’t believe what they were seeing for free, it was an epic jam led by two great American bluesmen who really clicked.”

Hardcore blues fan in this city all hold a handful of vivid memories about Blues On Whyte and the musicians who have graced the stage.

The Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Sun archives are full of reviews and interviews regarding touring and local acts who spent hours upon hours at Blues On Whyte connecting with fans both on and off the stage.

In fact San Francisco harmonica player Mark Hummel is just about to have a book detailing his life in music, and covering many road tales, published stateside. Much of one chapter of the book focuses on his musical relationship with guitarist Sue Foley and how he first caught Foley and her band in action at Blues On Whyte in the late eighties.

“You build special relationships with the audience and staff when you are that committed to doing things right.”

ham Guest, was one individual Purcell loved commiserating with on a weekly basis.

“It seemed Bruce would show up at Blues On Whyte every Wednesday after Calling All Blues. He was so supportive of the music, the room and so generous with ideas and thoughts about what artists he thought we might pursue.”

2012 Hammond organ master Lucky Peterson really opened up for an insightful interview on Alberta’s listener supported radio. CKUA and Holger have an incredible archive of interviews with artists who have appeared on Canada’s longest running blues show and artists like Mark Hummel, Sean Carney, and Curtis Salgado are examples of other top-flight

create, they just happen.

really enjoyed himself and he’s coming back to finish off the 100th anniversary year for us and bring in 2013,” revealed Purcell who obviously loves his job. Peterson was another act he relentlessly pursued for a long time.

“We’ve had some great musicians drop in here, and all of a sudden an impromptu jam will take place.”

Purcell and a hundred or so Blues On Whyte regulars still talk every now and again about a winter night some 15 years ago when Juno Hall of Fame

The manager of Blues On Whyte also gives equal time and kudos to local acts who

19

hit the table. A good night for sure,” says V who also shook the rafters more than a few times fronting his own band, and as a member of Calgary sax ace Michael Clark’s band. Of course there were some great moments when V and the late King Biscuit Boy hit the stage together as well.

One of Michael Purcell’s favorite memories of a guest arriving unannounced concerns Jeff Healey sitting in on the Blues On Whyte stage, and he also notes that Sunday evenings can lend themselves to some

As Michael Purcell states, “this establishment can be like family for guys on the road. It is something to see how many touring artists have become very good friends of some of the patrons and staff here and that story will keep repeating itself as the years go by.”

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

ARtist enDoRsements TWO EDMONTON ENTERTAINERS REMINISCE ABOUT THE BLUES ON WHYTE BLUES ON WHYTE: A SECOND HOME FOR SOME A second home of sorts for more years than I care to mention, the Commercial Hotel and "Blues On Whyte" has been my oasis for melody, camaraderie, and gracious hospitality.

Being a blues fan I of course love the talent that passes through one of the only 6 nighters left in North America. James Armstrong, Terry Hanck, Jack de Keyzer, Andrew Jr.Boy Jones, Jack Semple, Lucky Peterson, Hot Cottage, Fist full of Blues, Scott Holt, Jason Elmore, Curtis Salgado, Matt Minglewood.

I could literally fill three pages

and special events to help those in need. I have personally been lucky enough to have been part of a good dozen of these helpful and benevolent functions.

That's old school kindness, plain and simple.

The other thing that makes this venue so special to me and so many others, is the hands down fact that it is the safest place on the avenue to have a wonderful time. The staff has a watchful eye and a diplomatic and well trained manner to ensure a night at "Blues On Whyte" is a worry free zone. My life would be a

“My life would be a much greyer place without this Mecca of joyful live music.”

BLUES PIANIST GETS TO THE HEART OF BLUES ON WHYTE

a

s incongruous as a blues bar in the wilds of central Alberta- or for that matter Canada-would seem, Edmonton’s Blues on Whyte has been the blues bar of choice for Edmontonians for decades. As with most things the story is in the unspoken truth.

The unspoken truth about Blues on Whyte or the “commie” or the “comical” is that besides being a bar it is also a club. It is a club with many members from so many walks of life that one can’t believe it.

Many clubs have come and gone in Edmonton. Some were clubs in the conventional sense of the word with actual or implied exclusivity; some were mere bars open to all with the adopted moniker of club; though they didn’t really deserve it.

