Blues musician returns to Strathmore for one night

By Brady Grove, Times Reporter

Strathmore will play host to Charlie B & the Groove Crew at the Strathmore Travelodge on Jan. 6 to raise money for the group’s chance to represent southern Alberta at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn.
The International Blues Challenge, an initiative from the Blues Foundation, represents the worldwide search for blues bands and solo/duo blues acts ready to perform on the international stage, yet just needing that extra big break. The challenge goes Jan. 16-20.
“We are very honoured to be able to represent southern Alberta and Canada,” said Charlie Butler, the group’s guitarist and singer. “For me personally, coming to Strathmore is like coming home.”
This won’t be Butler’s first visit to the community as they have played and collaborated successfully with Linda Storkson, president of the Strathmore Musical Arts Society, on several occasions in the past.
“We’ve had really good support in the past. Some of our shows have brought in over 200 people,” said Storkson. “We’ve drifted in folk music lately but I think there is a large following of blues people in this area.”
The two-year-old Charlie B & the Groove Crew consists of six members and features musicians from countries outside Canada including Japan, Trinidad and Tobago, and the U.S. They’ve played at events such as the 2017 Calgary International Blues Festival.
“We are an international band, but we are representing Canada because we are all Canadians,” said Butler, who is originally from Philadelphia.
Butler said he feels very strongly in supporting local musicians, which was another reason why he wanted to return to Strathmore; the local show gives the band the perfect opportunity to practice for the big competition in Memphis and also to discuss another issue: mental health. An important component of the Strathmore concert is to promote how blues music can assist people with mental health issues.
“Music does resonate, and is a stress and anxiety release for people,” said Cheri Nichol, publicist for Charlie B & the Groove Crew.
Tickets are available at the Strathmore Travelodge and Pro Water Systems for $15.