Rusty Reed
(Colin McLeay)
(b. 1962, Edmonton, Alberta)
‘’Above all was Rusty Reed whose ultimate control of the harp kept the audience mesmerized, rarely do you get a chance to see an artist spilling his guts and soul in such a commanding, awe inspiring manner.” — Dory Lanenter in VanCityBuzz upon seeing Rusty Reed performing at the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival in 2014.
Rusty Reed has become one of Western Canada’s most powerful and passionate harmonica practitioners. What distinguishes Rusty is his natural ability to hear a song or the sound of a harmonica and play it back by ear. Rusty’s earliest influences were recordings by James Cotton and harp-master Little Walter Jacobs, along with live performances by David Burgin playing at the infamous Ambassador Hotel in Edmonton, along with such greats as George Harmonica Smith.
Rusty once told the Edmonton Journal’s music writer Roger Levesque that “I stopped pipelining and locked myself in the basement for about three years and practised and practised and practised.” He listened to and studied recordings to pick up the details of playing on both the diatonic and the more difficult chromatic harmonicas, as he developed his tone and phrasing.
Since 1986, Rusty has been a member of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival House Band led by Amos Garrett, backing and supporting many blues, roots and gospel acts appearing at the festival’s stage 1 – known by many as the “Blues Stage”. Led by Amos Garrett (vocals, guitar), the Festival House Band has consisted of Kit Johnson (guitar), David Babcock (sax), the late Ron Casat (keys), Michelle Josef (drums) and the leather lungs of Rusty Reed. The fabulous blues artists that Rusty backed at that stage includes Sunnyland Slim and Yank Rachel. In addition to his stellar work with the Festival House Band, Rusty has backed and shared Edmonton Folk Fest’s main stage with the likes of Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Taj Mahal, Bo Diddley, and Otis Rush.
In the late 1980s Rusty Reed formed a band with Fred LaRose on bass, Linsey Umrysh (an Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame 2014 inductee) on drums — an Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame 2014 inductee—and Peter Banford, a phenomenal guitar player whose stage name was Al Hartley. This extraordinary band was known as The South Side Shuffle. Rusty Reed and The South Side Shuffle quickly joined the ranks of Hot Cottage and the Rault Brothers as one of the top blues bands in Edmonton and in the Province. In 1987, the band released a successful and well-received recording titled Stairway to the Blues. They were also featured in the Juno-winning album Saturday Night Blues, a compilation of notable blues artists from across Canada, with the song Clear but Confusing, written by Rusty Reed and performed by The South Side Shuffle. This album was recorded at Holger Petersen’s Stony Plain Records and released in 1991.
Rusty was recruited by Rodger Stanley to be in the back-up band for the legendary Pinetop Perkins when he played at the infamous King Eddie Hotel in Calgary in 1995 and 1996. In 1995, Rusty opened for B.B. King at the Jubilee Auditorium with Tim Williams and Johnny V, as members of Triple Threat. Rusty also played on Long John Baldry’s Juno-winning album I’ve Got a Right to Sing the Blues and in 1999 Rusty produced his own best-selling album Here on Earth.
Besides being a mainstay on the Edmonton Blues scene Rusty has traveled and performed at numerous festivals and events. Most notable are performances at the Edmonton Blues Festival with the Brent Parkin Band in 2001 and in 2015, the Edmonton Blues Festival showcased Rusty Reed and Big Dave McLean as special guests with Jimmie Guiboche and the Sleepers.
The Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame Foundation is pleased to recognize Rusty Reed and The South Side Shuffle in the Performer category of the Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame for 2016.