Blues on Whyte has had staying power beyond what could be considered a fluke. It is a watering hole, a meeting place on Saturday afternoons for a cross section of virtually the entire city, a working man’s establishment and a meeting place for future couples. I myself have known a handful of married couples who met randomly at Blues on

Whyte. Perhaps a venue where people are without social status helps us all loosen up and enjoy an evening of music.

On the point of the music, the blues and Edmonton go together like two difficult pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They fit; but only when you realize they fit. The blues is rooted in the deep south

blues music has captured the imagination of Edmontonians and that it truly feels like it is a part of the culture here. Blues on Whyte is in the heart of a neighbourhood that is the soul of the city.

The fact that blues music is the soundtrack for this reality is astonishing. The stage at Blues on

“Blues on Whyte is in the heart of a neighbourhood that is the soul of the city.” of the United States and although in Canada we may view America as an intact entity, the south has its own history and its own rules. Perhaps Albertans can relate to this hopefully minus the racial disharmony. It has interested me to no end that

Whyte has been treaded by legends of the blues and by those that should best avoid stages, truth be told, though the beauty of live music is that the reader of this statement will automatically conjure their own examples which are likely unique

for them! In a lot of social settings, clubs and bars describe and separate groups. If someone goes to Blues on Whyte what type of person are they? That is a question without a clear answer except that they probably like live blues, live music and can hang with whoever happens to be out. Go to Blues on Whyte and you’ll meet the world.

I’ve had many great experiences there and many strange ones too. The music’s been good both on stage and being in the audience; the bottom line is that the club just continues. In the final analysis, in an age where new means less obsolete, the club has had staying power. The payphones, the smoking and the juke box are gone; but the basic ritual of going there and enjoying the moment in one’s own way is the same as always.

Perhaps it is just a bar after all and the people make it a club.

If that’s the case, we Edmontonians deserve a night out on the town and we always have someplace to go.

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~Graham Guest May 10, 2012

of the names that come to mind.

But it's not just the music that makes the Commercial Hotel special me. Time and time again the hotel and management have stepped up to the plate and hosted countless fundraisers

much greyer place without this Mecca of joyful live music, and I know I am not alone with that sentiment. ~Tim koslo

May 19, 2012

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

chAnging oF the guARD BECOMING EDMONTON'S HOME FOR THE BLUES t

he evolution of the Commercial Hotel tavern continues, but one major shift came in the early eighties when after a couple of decades of being a home to country music, the tavern began to make a shift towards blues music.

Steve Palmer and Brian Gregg are two musicians who were already veterans of our scene who watched the ushering in of a new era at the Strathcona tavern.

Today these musicians are still part of the western Canadian roots scene. Steve who works as a solo artist plays folk clubs, small soft-seat theatres and summer festivals and Brian continues to be a champion busker in western Canada, runs the Little Flower Open Stage at Fiddler’s Roost and he was also the Edmonton Blues Society’s representative at the International Blues Challenge, in the solo category, which took place in Memphis earlier this year.

“I think we all kind of liked the original tavern and had not only taken dates playing there, we all started hanging out in the Commercial tavern when we could, which meant when we weren’t out on the road. The Commercial sort of became the place to catch up with your musical friends on a Saturday afternoon,” remembers Palmer who now hangs his hat in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan.

“It was an interesting place in the early eighties before the addition to the room was built out into the parking lot. The spectrum of music was a bit differ-

ent as I recall. The country roots were still there but you could catch a folk act sometimes, a young blues band and even a rockabilly band from time to time.”

Palmer watched the jams “become the drawing card” of the Commercial and he found himself leading a band through a mix of both country and blues

young then as well and he was another guy with a great work ethic. You’d just listen to him play his sax and you knew that you’d be hearing from him years later with great musicians and that’s what has happened. Both Dave and Lester have made some impressive albums and toured the world.”

do and I remember when Steve Cohen took over as bar manager and that was when all of a sudden we’d see American touring acts like Little Mike and Cicero Blake showing up,” continued Palmer, who also has fond memories of watching young Edmonton-based blues players improve their skills on a week to week basis.

“I had a band with two guys who had been playing with Ian Tyson and we thought it was cool working through such sheer variety, but the Commercial management knew what they were doing. It was a smart move to go all blues and there was a connection to the old Ambassador in the ownership that had success with the blues. It shows you what good management can

Tacoy Ryde

In Palmer’s estimation it was very important that younger musicians were given a shot at the marathon Saturday afternoon jams, that would become a destination point with roots music fans and musicians alike.

