Blue Shaddy
Encyclopedia
Blue Shaddy is an Australian blues
/roots
band who formed in 1999.
.
The group has been showcased in the US through Tin Records. Blue Shaddy was nominated for the Tin Records 2007 New Music compilation.
Singer songwriter and guitar
ist Jim McClelland, his brother Graham McClelland (harmonica
) and Sandra McClelland (bass guitar
ist and wife of Jim) were born and bred in Western Australia
's remote wheat belt, which has had a strong influence on their music, especially songs such as "Don't wanna die here" and "People talk". Having lived in the city of Perth
for some 14 years and meeting band members, Malaysian born Arun Satgunasingam (drummer
and percussion
ist) and percussionist Sri Lanka
n born Kanchana Karunaratna, the band has been exposed to new influences which leads to what Blue Shaddy are today.
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
/roots
Roots revival
A roots revival is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly-composed songs with socially and politically aware lyrics, as well as a general modernization of the folk sound.After an...
band who formed in 1999.
Biography
Blue Shaddy have independently released four albums and have received national airplay on Triple JTriple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
.
The group has been showcased in the US through Tin Records. Blue Shaddy was nominated for the Tin Records 2007 New Music compilation.
Singer songwriter and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Jim McClelland, his brother Graham McClelland (harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
) and Sandra McClelland (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist and wife of Jim) were born and bred in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
's remote wheat belt, which has had a strong influence on their music, especially songs such as "Don't wanna die here" and "People talk". Having lived in the city of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
for some 14 years and meeting band members, Malaysian born Arun Satgunasingam (drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
ist) and percussionist Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n born Kanchana Karunaratna, the band has been exposed to new influences which leads to what Blue Shaddy are today.
Awards
The band enjoyed the Number 1 spot on the Perth Indie Charts in May 2007 with their album Walk A Mile, and were nominated in the Blue Star Awards.Selected performances
- The West Coast Blues and Roots FestivalWest Coast Blues & Roots FestivalThe West Coast Blues 'n' Roots Festival is an annual music festival held in Fremantle, Western Australia. It features many blues and roots performers, both international and local.-History:...
, 2005, 2006, 2007 - The East Coast Blues and Roots FestivalEast Coast Blues & Roots Music FestivalThe East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, also known as Byron Bay Bluesfest, is an annual music festival held for five days over the Easter long weekend at Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia...
, 2007 - Blues on Broadbeach 2007
- The Australian Blues Awards 2007
- The Bridgetown Blues Festival consecutively for 6 years (as of 2007)
- The UBlues blues/roots & soul Festival, SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
2002 & 2003 - The Vintage Blues and Roots Festival, AlbanyAlbany, Western AustraliaAlbany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
(2005, 2006, 2007) - The Mordialloc Festival Melbourne 2006
- Whale Shark Festival, ExmouthExmouth, Western Australia-Further reading:* Western Australia. Ministry for Planning. Exmouth-Learmonth structure plan. Perth, W.A. : Western Australian Planning Commission...
2006
Members
- Jim McClelland: vocals, guitar(acoustic and lap slide guitars), stomp box
- Sandy McClelland: electric bass guitar
- Graham McClelland: harmonica
- Arun Satgunasingam: drums, percussion
- Kanchana Karunaratna: percussion.
Discography
- Blue Shaddy - Independent (1999)
- Blue Shaddy ... Live. Fine Time... - Independent (2002)
- Walk a Mile - Independent (October 2004)
- Bury My Ghost - Independent (January 2008)