The Toronto Blues Society will be celebrating its* 25th anniversary *with an exciting line-up of *Shakura S'Aida, Fathead, The 24th Street Wailers*, and *Harrison Kennedy*; as well as live blues painting in the Ballroom by *Mark Smith*, campfire/open mike by *Brian Blain** *in the Art Bar, two blues photo exhibits, blues poetry and blues movies on Friday May 28 at the Gladstone Hotel.

WHO: Shakura S'Aida, Fathead, The 24th Street Wailers, Harrison Kennedy, and more!
WHAT: Toronto Blues Society - 25th Anniversary*
WHERE: The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St W, Toronto*
WHEN: Friday May 28, 2010, 7pm*
TICKETS: $15 TBS members / $20 public @ www.ticketpro.ca & Soundscapes,
plus FREE concerts
WEB: www.torontobluessociety.com

The Ballroom will feature *Shakura S'Aida, Fathead, The 24th Street Wailers*, and a live painting beginning at 9pm. *Shakura S'Aida* has enriched the blues community with her soulful voice, enthusiastic personality and commitment to music as an art form. It has been a long but steady climb since *Fathead*'s debut CD in 1995, and the band has been tearing it up on the North American festival circuit ever since. *The 24th Street Wailers*are twenty-something blues musicians who came together at Humber College.

The Melody Bar will feature a free solo performance from Hamilton roots blues musician *Harrison Kennedy*, former member of the band *Chairman of the Board* at 7pm. Following Harrison's performance will be blues karaoke led by Peter Styles.

The second floor photo exhibit will feature two blues shows: one historical and one by local photographer Dougal Bichan. The gallery will be shared with the Gladstone's historical retrospective show as part of the "Doors Open" festival.

The Toronto Blues Society (TBS) was formed in 1985 to ensure that blues music, was guaranteed a continued presence in Toronto. Although the blues scene at the time was thriving, it had almost disappeared during the late 1970s disco era. This suggested the need for an organization that would work to create a climate in which the opportunities for live performances, radio airplay and national touring that can make a career in music viable were being made available to blues musicians.

The Toronto Blues Society produces monthly events including the annual Women's Blues Revue, the bi-annual conference Blues Summit and supports the blues community with weekly email broadcasts, a monthly newsletter Maple Blues, maintains an on-line directory and web site. The TBS is the lead organization on the annual Maple Blues Awards, and provides "Arts Service Organization" support for professional musicians through career development
workshops.