“All of us really enjoyed playing the room. The patrons we played for were really responsive in a good way.” in those days. One minute part of the crowd was two-stepping to a country hit and a couple of tunes later people were letting it all hang out as they moved to a blues shuffle.

~Duane Smith

“When Brian Gregg was playing the Commercial with his band Big Dreamer, like all bandleaders he’d be in charge of the Saturday afternoon jam during his bookings. I remember that Brian always made a point of giving everyone a shot and that really nurtured the younger musicians in the community.

Even if you did have to listen to way too many imitations of Stevie Ray Vaughan tunes,” laughs Palmer as he rolls down memory lane.

“I really remember thinking Roger Stanley, the young guitarist in Three Times The Blues who eventually started his own band, was a guy to watch. He was a really good soloist, and Lester Quitzau was a very proactive young player around that time. Lester would show up to the jams and it would really impress me that he could hit the stage with a random bunch of guys and always get something cooking. It isn’t a big surprise that Lester has gone as far in this business as he has, you could see it back then.

“The other thing I remember was how the thick air could be.

You’d open the door and the smoke would roll out onto Whyte Avenue. Hell, somebody could be waving to you from across the room and you wouldn’t know it.”

Gregg, who has a long history with the Commercial remembers being booked into the tavern back in 1979 with Big Dreamer, which was a fine country-rock band.

“Dave Babcock was pretty “It was a booking agent who got us the gig and then the management at the Commercial made a point to book us back to the point where we were in the room something like every six weeks.

That went on for 3 or four years which is pretty remarkable when you think about it. I remember a very young Rusty Reed getting his foot in the door here and like Steve Palmer mentioned, this was well before the extension was built into the parking lot,” recalls Gregg, whose Big Dreamer band included singer Sharon Anderson who would eventually head to Nashville and sign a record deal with a major country label, and drum-

~Steve Palmer

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mer Dave Bjarnson who would get plucked out of Big Dreamer by k.d. lang’s manager.

Along with the country and country-rock bands of the day, the Commercial played host to an American blues singer named Tom See who hung out in this part of the world for a while, as well as the band Cold Feet that built a loyal following through the years, and Out of the Blue which was fronted by singer-bassist Ron Rault and saxophone playing vocalist Bobby Mowbrey.

The guitar playing Gregg concurs with Palmer about his approach to “running a jam session.”

“My philosophy was that it was just a good thing to let everyone play, even if it diluted the quality a little bit. And for me jamming equals improvising and I think that has been lost a little bit over the years.

“But there’s one thing that consistently runs through my memories of those days at the Commercial. All of us really enjoyed playing the room. The patrons we played for were really responsive in a good way,” adds Gregg who continued to play the room for a number of years even

after the booking policy veered toward touring bands.

“From the mid to late nineties I was on five tours playing guitar with Lou Pride, the blues singer from Chicago. We always played Blues On Whyte during those Western Canadian swings that would take us from the Windsor in Winnipeg to Bud’s On Broadway in Saskatoon and the King Eddy in Calgary. There was a real circuit and now Blues On Whyte is the only six-nighter left of the bunch.

But Breezy Brian Gregg’s connection with the room never ends as just a few months ago he played a few tunes at a Saturday afternoon jam with vocalist Nadine Kellman. Upon hearing them, Blues On Whyte manager Mike Purcell booked Kellman, Gregg and company for a Sunday night show.

Things may change as the years go by, but the Commercial Hotel cannot be accused of turning its back on live music and entertainers.

QuOTES FROM ARTISTS WHO HAVE PLAYED BLuES ON WHYTE

"When the Commercial Hotel opened Blues On Whyte, myself and the Blues Survivors were one of the first bands to play there ... the neighborhood was SO HAPPENING! Many restaurants to chose from, record stores to shop in, coffee houses, movie theatre next door, etc. I still love to stay on Whyte Av. in that neighborhood. It does bring a warm nostalgic feeling thinking about the old days at Blues On Whyte!"

