DIANA BRAITHWAITE AND CHRIS WHITELEY- Rockin’ With The Blues!

 
diana braithwaite was the keynote speaker at the blues summit in toronto. click on Toronto Blues Society Maple 
blues Photo below to hear her inspiring and emotional speech.

Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley – A Live Concert Review:

“Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley hit the stage in the afternoon, to cheers from their many avid fans in the audience. They delivered song after song to thunderous applause, well deserved to say the least.  The blues couple have recorded 8 previous albums together and have toured all over North America, UK and Europe winning numerous awards for their songwriting and albums together.” 

JOE CURTIS – JAZZ REVIEW.COM BEACHES JAZZ FESTIVAL.

Crowd-pleasing shows range from  entertaining acoustic blues duo concerts with country blues , originals, delta blues with slide guitar, and folk blues  including well known and loved blues classics, to up-tempo blues rocking band shows with 12 bar danceable blues, electric guitar, and the addition of bass, drums and piano.

 Photo Credit: Denise Grant

Apart from the blues, Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley  are also known for their classic vintage jazz shows featuring the music of Dinah Washington and popular Louis Armstrong songs, featuring 9 time Maple Blues Award winner Chris Whiteley on the trumpet and cornet. The duo is available for art centres,  concert halls, festivals and clubs as well as online shows,  virtual concerts and house concerts.

“Masters of Old School Blues” 

“Between the two of us, we have, a whole lot of years  in the business of entertaining.  Laughter, fun and straight from the heart good soul stirring music is what we aim to bring to our audiences around the world.”                         Photo Credit:  Jordan Newell

Diana Braithwaite is an award winning internationally renowned blues  and jazz vocalist and writer who most recently won the  2018 Life Time Achievement Blues With A Feeling Award- Canada’s National Maple Blues Awards.

Chris Whiteley was born in Kansas and came to Canada as a youth where he came to be one of the top musicians in the country.  A multi-instrumentalist and nine time Maple Blues Award Winner for Best Horn Player of the Year,  Whiteley is also a recipient of Jazz Report Magazine’s Album of the Year Award.  

PIC: Legendary Toronto Club – Hugh’s Room with Ron Johnston-bass, John Deehan Sax, Vince Maccarone -Drums, Neil Brathwaite – Sax & John Sheard – Piano

Canadian Eh!  Proud to call Toronto, Canada their home this exciting award winning blues husband and wife team brings the vintage, classic sound of yesteryear to their live shows and recordings.  Presenting concerts from the Georgia Sea Islands to Ireland, from Festivals in New York City and Virginia to concert halls in North America,  and blues and jazz clubs in Moscow and London, England. Photo Credit – Janene Johnson

The duo   recorded five previous albums together with Electro-Fi Records, and a  2018 release of jazz classics I WAS TELLING HIM ABOUT YOU with  the G-three jazz record  label. 

The latest G3 release   was the 2019 blues album – GOLD CADILLAC! Brand New release coming up in 2024! Stay tuned!

Diana and Chris are also signed with the international music publishing house – Sony Music to create and produce original songs for inclusion in movies, TV and film, their latest project Roadhouse Blues was released internationally! Photo Credit: Jordan Newell

 

As the esteemed jazz bible DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE said about  Braithwaite and  Whiteley “it’s a rare and good thing when two talented performers join forces.”

Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley have performed to tens of thousands over their vast careers and audiences, critics and jazz and blues lovers all over North America and Europe seem to agree.

“Talented couple highlights the TD Jazz Festival!” Errol Nazareth-The Toronto Sun Photo Credit: Jon Blacker

    Diana Braithwaite is a national treasure” RADIO HOST – Danny Marks JAZZ FM 91.1″

“Two talented performers  join forces” Frank John Hadley – Downbeat Magazine

“Her partner in crime, or criminally gorgeous music-making, Chris Whiteley is himself a nine-time winner of the Maple Blues Horn Player of the Year.” – Downbeat Magazine 

Rockin’ With The Blues!  Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley

LATEST NEWS

Diana Braithwaite became the first African-Canadian keynote speaker for the Toronto Blues Society’s International Blues Summit – June 19th 2022, Chelsea Hotel, Toronto

Watch uplifting keynote speech here:

October 2023 – Two Amazing Projects – A Brand New Recording ! And working on some very exciting Blues Research!! Stay tuned for more info and updates on this latest news!!

