TRACY K - BIO "SHE IS AN ENTERTAINMENT" (Style Manitoba Magazine)
Tracy K has experienced the thrill of earning awards for her performing, songwriting and harmonica skills. A respected vocalist "with a voice that's well controlled and gritty as a whiskey soaked hobnail", she is known internationally for beltin' out the blues and is admired for her charisma onstage. A review from her concert with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra states that "her love of music and performing is undeniable - Tracy K exudes talent."
Her Right Hand Band with it's crack rhythm section and master guitarist were nominated as Best Electric Act by Winnipeg blues.com in 2006 and have appeared in two Hollywood movies. Their brand of rockin' blues led them to tour countless festivals and clubs, because folks love their energetic fun-filled shows. Tracy K's dream of having a specific acoustic duo was fulfilled after moving from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Thunder Bay, Ontario in 2004. She formed Blues Duo with Jamie "Snakeman" Steinhoff. A chef by trade, when he's not cookin' in the kitchen he's cookin' on guitar. Ms. K pulled him out of the kitchen and stuck him onstage. Now they cook together!
Steinhoff’s dedication to early folk and blues is revealed in his beautiful Piedmont finger style guitar work and Delta slide. With gritty, soulful vocals he sings clever songs with funny lyrics. He's been caught playing banjo too! The duo's steamy blues and lively rags, contemporary originals and vintage gems make up their sound. Their 2011 debut release 'Canned Heat' has picked up some five star reviews and lots of fans. Highlights include CBC Radio One and Two live recordings, a private performance in the Caribbean, opening for Ramblin' Jack Elliot and co-writing an epigrammatic song for the Six String Nation Guitar tour. They tour acoustic venues and festivals across the land, packing their Snakeman's Canned Heat Salsa and Tracy K's Stolen Apple Jelly that has a matching song.
Tracy K grew up in the tiny prairie town of Beausejour, Manitoba, Canada. Raised on sixties radio and sibling's records, her musical interests developed with the British Invasion and psychedelic eras. Tracy K's first harmonica adventure happened while backpacking Europe in 1982. She was given an old harmonica by a Canadian soldier in Germany and a lifelong bond was formed between the tiny instrument and Tracy K. She then spent about a decade in Toronto, Canada in the bustling music scene as a vocalist and harmonica player. After motherhood prompted a hiatus during the 1990s, Tracy K began a solo career in Winnipeg, Canada with the release of her debut cd 'Welcome to my Fantasy' in 2000.
Countless highlights amass over more than two decades of performing, but a few of Tracy Kʼs personal thrills include her stunning performance with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra in tribute to Billie Holiday; writing a song for a Hollywood movie; writing a collaborative song for CBCʼs “Canada Reads, Ontario Rocks”; opening for harmonica legend James Cotton and sharing a playbill with one of her first female blues influences, the great Koko Taylor. She's shared the stage and studio with so many great musicians! Tracy K was honoured to perform at the Toronto Blues Society's 'Blues Summit', their 'Annual Harmonica Workshop', and their prestigious 'Women's Blues Revue' as well as dozens of blues, folk & jazz festivals. Tracy K also sidelines as a voice actor, harmonica player and back-up singer. She has been the grateful recipient of several arts foundation awards in support of her music from FACTOR, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and Manitoba Film and Sound. Tracy K is a member of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals, Toronto Blues Society, SOCAN, and the AFM.
Tracy K has been awarded with:
Ontario Independent Music Award
BEST BLUES
International Songwriting Competition Award Recipient
BLUES & PERFORMANCE
Toronto Blues Society Talent Search Finalist
FIRST RUNNER UP
Winnipeg Blues.com
HARMONICA PLAYER of the year
FEMALE VOCALIST of the Year
DISCOGRAPHY
2011 - Album - Canned Heat / Blues Duo featuring Tracy K & Jamie “Snakeman” Steinhoff
2011 - Album - 2011 Thunder Bay Blues Showcase Live
2008 - Single - Science of Being Distant with Jamie Smith for CBC Radio One's Bandwidth
2007 - Album - Old, New, Borrowed & Blues / Tracy K and the Right Hand Band
2003 - 3 Singles for Prairie Fire Project, Canadian Diabetes Foundation
2002 - Single - Rock This House, licensed to Zernick Von-Sertner Films, L.A.
2000 - Album - Welcome to my Fantasy / Tracy K with various artists
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