|
King Biscuit Boy or Son Richard (b Richard Alfred Newell). Harmonica player, singer, guitarist, songwriter, b Hamilton, Ont, 9 Mar 1944, d Hamilton 5 Jan 2003. Introduced to the blues by US radio shows, he began playing the harmonica in 1961 and worked 1961-5 with a series of related blues and rock bands in the Hamilton area. One, Son Richard and the Chessmen, performed in 1965 in Germany. Newell sang and played harmonica 1966-7 with the Mid-Knights in Toronto, and 1968-70 with Ronnie Hawkins on tour. It was Hawkins who named him King Biscuit Boy after the popular blues program 'King Biscuit Time' on KFFA radio in Arkansas.
A powerful blues and R&B shouter and a volatile harpist, 'Biscuit' made his first LP, Official Music (Daffodil SBA-16001), and the single 'Corrina, Corrina' in 1970 with Crowbar (formerly Hawkins' back-up band, And Many Others). He was a frequent guest performer 1970-1 with Crowbar - his 'Biscuit's Boogie' was a crowd favourite - and toured in England with his own band in 1971. He began to pursue a solo career, recording the album King Biscuit Boy (1974, Epic E-32891) in New Orleans. Though intermittently inactive through the 1970s and 1980s, he continued to work in Canada and the USA, and again on occasion with Hawkins and a revived Crowbar, attaining somewhat legendary status among Canadian blues musicians. He continued to perform, less often, in Hamilton and occasionally other Ontario venues, until his death. Newell's other LPs include Gooduns (1970-1, Daffodil SBX-16006), Mouth of Steel (1982, Stony Plain SPL 1076), and Richard Newell aka King Biscuit Boy (1988, Stony Plain SLP 1120), The Best of King Biscuit Boy: Badly Bent (1992 BEIBD-24), and Urban Blues Re:Newell (1995, Blue Wave BWC-124). Stony Plain re-issued several of Newell's recordings on CD in the 1990s (SPCD 1220, 1228, 1229). King Biscuit Boy also appeared on recordings by Hawkins, Crowbar, April Wine, Laurie Bower, Gary Buck, Walter Rossi, the US band the Electric Flag, etc. He was twice nominated for Juno awards, and received the Great Canadian Blues Award in 1995.
Author
Betty Nygaard King
Bibliography
Yorke, Ritchie. 'Canada's rock invasion,' Axes, Chops & Hot Licks (Edmonton 1971) Booth, Dave 'Daddy Cool'. Liner notes for Richard Newell aka King Biscuit Boy Stony Plain SLP-1120. Repr in Toronto Blues Society Newsletter, Sep 1988, Feb 1989 (untitled) Hamilton Spectator, 8 Jan 2003 Mowat, Bruce Farley. 'Bluesman made his mark,' Globe and Mail, 16 Jan 2003
Links to Other Sites
Richard Newell
Dedicated to Hamilton-born blues singer Richard Newell. From the website for the Hamilton Music Awards Festival.
Richard Newell
A brief profile of Richard Newell from the website for Race Records.
King Biscuit Boy
This site is dedicated to the late, great Canadian blues musician King Biscuit Boy (Richard Newell.)
Real Blues
"Real Blues Magazine" showcases blues, soul, gospel and zydeco music. Check out the latest events listings, awards, special features, and more.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| David Thompson was an outsider, struggling to find a foothold in the empire that had consumed his country... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Evangelical Christian Church, often called the Christian Church (Christian Disciples), is a denomination stemming from ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sears Canada Inc, headquartered in Toronto, is a Canadian retailer incorporated in 1952. In 1953 operating under the ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Land claims are dealt with by a process established by the federal government to enable INDIANS, INUIT and ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| National Chamber Orchestra of Canada. Established in 1984 in North York, Metropolitan Toronto, with the aim of promoting Canadian creative and performing talent. The core of 18 professional string players is supplemented by up ... |
|
|