~Mark Hummel

San Francisco

"It’s such a rarity for a band to play more than one or two nights anywhere these days, to shake off the road and settle into a room for 6 nights. The band comes to accommodate the sound of the room (or the room and the band reach a compromise) so that by the end of the engagement they’re playing the room like one more big instrument. There’s room in that ambience for a kind of growth and discovery very different from playing endless one-nighters, and several of the good bands from this province have benefitted greatly from it."

~Tim Williams

Calgary

“FATHEAD has performed at Blues On Whyte on a few occasions. Six-nighters were once the norm, but nowadays I think this is the only one left. Since we alter our show every night, it gives us a chance to feature a lot of different songs over the course of the week. It’s nice to settle in, meet some folks and explore the city too.”

~Al Lerman, Fathead Toronto

"Every town has it's Blues Bar... but not every Blues Bar is Created equal...

Edmonton is fortunate to have one of the last remaining 7 nights a week live entertainment bars in the entire country... What makes it so special is that the Bar itself has built a solid reputation for having great music seven nights a week... so the expectation by patrons is that even if they have never heard of the band who may be from Tim Buck Two they know it will be a good band and a great experience... of course they do have a some well know local and touring acts who draw special attention when playing there... I love playing the room and we are lucky to have this venue in our community.

Keep it Live..."

~Big Hank Lionhart Edmonton

"Members of the collective Blues On Whyte audience come out more frequently during a six night show than any other audience I know of and we’ve always appreciated that and don’t take it for granted. The crowds are attentive but also like to feel the music.

Blues On Whyte has been a great pit stop for the Terry Hanck Band over the years."

"The fact that the Commercial would hire bands for six-night stints was an incredibly influential factor in my musical development.

I can honestly say that I wouldn't be nearly the music fan that I am today without that amazing resource. Having the opportunity to go see some of the world's greatest touring blues bands any night of the week was a huge part of my musical development. Later on, having the chance to play those six-nighters really allowed me to grow as a musician, too."

~Grant Stovel

Musician/Broadcaster, Edmonton

~Terry Hanck Florida

"I first played the Commercial before the tavern was called Blues On Whyte. There was no new addition into the parking lot and you’d walk into the place off Whyte ave and it looked like a long two lane bowling alley with the stage up by the washrooms in the corner. I was playing with my country rock band Sidewinder and another band called Rockin’ Rodeo. But then in ’87 I was playing the blues at Andante’s around the corner just south of the Strathcona Hotel and Steve Cohen from the Commercial came in and asked me if I would play his room. We ended up playing there five times a year until 2003 and we loved the place. I think the renovation was the turning point and the place really started to rock.

One of my favorite memories of playing Blues On Whyte was a jam with James Harman, Richard (King Biscuit Boy) and myself. All those jams were fantastic!

And another favorite memory was when a university student came up to me on a break and said, “you really rock for an old guy.” Ya gotta love that." ~Johnny V

Ontario

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QuOTES FROM ARTISTS WHO HAVE PLAYED BLuES ON WHYTE "I think I started playing the Commercial around 1912! What can you say about Blues On Whyte? She is like an aged, wealthy dowager, a little worn, but still the glamorous sort who gets up off her chair and dances on the table. I have had many, many great times at the Commercial and Blues On Whyte. One of the best atmospheres of any club in the world. A perfect combo of music lovers and party people."

~Jack de keyzer Toronto

"How fortunate for local blues fans, and traveling blues artists, to have what may be the last outpost of the six night gig on a national tour. No talk of a 'one nighter' or the 'back three' at the Blues On Whyte.

It's six nights in a row like it was back in the 70's and 80's. And no cover charge at the beginning of the week. I can't tell you how many times I've thought 'this is the deal of the year'. The Saturday afternoon jam sessions are legendary and so are the diverse audiences of friendly blues lovers who show up every night. Blues On Whyte has been a huge part of the blues scene and responsible for educating and informing our taste for the real thing.

Congratulations on the 100th Anniversary of the Commercial Hotel."

"The Commercial Hotel / Blues On Whyte has supported me for almost twenty years. I love the place. Six or seven nights back to back in one room, is an oasis on a grueling cross country tour, especially in western Canada where the next gig isn't exactly around the block. The staff are always friendly, from the old ones who were there the last time, to the new staff I meet. Mike and the management treat me with respect and make sure my stay is always comfortable. The clientele is so cool, from college kids to baby boomers, they all love the blues.

