(The Southside Shuffle)
(b. 1954; d. 2013 Edmonton, Alberta)
For more than thirty years, Fred LaRose was known as Edmonton’s first-call bass player, be it for country, roots or blues music. Fred’s wife Cathy said that Fred had the “book” on whatever type of music that had to be played. “He was truly a gem,” said Rusty Reed, his long time friend and band mate.
Fred had an extremely accomplished career in the county music circles in Alberta. He was proficient in both electric and acoustic stand-up bass and was involved in many significant projects.
Playing in Stu Mitchell’s band, Fred performed on CISN Country radio with a live simulcast out of Cook County Saloon in Edmonton. Most notably he was in the band on Sun Country hosted by Ian Tyson, a national country music program on CTV in the 1980s. During that time Fred played and recorded with North America’s top artists who including Emmy Lou Harris, Mason Williams, Cindy Church, Towns Van Zant, Guy Clark, John McEwen, Bobby Bare and George Hamilton the 4th.
Fred’s transformation into a blues player was a natural progression because of his well-grounded and extensive work in roots music. It does not get better than to receive a call in 1985 from Colin James, Canada’s preeminent blues rocker, with an invitation to join his band when it opened for Stevie Ray Vaughn at the Jubilee Auditorium in 1985. “That was my first gig!” Fred said. Not bad for a country boy from Edmonton.
In the late 1980s Fred started playing with a young up-and-coming Edmonton harmonica monster Rusty Reed. This outstanding band became Rusty Reed and the South Side Shuffle with Al Hartley on guitar, Fred LaRose on bass and drummer Linsey Umrysh (2014 Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame inductee for his work with Hot Cottage).
Fred performed with The Southside Shuffle when they recorded Stairway to the Blues in 1987, and Rusty Reed’s Clear but Confusing, a tune included on the Juno winning Saturday Night Blues compilation on Holger Petersen’s Stony Plain Records.
Fred also backed up a number of blues legends in his time: Pine Top Perkins, Smokey Wilson, Johnny Copeland, Spencer Davis, Amos Garrett and Maurice John Vaughn to name a few. He also played with the Rodger Stanley Band for the Yardbird Suite Blues program backing up Texan, U.P. Wilson in 1997, Chicago blues singer Shirley Johnson in 1998, Byther Smith in 1999 and harmonica great Billy Boy Arnold in 1999.
Often going out of his way to help or assist, Fred LaRose was an inspiration in the greater Edmonton music community. He was an inspiration in the greater Edmonton music community. He would have been overjoyed to know that the usually unnoticed bass players like Chris Brzezicki, Ron Rault, Dave Bridges, and Nigel Gale are continuing on that special place on the bandstand.
The Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame Foundation is honoured to induct Fred LaRose into the Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame 2016 for his work with Rusty Reed and The Southside Shuffle.