Search - Blackie & The Rodeo Kings :: Kings & Queens: Deluxe Edition

In 1996 when Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing,
and Tom Wilson came together to record what was
supposed to be a one-off tribute album to the great
songwriter Willie P. Bennett, there was nary a thought
that they would eventually become a going concern as
a band. At the time, all three members were deeply
committed to burgeoning solo careers that they had
no intentions of putting on hold. Twelve years later,
Blackie and the Rodeo Kings has organically evolved
into one of the finest roots-oriented bands in North
America, releasing six CDs and remaining one of
Canada s greatest musical treasures.
Now, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are proud to
announce their upcoming release, an impressive
collaboration by the name of Kings and Queens. This
release pairs the band with some of their favorite
female singers and friends and some of the biggest
names in roots, blues, and jazz Rosanne Cash,
Emmylou Harris, Pam Tillis, Serena Ryder, Lucinda
Williams, Cassandra Wilson, Amy Helm, Janiva
Magness, Mary Margaret O Hara, Sam Phillips, Sara
Watkins, Exene Cervenka, Patti Scialfa, and Holly
Cole. Grammy- and Juno Award-winning producer
Colin Linden (Bruce Cockburn, Tom Wilson, Stephen
Fearing, Colin James) took the helm for the album,
and the new recordings have taken the Kings from
Nashville to Toronto.
The idea for Kings and Queens was hatched in a
rental van at the end of a Rodeo Kings tour. Late
one night, on a long drive, the band began talking
about the various female artists they had worked
with over the years. What began with a page torn
out of a notebook and a lot of interjections like
Hey, what about... transformed into a whole
album featuring these legendary and iconic female
voices one on each of 14 stellar tracks.