Congratulations Commercial Hotel on your 100 Anniversary. Thanks so much for your support & keep up the great work keeping the blues alive!"

~Holger Petersen

Broadcaster and Producer CkuA, CBC Radio and Stony Plain Records Edmonton

~John Campbelljohn Nova Scotia

"The Commercial Hotel and the Saturday jam session was my first real experience playing and performing. The live music 6 nights a week and quality touring blues acts of the time was a 'real' school of blues for me. There was always a lot of 'sitting in', exchange of ideas and a cool scene that helps foster a lot of good music and good musicians. It was a time to stretch things out, explore ideas and enjoy the camaraderie of a strong music scene.

Many fond musical moments ... especially 'the old commie' , and the shakey railing."

~Lester Quitzau Pender Island, B.C.

"Blues on Whyte at the Commercial was such a cool gig for us. For me it was like a vacation, where I could stay in one place for a week, catch up with all my Edmonton friends, sample the local cuisine and little shops on Whyte Ave., go down and search for obscure old 78â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at the antique shops, and write songs during the day. Of course at night we always had such a blast playing music to the great Edmonton blues lovers and dancers ... The Commie will always be very near and dear to our hearts. Thanks to Mike Purcell and his excellent staff for running a great and exceptional blues bar that has to be one of the best in the country. Thanks for keeping the blues alive!"

~Dave Hoerl, The Twisters

Vancouver

"It's been pure pleasure being acquainted with Blues On Whyte. Pure Pleasure! These days when playing the 6 night stint you'd think the Running of the Bulls came through.

Too much fun if I may say and may the fun continue. As for all who pass through it's doors past and present I'd hope they'd agree with me that it is a privilege to be able to frequent such a place, based on the history that runs through it's walls and let alone the fact that it's of a dying breed of musical venues. I mean really, live music 363 days a year. That's no joke!"

~Rotten Dan

Boogie Patrol, Edmonton

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100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

RecoRDeD At the bow LIVE ALBUMS FROM BLUES ON WHYTE SHOWS ARE GREAT DOCUMENTS OF THE VENUE Jimmy Payne.

Fourteen years on, the Live: Blues On Whyte album provides a well defined snapshot of a scene that was a brew of a number of styles under the blues umbrella. It is evident that the artists all took their craft seriously and that their original tunes were labors of love, most giving a nod to influences but simultaneously injected with identifiable personality and unique attacks and arrangements.

w

e all know that proper documentation of what has transpired on the Canadian prairie blues and roots music scene over the last forty years has left much to be desired.

Despite albums from seminal groups like Winnipeg’s Houndog which was led by guitarist Brent Parkin, the two Edmonton-produced Hot Cottage recordings made about thirty years apart, and a handful of other recordings, including extended singles, cassettes and vinyl from artists like Tim Williams, Big Dave McLean, Big Miller, and Lionel Rault, there was precious little product available for fans who wanted to support regional blues acts that were touring the prairies in the seventies and eighties.

Certainly that scenario changed a bit in the nineties as groups like The Rockin’ Highliners, Bobby Cameron, and Triple Threat with Johnny V, Rusty Reed and Tim Williams and a few others started rolling tape at their favorite studios.

Compilations have for years been barometers of what has been happening on local scenes.

Even in the major centres, where high profile labels like Alligator boasted heavyweight rosters, we’d see the Living Chicago Blues Series and the New Bluebloods release keeping us in touch with the current sounds of veteran and emerging artists.

In Edmonton, as I can recall, there was one such compilation

and that was the Acme Sausage Company disc that was produced by Holger Petersen in the early seventies. CKUA Radio was the executive producer that stitched together performances from locals like Paul Hann, The Walkers and Hot Cottage alongside recordings from touring acts like Toronto’s Brent Titcomb and Humphrey and The Dumptrucks who were based out of Saskatoon.

A quarter of a century later it was Blues On Whyte that properly documented and captured a number of regional acts “in concert” at the popular watering hole.

Using a similar blueprint to the aforementioned projects, The Commercial Hotel with the help of a few sponsors, Labatt, The Bear, Hok Nik Design and Plumb Recording, produced a 14 track disc titled, appropriately enough, Live: Blues On Whyte.

