Coulson Past and Present and…
Coulson Concerts Summer 2024
by Anne Walker
The “little white church” has stood watch at the top of Coulson hill on the Horseshoe Valley Road for over 140 years. Built in 1881, it was closed as a place of worship in the 1960s but has recently been restored preserving many original features, including an ornate Victorian tin ceiling, pews, plank flooring, a cast iron and nickel-plated stove, and the original pulpit. A history of the building and its place in the community can be found in the August/September 2022 issue of NSL here: https://online.pubhtml5.com/uahq/vlqd/#p=8
Last year the church was given new life as an enchanting setting in which to enjoy authentic Canadian music. “The Coulson Concerts”, a folk-roots series, is back again this summer with an exciting line-up of talented artists. You’ll find the church at 301 Horseshoe Valley Road West in Oro-Medonte, a couple of kilometres east of Horseshoe Resort.
The second season opened in April with Emily Jean Flack and Xavier Leahy who had folks dancing in their seats. The May concert was a moving tribute to Canada through Jowi Taylor’s Six String Nation guitar and featured performances by John Prince, Patty McLaughlin and Anne Walker. There are four Sunday afternoon concerts left in the 2024 season. Information and tickets $25 are available at https://annewalker.ca/the-coulson-concerts .
Tannis Slimmon and Lewis Melville
Sunday, June 23 (2 pm)
Tannis thrilled the Coulson audience last season appearing with her trio “Boreal”. She’s back in June, this time performing as a duo with her partner, Lewis Melville.
With musical roots firmly planted in the soil of the Canadian Prairies and a passion for lyrical vocal harmonies, Tannis Slimmon has been singing, songwriting, recording and touring for over 35 years. She has three solo albums and numerous guest vocal appearances on others, including those by Willie P. Bennett, Valdy, David Francey and Rheostatics. In fact, her name appears in the credits of over 100 recordings. Through the years, Tannis Slimmon has been involved in The Bird Sisters, The Lucky Sisters, Boreal, Ondine Chorus, Essentia and has been described as “a breathtaking vocalist with a bright and angelic disposition”. https://tannis.ca/
Lewis Melville is a Guelph, Ontario, composer, producer, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist (guitars, banjo, pedal steel, mandolin). His musical adventures have taken him across Canada, North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa with Canadian bands Skydiggers, Rheostatics, and others. His playing can be heard on scores of albums by other artists including the multi-million selling album “Gordon” by The Barenaked Ladies.
Wendell Ferguson
Sunday, June 28 (2 pm)
Wendell Ferguson won the Canadian Country Music Association’s Guitar Player of the Year Award so many times (7!!!!) that he is no longer eligible to receive the honor.
From the first time that he heard Chet Atkins’ recording of “Mister Sandman” he was hooked, and only one thing that ever held his interest was the guitar. He’d already been taking lessons for three years when The Beatles came on the scene and he was soon hard at work lifting their licks, along with Ventures, the Stones, Les Paul and of course the aforementioned Mr. Atkins.
Years of touring, radio and television appearances and recording with some of the biggest names such as Shania Twain, The Wilkinsons, The Dixie Chicks, Chely Wright, Deana Carter, Gary Allen, Patty Loveless, Tracy Byrd, Gordon Lightfoot, Sylvia Tyson along with many more, have given Wendell’s songwriting a unique perspective. http://www.wendellferguson.com/
Anne Walker
Sunday, August 25 (2 pm)
A haunting voice that is strong, clear and expressive. Well-crafted songs that range from deeply-moving to downright funny. This is singer-songwriter Anne Walker. A gifted storyteller, her songs have a timeless quality that draws the listener in. Anne’s rich voice lends itself well to the variety of her material–a pleasing blend of folk, country, ballads and blues. And humour! A powerful voice delivering beautiful songs, she will engage your heart strings and your sense of humour. Raised on a small farm in Ontario, Anne’s rural roots are evident in the beauty of her music and the quiet strength of her words. https://annewalker.ca/
Blair Packham
Sunday, September 29 (2 pm)
In pursuit of the perfect song, Blair Packham is usually up to something cool. Influenced by everyone from Elvis Costello to John Prine, Blair Packham long ago found his own voice as a writer, and loves sharing his songs—and some laughs—with audiences everywhere. First and foremost, Blair is a storyteller. The Toronto-based performer’s songs themselves are stories of joy, triumph, heartbreak and loss; in between songs, Blair reliably adds something funny or quirky to the narrative.
Blair has been writing songs for over 40 years. For the past 15 years, he has taught songwriting at Toronto’s Seneca College, and via SongStudio, his annual songwriting workshop. Blair’s band The Jitters, crossed Canada countless times in the 1980s–headlining, and opening shows for legends like The Kinks, Heart, Huey Lewis and the News, The Beach Boys, or sharing stages with Blue Rodeo, Gowan, and the Northern Pikes.
More recently, Blair has placed songs in TV and film soundtracks, such as Dawson’s Creek, Beyblade, Spliced and many more. Zombie Town, the 2023 feature film starring Dan Ackroyd and Chevy Chase, showcases Blair’s song “Lucky Me.” https://blairpackham.com/