2023 — Here’s a sneak peak inside Union Recording studio in Toronto with Chris and Diana at work and play… Ron Johnston on bass, Vince Maccarone on drums, John Sheard on piano. Sax – Elana Kapeleris and Neil Brathwaite. Videos shot by saxophonist -Elana Kapeleri

 

At Union Studio – Chris Whiteley with Neil Brathwaite (saxophonist) and producer G-Three Records – Greg Gooding.


AWARDS

Diana Braithwaite – Keynote Speaker National  Blues Summit – Toronto Blues Society Toronto, June 2022

Diana Braithwaite  Global Music Award Winner Best Female Jazz Vocalist -2018

Chris Whiteley – 9 time Maple Blues Award Winner for  Best Horn Player of the Year

Diana Braithwaite – Blues With A Feeling Award – Life Time Achievement In The Blues -Maple Blues Awards – 2018

Chris Whiteley- Blues With A Feeling Award – Life Time Achievement In the Blues- Maple Blues Awards  2011

Nominated ~ Best Female Vocalist ~ Maple Blues Awards

Winner ~ of Canada Council’s Musical Composer’s  Award

Winner of Canada’s SOCAN Best Songwriters Award

Winner ~ Jazz Report ~ Album of the year

Winner of The African ~ American Women in The Arts AwardChicago, Illinois USA

Winner of The Golden Sheaf Award ~ Soundtrack

Best Original Songs for feature-length movie ~ Canada

Nomination – Cable Ace Award- feature film ~ Los Angeles, USA

Gemini Award Winner ~ Canada

Past Events

Le Passage Blues & Jazz Festival, France
Massey Hall, Toronto Canada
Bernie Grant Arts Centre, London, England
Monaghan Blues & Jazz Festival, Ireland
Great British Blues & Jazz Festival, Colne, UK
Midland Performing Arts Centre- Canada
Edinburgh Festival, Scotland
Downtown Jazz Festival, Toronto, Canada
Beaches Jazz Festival – Toronto
Place des Arts, Montréal
Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary
Stage Door Festival, Netherlands
Maryport Festival, United Kingdom
Saturday Night Live – Chris Whiteley
Montreal Jazz Festival – Chris Whiteley
Hudson River Blues Festival, New York City
Amazing Things Arts Center, Framingham Mass.
Fergus Grand Theatre – Canada
Tinner Hill Blues Festival, Falls Church Virginia
Yardbird Suite – Alberta
Poconos Festival, Poconos, US
Chicago Blues Festival, Chicago, Illinois
Black National Theatre Festival, North Carolina
Theresa’s Lounge, Chicago
Hornby Island Music Festival
Nanaimo Blues Festival, BC
Maple Blues Awards Gala, Toronto
Barrie Blues Festival, Barrie, Ontario
Grand Forks Art Gallery, Grand Forks
The Roxy Theatre, Gabriola Island
Brigantine Room, Harbourfront, ON
Wasaga Beach Blues Festival, ON
Jamaica School of Drama, Jamaica, WI
Toronto Star Jazz & Blues Festival, CNE
The Drum Arts Centre, Birmingham, UK
The Peepul Art Centre, Leicester, UK
The Roxy, Los Angeles
Philadelphia Folk Festival
BlueBird Cafe, Nashville

CONTACT US

TO BOOK A PERFORMANCE OR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION  PLEASE CONTACT:  Info@hotblues.ca     (416) 857-4951

Diana & Chris are also booked by:                                                                                                                                            
The BoboLink Agency, Robert Missen

G-ThreeJazz Greg Gooding

Movinmusic Agency UK Mike Hellier

                               

                      2024