The year was 1998 and Ron Chenier from Plumb Recording was the recording engineer taping performances from longtime hometown faves Tacoy Ryde, Harpdog Brown and Bent Harbour. Chenier also dialed in other shows by touring artists like the late Kristi Johnston of Winnipeg, Vancouver’s Russell Jackson and Incognito, and Calgary veterans Johnny V and

The disc is pretty much a collector’s item now, very hard to find and worth snapping up if one happens to surface at a garage sale, used record store or flea market.

I still get a kick out of the Hookeresque Boogieman’s Brew from Incognito which was at the

mix. Working under the name Bent Harbour, a southern Allman Brothers flavor weaves its way thru the number before the entire Tacoy squad with, the addition of vocalists Al Brandt and Dale Ladouceur, and of course the keyboard playing Dennis Meneely, present another original titled Bold As The Sun. That recording confirms this band has long been one of the tightest and original bands on the prairie scene. These days you’ll find some members of Tacoy Ryde working with Big Hank as Fistful of Blues.

There is much to recommend on Live: Blues On Whyte, just listen to Glen Yorga’s funky bass playing on Johnny V’s Take The First Step or Auntie Kate’s well rehearsed band on the opening 13 minutes of the album. In fact you can still go to Auntie Kate’s website (auntiekate.ca) and look

The other disc of note that was recorded live at Blues On Whyte is a 10 song set from Columbus Ohio native Sean Carney.

A winner of coveted first prize honors at the 2007 edition of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Carney became a local fave in very short order as he is a legitimate triple threat.

An exceptional guitar player, passionate vocalist and strong songwriter, Carney also built a sturdy relationship with local players, some of whom he would begin to employ.

By the time Carney started heading to Blues On Whyte for six night engagements he had already earned a reputation as not only an emerging solo force but as an artist who could provide veteran artists like Big Joe Duskin, Jimmy T – 99 Nelson, Henry Gray and Hubert Sumlin with authentic and sympathetic backing.

time fronted by singer and harp man Sherman Doucette and his musical foil, guitarist Rob Montgomery. Montgomery has remained the source point of the band after all these years and through numerous personnel changes.

at some pictures taken inside Blues On Whyte during Kate performances and who knows, you just might spot your smiling face in one of the dance floor shots.

Also found on the disc are back to back tracks featuring members of the Tacoy Ryde alumni association. The first such offering finds the double guitar team of Ken Kirkwood and Barry Nighswander and the Tacoy rhythm section of drummer Bill Hobson and the bass playing Duane Smith rolling out a Kirkwood original titled Burning In Hell with the voice of one time Hot Cottage singer Del Kuntz sitting on top of the

24

For his Blues On Whyte recording, Carney brought longtime band mate Eric Blume up from Ohio to play the drums and invited two cornerstones of the prairie blues scene, keyboard ace Graham Guest and bassist Chris

Brzezicki to round out the quartet.

Scour the web and you’ll find dozens of positive reviews regarding Carney’s Live Blues On Whyte recording that was

released on his Nite Owlz label.

As one such review states on the Bear Family Records site, “the band sounds great, performing a rather traditional blend of electric blues styles. Memories of the late seventies are coming mind, like the early records by Sugar Ray and The Bluetones.

This is cool stuff. No revolution in blues…..straight and solid grooving blues sounds.”

Thankfully this disc is a bit easier to track down than the ’98 compilation and it certainly gave even more recognition to the work our Strathcona tavern does in promoting blues music year ‘round.

One can only hope that a few more artists see fit to document fiery performances at Blues On Whyte in the near future.

IMAGES COURTESY OF TACOYRYDE.COM AND AUNTIEKATE.CA

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

OSEE ANDERSON — JAMES ARMSTRONG — AVEY BROTHERS — BIG DREAMER — CIBLUES — BOOGIE PATROL — EDDIE BURKS — JIMMY BURNS — WILD CHILD CHAEL CHARLES — WILLIAM CLARKE — EDDIE CLEARWATER — CLEVEMAN — MICHAEL

COLEMAN — SHEMEKIA

COPELAND — DEBBIE

BAND — CARSON DOWNEY — DR. BOOGIE — JOHNNY DYER — FATFOWLERS — ANSON FUNDERBURGH AND SAM MYERS — ROY GUEST — TERRY TON — JOE

HANCK — MAJOR

HOUSTON — MARK

HANDY — JAMES

HUMMEL — LONG

HARJOHN

SON — SHIRLEY JACKSON — DOUG JAY — LUTHER “GUITAR JOHNSON — LLOYD

JONES — JUNIOR

BOY

JONES — PE-

KNIGHT — EDDIE KIRKLAND — KING BISCUIT BOY — SMOKIN’ LANE — BRYAN LEE — FRANKIE LEE — ABB LOCKE — PROMAGNESS — GARRETT MASON AND KEITH HALLET — GARY MCILWAINE — LITTLE MIKE AND THE TORNADOS — BIG JAMES HEAT — OUT OF THE BLUE — JORDEN PATTERSON — BRENT PARPRIMER — GARY PRIMICH — LESTER QUITZAU AND THE YARD REED — SONNY RHODES — KELLY RICHEY — MELVIA CHICK RODG-

celebRAting

CERO BLAKE — CHRIS BEARD — BIG TIME SARAH — BIG HANK AND FISTFUL OF BUTLER — BOBBY LAND

CARNEY — GRADY

COCKRELL — JOANNE

CHAMPION — MI-

CONNER — DEBORAH

COLE-

DAVIES — JACK DE KEYZER — BILL DOWEY — DOWNCHILD BLUES

100oF theyeARs commie

SHAW AND THE WOLF GANG — VAAN SHAW — LONNIE SHIELDS — ARSEN

CAMERON — SEAN

FATS — SAM

HEAD — KIRK FLETCHER — SUE FOLEY — FOR BLUES BAND — DAMN GAINES — AMOS MAN — SCOTT

GARRETT — BIG HOLT — RICK

HUNTER — ROY JUNIOR”

MIKE

GRIFFIN — GRAHAM

HOLMSTROM — CRAIG

HOR-

HYTOWER — INCOGNITO — RUSSELL

JACK-

JOHNSON — DONALD

RAY

JOHNSON — SHIRLEY

TER KARP — SHIRLEY KING — THE KINSEY REPORT — E.G. JOE KUBEK AND BNOIS KING — LADY BIANCA — JIMMY D. FESSOR EDDIE LUSK — NIGEL MACK — WES MACKEY — JANIVA MARTIN — LIZ MANDERVILLE — BIG DAVE MCLEAN — ELLEN MONTGOMERY — BIG

MILLER — R.J.

MISCHO — MISSISSIPPI

KIN — JIMMY PAYNE — LUCKY PETERSON — LOU PRIDE — JOHN DOGS — REVERND RAVEN AND THE CHAIN SMOKING ALTER BOYS — A.C. ERS — CURTIS SALGADO — E.C. SCOTT — MEM SHANNON — EDDIE

SHOMAKHOV — WILLIE “BIG EYES” SMITH — JAMES SOLDBERG — STUDE-

BAKER JOHN — TOO SLIM AND THE TAILDRAGGERS — GEORGE TAYLOR — THREE

TIMES

VAUGHN — JOHNNY V — PHILLIP WALKER — JUNIOR WATSON — KENNY “BLUES BOSS”

THE

BLUES — THE

TWISTERS — NAT

TURNER — MAURICE

JOHN

WAYNE — DAVE WELD AND THE IMPERIAL FLAMES — TIM WILLIAMS — WILD T AND THE

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100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

celebRAtion DAy 103 Street

Back Lane

Stage Beer Tent

Stage

Commercial Hotel

Whyte Avenue

N

Food and Vendor Tables

EVENT SCHEDULE 10:00 am -11:00 am 11:15 am - 12:15 pm 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Tim Vaughn King Muskafa Celtic Fusion Illusion Funkafeelya Kymara Fist Full of Blues Boogie Patrol

Street Beer Tent Street Beer Tent Street Beer Tent Street

6:45 pm - 7:45 pm

JK and The Static

Beer Tent

8:00 pm - 9:15 pm 9:30 pm - 10:15 pm

E.C. Scott Wild T and The Spirit

Street Street

10:30 pm - 11:15 pm 11:45 pm - 1:00 am

E.C. Scott Wild T and The Spirit

Blues on Whyte Blues on Whyte

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104 Street

MAP AND EVENT SCHEDULE

100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

coming soon to the blues on whyte! supporting

live music

7

nights a

week

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100 YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

thanks for

100 years from your friends at

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